elkhorn graphite flyrods

[beadleech]

Now, now - surely we can still "grin" at outselves!!!

donald

[lesyoung]

beadleech

I too can vouch for the Elkhorn 7'1wt, which is the 4th 1wt I have. I got it as part of a great deal, which I obviously couldn't turn down, at the Somerset fly show, along with an Elkhorn large arbor reel. Actually the reel was such a neat color, plus it was exceptionally tight with tolerances, that maybe it was the triggering factor.

The other 1wts are different lengths (Sage 8'1", Orvis Superfine 7'6", although the Cabela like RW's is also 7') plus a cane Wagner which happens to also be 7'.

There are discernible nuances between the rods though I need to cross reference the 2 plastic 7 footers with 6 or 8 separate lines to fill out my matrix.

These 1wts shine when midging or Tricoing spring creeks with 7-12X, especially on sunny days with low water.

tl
les

[beadleech]

Les - how did you like the Orvis Superfine? I've never had the chance to get one in my hands but have read that it's a very versital 1wt rod. Appreciate any input you would have.

donald

[lesyoung]

beadleech - I actually bought the Orvis after I got the Elkhorn, to fill in the gap between the Sage 8'1" and the 3 7 footers that I already had. Now I haven't used 1wts for a couple of years - water has not been as low and droughty as it was in '03-04. Reviewing my data base, I see that the last 2 times I used the Orvis, I used 2wt lines - 1 was a Phoenix silk and the other was a 1st generation Lazer (in gray, which is a nice stealth color). I haven't gone back and reviewed my audio tape notes, but judging from the other rod/line pairings I was doing those late summer weeks, I surmise I was looking for minimizing line-leader splashdown under very low water conditions, so I may have been wanting to load the Orvis faster in short presentations.

I will have to go back through the Orvis, Elk Horn and Cabela with the same line or 2 to better fix my impressions in my head. Last summer, I used the same 4wt DuBois silk line with several dozen different rods, on the same hatch and leader but different pools in the same river. It took more than a month to execute this test, but this did solidify my thinking about each rod's personality. I need to do this with the 1wts.

All 4 of these graphite rods are suprisingly versatile, for a 1wt that is. To make that judgement I toss not just the mini-micro stuff but also beetles/crickets. And to really push the envelope, even weighted buggers. I just have to adjust the leader and casting stroke accordingly. However, being able to toss a big hook is one thing; striking successfully is quite another. I have 2wt cane noodles that are delightful for midging, but they don't have the oomph to strike a #4 bugger or streamer hook. Somehow, the 1wt Wagner cane doesn't have this problem as much, but streamering probably needs some heft in the rod. The graphites here might not be too bad in this regard, and the Orvis is the most tolerant of the bunch, but this is not the best use of the instrument.

Relative to nymphing, I haven't graduated to that yet, but I wouldn't think these light weights would be too good with weight. They might be great with sensitivity with strikes, but I wouldn't know. And for chucking big fluffy dries in brooks at short range or hopper-droppers, I would think more in terms of higher mass with a 5wt, possibly 4wt line, driven by cane or glass.

I hope all this helps you.

tl
les

[monty]

Hi Beadleech I have the 7 foot 1 wt and love the rod. I have fished the rod at the Roscoe fish in for several years for small brookies on fir brook to some nice size browns on the willow never had a problem nice rods.

[beadleech]

Thanks everyone.

tite lines

donald

[lesyoung]

beadleech - the last few times I've been out I've been using various short cane sticks, with 5wt since the Lil Lehi has been running high. This morning I decided to spend a couple hours at a local freestoner to see how the trouts are holding up. This is a stream that is not known for its Tricos, and for its water temps any Trico hatch, if any, would have been done by last month.

This stream was running extremely low, when I scoped it out on USGS, so I thought I would look into my winerack with the 1wts. I dug out the Elkhorn and paired it with an Orvis Spring Creek DT1F. The leader had leftover 8X on it.

I found the usual trouts lurking in holding spots in my favorite pool, so I tossed them a variety of midges, which they gave me the courtesy of inspecting. Then I saw a Trico (one) fly by, so I put on 9X Puglisi and a #24 CDC Trico male. 1st cast was a leaping brown. I couldn't get the fly to float properly after, so I switched to another with a slightly different wing, but still CDC. That got the 2nd brown.

Since my main purpose was to evaluate the Elkhorn with this line (never paired before), I caught a couple of sunnies and fed them to a pilot snake.

The Elkhorn is faster than the Orvis 7'6"1wt Superfine. It handled the strikes very competently and let me land the trouts with dispatch. For graphite, the feel was pretty good, though I think the Sage SPL 8'1" might have a bit more finesse. It rolls pretty well (for a 1wt) and didn't mind chucking a #10 foam beetle - I got a number of hits, but though I tagged several trouts, I didn't hold on to any. I don't blame the rod for this - the trouts were being paranoid, even with naturals like cicadas. Plus the water was very clear and it was bright and sunny.

Next step is to try the same size Cabela's under the same conditions.

tl
les

[beadleech]

Les - I really appreciate your taking the time to look at this. I can't begin to tell you how much this helps me.

donald

[beadleech]

bumpty-bump

[J Castwell]

this shoult tell it all. http://www.flyanglersonline.com/prorevw/nwprod.html