GAELFORCE EQUALIZER G + 15' 10 WEIGHT REVIEW
The Brits have always had a knack for producing long lasting, practical fishing gear that gets the job done. Gaelforce is no exception: their rods and lines are of superior quality and will exceed the expectations of the beginner or seasoned professionals.
I am a fishing caster, which is to say that I will adapt my casting style to the fishing conditions presented in real time (competition casting isn’t really on my radar, but I do look to these professional casters for inspiration and to see what are the latest trends in equipment and techniques that are pushing the boundaries).
Gaelforce two-handed fly rods and lines have garnered a lot of attention among the two-handed competition casting and fishing communities the last few years - some of the top casters are presently using Gaelforce equipment to win competitions.
I obtained a 63' Gaelforce Equalizer Spey line a few years ago to see what the buzz was about. Casting the user-friendly line felt buttery smooth and the line taper sliced through the air with minimal resistance (reminded me of the Carron Jetstream lines which I also enjoy), and made sense because both were designed by spey casting champion and Gaelforce founder, James Chalmers. Since then, I've added other Gaelforce lines to my arsenal and enjoyed casting all of them. I then began looking at Gaelforce rods since I was in the market for a big game two-hander for big fish in big water. If the rod tapers were designed as well as the line tapers…
I read some reviews of the Equalizer rods from serious salmon anglers. High praise, but I had some reservations about the weight of the rods.
Rods from Bruce and Walker, Carron and Hardy seemed to fit my style of casting and most importantly, fit my type of fishing, but these earlier generation, graphite rods were too heavy, too stout, and too slow compared to the North American trend of faster, tippier and generally lighter rods. They were designed to cast longer and heavier lines and they did so extremely well.
Thankfully, the world of nanotechnology, super silica, and graphene entered the rod designer and manufacturer's process. These new "space age" materials incorporated in today's fly rod blanks make rods more powerful, responsive, and, quite importantly, lighter in weight.
The promise of better, stronger, and lighter blanks from competing rod companies made me believe that there was a chance of finding the rod that best fit me. For the most part, the first rods made with these new technologies really performed and fished well. They were responsive, delivered crisp casts, and were lightweight. But the compromise of light weight versus blank strength and durability were lacking in these first ‘new generation’ rods. They had less resin and more carbon fiber in the blanks. Having less plastic and glue in the blanks definitely made them lighter, but the thinner diameter tip sections of these rods were more susceptible to breaks in some brands. The earlier rods are great casting tools nonetheless, and I still enjoy casting them. I reserve these for floating lines and summer fishing. My quest for a lightweight, but stouter rod for spring, winter, and sunk line fishing continued...
Gaelforce then introduced a new line of Graphene rods - the Equalizer G+ series. They promised, "A strong tip combined with a deep progressive action and lightning-quick recovery... with the strongest and lightest materials ever used in a fly rod."
Intrigued, I read online reviews for a better part of a year to see what anglers were saying. I even contacted some G+ series owners, and they were more than pleased with their rods' capabilities. Later, a call to Mr. Chalmers who was kind enough to discuss the rod design and build reassured my concerns about rod weight and durability. Extra wraps of graphite prepeg were added to the G+ blanks for extra strength, without the compromise of added weight thanks to the light weight properties of graphene.
My 15 foot, 10 weight Equalizer G+ came in the mail soon after and a couple months prior to my annual spring fishing trip. Practicality with style is what I was thinking the very first time I assembled the rod sections: racing green, matte finish with silver thread whipping, alignment dots, slim diameter top grade cork handles, chrome guides, ALPS Tri-Lock down-locking real seat, and the metal accent ring around the bottom cork handle. The rod is beautiful!
I cast a few different lines on a cold and windy March day after ice out. The first line was an 11/12 weight, 848 grain, 63 foot Equalizer Spey line. From the initial lift of the head off the water, I could feel how this rod's strong tip has the capability of lifting heavy lines smoothly and with authority. As I began the forward stroke, I felt the rod progressively flex into my hands, while the bottom half remained solid and taut - it had enough reserve energy to catapult a 6-pack of beer across the river! Recovery was near instantaneous. I kept feeding line as the rod asked for more after every cast.
Next up was the Equalizer Extended Spey Head 11# weighing 55grams (847grains), and at 49ft/15m. This line is very user friendly and it seemed that I could not make a bad cast. I first cast it with a 16 foot mono leader. Then tried a few different length and density poly-leaders. The G+ turned over each softly and efficiently. Although I was not really trying for long casts, this line and rod combo seemed to want to shoot more line, making my reel bark after each cast. It felt great.
The floating heads cast beautifully, but I wanted this rod to be mostly dedicated to my sunk line fishing. I cast a variety of different lines from multi density Scandi heads to Skagit heads with tungsten tips and large heavy flies. The G+ cast and lifted even the heaviest of sink tips and flies with authority. There were some casting adjustments that I had to consider when fishing shorter heads with the 15 foot rod, but after dialing in, I was able to perform 100 foot+ casts consistently.
The real test of the G+ came on my annual spring salmon fishing trip. Salmon runs in the early part of the season are hit or miss. Water conditions can usually be cold and high. This past season was no different. High, dirty water forced us to fish sinking lines and cover lots of water. Long hours of repetitive casting with heavier gear can take a toll on my back and shoulder injuries. Thankfully the light weight of the G+ saved my shoulders for the remainder of the trip.
The 15 foot, 10 weight, 4 piece rod weighs in at 10.5 oz or 297 grams. It feels light in hand for a big game rod when balanced with the right reel. Lighter weight, and proper balance equals lighter swing weight when casting, resulting in less fatigue (allowing you to be ready for a potential battle with the strongest salmon of the season's gene pool).
A solid take on a sunk brass tube fly bent the rod and I was tight to my first fish of the season! The fish ran down then came back up in deep heavy current. Each violent headshake was telegraphed up the blank and to the cork. Just as I felt that I could begin to lean into this fish, the hook unbuttoned… those split-second moments can feel like an eternity when you hook or lose a good fish. Equal amounts of joy, pain and adrenaline soon passed and I reflected on the rod’s performance.
I was extremely lucky to hook another strong fish that day. This time, the hook was properly pinned. After the salmon's initial run into the backing, and a short canoe chase, I was able to pick up the slack and begin to put some pressure on. I was quickly able to turn the fish and horse it when needed thanks to the G+'s blank strength. I lifted its head as my net-man scooped it into the basket. The beautifully bright salmon was in the mid-twenty pound range, took 12 minutes to fight, land, and release. The G+'s power gave me the confidence to really bear down on that fish in key moments and keep it in the pool despite the high, spring flood conditions.
I have finally found the rod that best suits me for this type of fishing. I was so impressed, that I purchased the 14'6", 9 weight Equalizer soon thereafter. This rod also impressed in casting and fighting fish!
No nonsense, stylish, practical, and durable fishing gear! What's more, the customer service is top notch! There was a mishap on the shipping service's part when I received the rod, but Mr.Chalmers quickly rectified the problem. Great communication and a pleasure dealing with a man that stands behind his word and his products!
Gaelforce checks all the boxes for me.
Check out the Gaelforce G+ in action.....
For more detailed reviews of Gaelforce rods, checkout Topher Browne's excellent reviews....
https://www.speypages.com/threads/gaelforce-rods-for-fishing.213242/page-4
You can also find this review and many other fly gear reviews at https://www.flygearguide.com/
Flygearguide.com provides unbiased gear reviews on a weekly basis.
Comments
Post a Comment