[Dave Alexander]

Hi,

I have bought a couple of Barrio lines over the last few years and have generally been happy.  I bought a cream colored 5wt 140 first, which I found nice as an all around line but a tad too long for fishing (pretty good for just open distance).  My other criticism would be that  the coating to be not quite as slick or hard perhaps as I would like.   It was almost too soft and seemed to pick up dirt a bit more than I would like.

Last year I bought a cream colored GT125 for my 4wt and really love that line.  It seemed like exactly all the things that I would have tweaked with the GT140s were incorporated in the new line. It was really perfect for me and what I like.  Great turnover,  perfect length head, very stable, excellent with long leaders and small to heavyish flies.  I usually fish multi fly rigs in rivers and lakes in Nova Scotia, Canada and found that the GT125 was really great.

A friend of mine tried my GT125 4wt and was going to buy one this season but they seemed to have been discontinued in 4wt.   I also wanted to buy another 4wt for myself as I the very first day I had mine out stepped on it on a rock and ruined the line in a couple of places.

So how much different is the GT90 from the GT125?  I remember reading that the 125 had a hard slicker coating but the GT90 didn't as it was more like the original GT140 coating.  The profile looks fine to me they are very similar, but I was more concerned about the coating and the color to a certain degree. Even though darker shades appeal to me in once sense, I find white or yellow the best to track in shady river sections or low light when nymphing.

Cheers,

Dave

[Sandy Nelson]

HI Dave

I usually fish a 5wt Orange GT125 but I have been field testing the 2016 GT90 with its new harder slicker coating, for several weeks now and on rivers I don't think I would use another line .
The turnover is as good as the 125 even with size 10 dries (on a 5wt) but the new reduced density colour has made the line smoother and it casts better, better shoot and better control . It is great at all ranges but especially if you have to push for a little bit of distance. I do a lot of short (sub20ft) work and the line is turning over very nicely indeed.
I'm fishing a 5wt MOD at the moment and the GT125 was causing a bit of tip bounce when I pushed it, the 90 has eliminated this and I love the rod even more.
The new, paler, less dense olive colour is very easy to see on the water, but is also quite low profile in the air.

For me it has been a win/win line the new paler colour is easier to see and the colour change has made the line smoother and much nicer to fish with, I think its even better than the Orange 125 and I've been fishing it for 3 years

My 125 will now be kept for the odd visit to a fishery, with a stiffer flyrod, but the 90 is my go-to river line

Hope that helps

Sandy

[Mike Barrio]

Welcome to the forum Dave .......... and thanks for the excellent reply Sandy

Best wishes
Mike

[Dave Alexander]

Thanks Sandy and Mike,

Ok,

So do the 4WT GT90s' currently available online from the Barrio Shop possess the same characteristic as the 5wt GT90 you have been testing?

1) Slicker harder coating
2) The "mushy pea" color is a pale Yellowy/Olive color. That's what the picture looks like to me.

I really do like the GT style lines with the long yet stable/powerful front taper and the really long back taper, but is close to the AFTM standard.
Those are characteristics that are very difficult to find with a general shift to short and way over weight. 

Cheers,

Dave

[Mike Barrio]

Thanks Sandy and Mike,

So do the 4WT GT90s' currently available online from the Barrio Shop possess the same characteristic as the 5wt GT90 you have been testing?

1) Slicker harder coating
2) The "mushy pea" color is a pale Yellowy/Olive color. That's what the picture looks like to me.

Yes Dave, Sandy is fishing with 2016 stock, which is pale olive and just as you've described.

Currently sold out of the WF4F again I'm afraid ( very popular ) but the next batch should arrive soon.

Best wishes
Mike

[Dave Alexander]

Okay thanks  Mike sounds good.

Dave

[Dave Alexander]

Is there any advantage to the GT125 apart from the additional length running line length for distance casting? 

Particularly thinking about front end power turnover?

Dave

[Sandy Nelson]

Is there any advantage to the GT125 apart from the additional length running line length for distance casting? 

With the new 2016 coating, not any more IMHO Although orange lines are still nice to see when the light starts to fail on an evening.
I'd say turnover was the same and I have been casting them side by side with the same flies and long leaders (15ft tapered)
Only advantage the 125 has, is the extra length for distance casting.

So for me it would come down to colour preference, I'm now carrying both anyway with different size leaders 4x and 5x so I can change down a tippet size if I need to go smaller for flies. easy to identify when the orange one is 4x and the olive one is 5x 

Cheers

Sandy