Well, I finally got some time in with both of these rods! I appreciate everyone’s patience very much……with 4 kids and a landscaping business time is a valuable commodity I don’t seem to have much of 😆. No complaints on my end though, I have an amazing wife and 4 incredible kids, they are worth much more than any fishing experience could give me. Yet, I enjoy every moment in the water I can get all the same.
Remeber this is a blue collar review of sorts. I’m a mediocre caster (getting more practice every year though) and spend more time fishing than I do casting. Although, the past 2 years I’ve spent more dedicated time on the latter. I need more time with the G+ still, considering I’ve just started on with it, and factoring in the time I’ve had with the GE I finally feel really dialed with this rod and have gotten to know it well, so take this for what it’s worth.
There isn’t too much to be said that Topher hasn’t already covered. Honestly, I would point anyone to his posts, as I feel they are extremely accurate not only regarding Gaelforce rods, but the difference between the Graphene and originals.
Let me preface with one more caveat to this; I had considered selling my 14’ GE because of the assumed redundancy. I’m so so glad Bruce talked me out of it by bluntly saying: “DO NOT SELL IT! It’s a Gaelforce.”
He couldn’t have been more right. I would highly recommend that if anyone is updating their Gaelforce rods to the G+, to hold on to them. They are beautiful and some of the best casting rods out there period.
The lines I’ve used on them in comparison were:
•EMT 9/10 (617gr w/tips) @ 40’
•EEMT 8/9 (670gr w/tips) @48’
•ESH #10 (600gr) @ 38’
•15m #8 (640gr) @ 48’
The G+ has really blown me away! To put it bluntly, they feel like 2 different rods. I didn’t think there would be that much of a difference in them, except for the boost in recovery and strength. But I was wrong. James also told me I would feel 2 different rods in my hand, I guess the guy who designs them knows what he is talking about.
The G+ is honestly a true 9/10, no question. The GE is more of a strong 8wt. I find this to be very interesting, and exactly what I was looking for as well! It took me a moment to get on with the G+ to be honest, but when I hit it right it’s amazing! One of the great things about the 14’ GE is how forgiving it is, and so so easy to cast! Not that the G+ isn’t easy, but I found my timing had to be better, and my technique also. One thing that popped in to my mind this evening while fishing both was the GE seems easier to cast, but easier for people who aren’t as consistent in their technique (such as myself.) You really can ‘do no wrong’ with the GE! It’s that sweet! Does that mean the G+ is hard to cast? Not at all. It defintely rewards you if you have a solid bottom hand pull, and once I dialed it in, it seemed the power was endless. The other people who cast it were also amazed at its power. Here is where it jumped ahead: it felt like unlimited power. It’s incredible through and through.
The GE is also a very powerful rod with excellent recovery all the same, it just feels like you can slow your tempo down and make it all work. With the G+, I got a little more aggressive with it, and when you pushed it correctly, it unloads in a different way.
•ESH 600gr
~this head just flies off of the GE. It’s about perfect and so easy to use. I honestly have fell in love with the Gaelforce ESH scandi and believe it’s probably the best scandi head I’ve ever tried. I was casting a 12’ leader and a decent sized tube fly, it was no issue at all with both rods.
The G+ also can cast this line with ease, and I enjoyed it. It just felt like you weren’t as deep in the rod as you were with the GE. I have plans to go up to the next ESH try that out. As per others recommendation, higher grains on the G+ will be dynamite. 🧨
•EMT 9/10
~this was the first line I bought from Gaelforce with my first rod. I love this line, really really an awesome all rounder. I’ve put long leaders off of the floating tip (for heavy head wind conditions) and it casts so nicely. The sink tips on it cast all the same. It really loads the GE perfectly, probably one of the best rod/line pairings I’ve ever used!
~it also really sails off the G+! This is the one line I found to be about perfect on both. But my friend who was casting said: “it’s begging for more grains.” No doubt the G+ would eat some more grains, especially if you were doing more sustained anchor casts. I found I could get into the butt section of both rods no problem though.
•EEMT 8/9 670gr
~this is where the G+ really jumped ahead! All of the tips on this fly off the G+. It is an interesting length for a multi-tip line. It’s like a long Skagit but feels nothing like a Skagit. It sails off the G+ like a scandi would, but lots of power to turn over good size flies! A very very fun and practical line for Steelhead fisherman on large rivers for sure. It gets great distance with slightly less stripping than short heads, while turning over decent size tube flies as well.
I need more time with this line to dial it in, but I believe it will be a staple for me when fall/winter fishing steelhead on larger streams. I simply found the G+ could lift it out easier, and given its 670grs that makes sense.
•15m #8 @640grs
~ loads the GE nice and deep, great casting line for sure! I think you could go lighter on the GE, but no need either. The 15m is one of my favorites I have, as it gives good practice for longer line technique, but is short enough to make it easy. It’s also a very practical fishing line as well, as it has a lot of power. I was using a 14-15’ tapered leader, and a weighted Francis style tube. It was no problem getting turn over! I’m really starting to see the advantages of longer lines over Skagits; they are much quieter with a super nice presentation as well.
~with the G+ this line feels like a scandi! You can simple flick it out there and it just goes! I really like this pairing a lot and plan on fishing this set up quite a bit. I honestly think you could go heavier, but I’ll have to play with it some more. I can’t remeber all of James’ line ratings, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he has a line size up as an option for the G+.
In closing,
The thing with the graphene rods that really grabs your attention is they have so much power, it is hard to make them fold and overload them. No doubt you could with a heavy enough line, but it feels almost impossible when you are casting them! Remeber, I’ve only compared the 14’ GE and the 14’ G+. I can’t say what the comparison is for the other rods in the series or if they differ as much as these 2 do.
I have 2 other G+ rods, but the 14’ 9/10 G+ is a serious rod that really has some balls (to put it plainly.) I don’t think you would have any issues with a 630gr Skagit at all, and some would possibly want more. But at the same time, it has the sweet deep flex to it, and I bet some people would even prefer lighter Skagits. Sorry I didn’t use any Skagit lines! I just haven’t gotten there yet and haven’t wanted to cast them honestly. One of my friends grabbed the G+ and was practicing with a head wind blowing right at him, the rod just blasts though it like no other. Simply put, it’s stronger. It lifts tips out of the water and sinking heads with ease, and handles really tough conditions as well. Also, I find James’ GE rods to do those drills very very well all the same, but the G+ takes it up a notch. Fortunately (or unfortunately I suppose 😁) we’ve had a couple days of strong head winds blowing right at us at an angle as well……one of the hardest scenarios to cast in, for me the graphene rods were stronger in these scenarios.
One note on the GE, I absolutely love this rod! It is probably one of the best rods I’ve ever handled, and would not ever part with. If you own this rod, and are considering the G+ I think you would really enjoy both and not feel like you had 2 exact same rods!
Rods. I like them both equally to be honest, but for different reasons. They truly are 2 different machines for sure, and would hate to have to choose between the two. Tophers description of how they cast and how to match your casting preference to them is spot on. I honestly am better at casting the GE than the G+ at the moment. But that speaks more to my limited skill than anything else. Truth be told, you really can’t go wrong with either of these rods, and I’m certain any caster would enjoy them both very much. If you were newer to Spey casting and wanted the easiest rod to cast, I would recommend the GE. If you had your Spey casting skills nice and tight, and wanted next level performance and power, the G+ wins out in that category.
I hope this helps you guys out there, and I hope it helps you in deciding which rod you may purchase as well! Thanks for reading
~Alex
