Gaelforce G+ Destination Graphene Spey Rod

The Gaelforce G+ Destination Graphene Spey Rod is the travel rod in the Gaelforce two-handed lineup, and the whole design brief follows from that. Every model breaks down into six sections, so the longest tube in the range is 85cm and the shortest is 66cm, which is the difference between a rod that goes in your suitcase and a rod that becomes a separate conversation with the airline at check-in. Gaelforce is a Scottish company run by James Chalmers, a world champion spey caster who has fished Atlantic salmon for over forty years, and the Destination is his answer to the trip where the rod has to arrive with you. The G+ version takes the proven Destination tapers and rebuilds them with graphene in the blank, which is where the performance argument lives: a six piece rod normally pays for its portability in swing weight and in mushy recovery through the extra ferrules, and graphene is what Gaelforce uses to buy that back.

Do not confuse this with the Gaelforce Equalizer. The two ranges share components, finish and a family resemblance in feel, but they are different rods: the G+ Equalizer Graphene is a four piece built on the Equalizer taper, and the G+ Destination Graphene is a six piece built on the Destination taper. Gaelforce says as much in its own copy for each series. We stock the Destination Graphene from an 11ft 3in 5/6wt switch through a 15ft 1in 10/11wt, so it covers trout and summer steelhead work at the light end and heavy water Atlantic salmon at the top, and the shorter switch models double as an overhead rod when the run is too tight to sweep.

Blank

Graphene Reinforcement - The G+ blanks are built with graphene worked into the carbon and resin structure. Chalmers tested the series over a year before release and reports three specific outcomes: reduced swing weight, significantly faster recovery, and improved straight line tracking through the forward stroke. All three matter more on a six piece than they would on a four piece, because each additional ferrule adds mass out along the blank and a place for the rod to lose energy. Gaelforce also calls out a noticeable reduction in tip rebound, which is the small oscillation left in the tip after the stop, the thing that puts waves in a long head and opens a loop that should have stayed tight.

Destination Taper - The action is progressive with a strong tip, which is the Destination signature rather than a graphene one. The tip is stiff enough to lift a long belly or a sunk head off the water without deflecting sideways, and the rod then loads well down into the butt through the sweep, so the D loop forms on a rhythm you can feel instead of one you have to time blind. The exact character shifts by model and Gaelforce publishes it per rod: the 11ft 3in 5/6wt and the 14ft 6in 8/9wt are deep progressive with fast recovery, the 15ft 8/9wt is deep progressive with medium recovery and is the most relaxed rod in the range, and the 12ft 9in 7/8wt runs progressive with medium recovery. The rest are progressive with fast recovery. Every model in the range carries a strong tip rating.

Finish - Matte green with silver whippings, and a G+ logo on the butt section. Each section carries alignment dots, which on a six piece rod is a practical feature rather than a decorative one: five joints have to line up correctly, and a twisted ferrule loads the blank unevenly and puts the guides off axis.

Guides

Stripping Guides - Fuji stripping guides. On a two handed rod the stripper takes the whole shooting line under load on every cast, so a hard, low friction insert is worth more here than anywhere else on the blank. It shows up as distance you did not have to work for, and as a guide that does not groove and start cutting line coating after a season of grit.

Snake Guides - Hard chrome snake guides run the length of the rod. Hard chrome is the corrosion resistant, low mass standard for salmon rods for good reason: it survives wet Atlantic weather and tidal beats, and it keeps weight off the tip sections, which is the same weight the graphene was added to remove.

Reel Seat

The rod uses a superior grade ALPS Tri-Lock down locking reel seat. Down locking puts the reel further back toward the butt, which shifts the balance point rearward and reduces the felt swing weight of a long rod in the hands, and it is the conventional arrangement on salmon rods for exactly that reason. The Tri-Lock mechanism uses a triple lock arrangement rather than a single knurled nut, which is what keeps a heavy salmon reel clamped through a full day of casting a 15ft rod, where a simpler seat works itself loose. Ahead of and behind the seat are Gaelforce's AAAA Flor grade slim cork handles. Flor grade is the top cork selection with the fewest fills, and the slim profile matters on a two hander because both hands are wrapped around cork for thousands of casts a day.

Rod Tube

The rod ships in an aluminum tube finished in Gaelforce Green with a laser engraved rod cap, along with a cloth bag with rod identification on it. Tube length runs from 66cm on the 11ft 3in switch models to 85cm on the 15ft and 15ft 1in rods. That is the point of the whole range: an 85cm tube fits inside a normal checked bag, so a 15ft salmon rod travels without an oversize surcharge and without being handled separately from the rest of your luggage.

Warranty

Gaelforce does not publish written warranty terms for its rods, so we are not going to quote you a coverage period or a fee schedule that we cannot stand behind. Rods are covered against defects in materials and workmanship, and claims are handled case by case through the dealer network. If you have a problem with a rod, get in touch with us and we will point you to the current process. Keep your receipt and keep the tube, since both make any claim simpler.

More Info

• Rod Action: Progressive with a strong tip; deep progressive on the 11ft 3in 5/6wt, 14ft 6in 8/9wt and 15ft 8/9wt
• Best For: Atlantic salmon and steelhead on the swing, and traveling to fish for them; equally suited to floating or sinking spey lines, shooting heads and Skagit heads
• Grip Style: AAAA Flor grade slim cork, full two handed spey grips on the 11ft 9in and longer, switch grips on the 11ft 3in models
• Ability Level: Advanced to Expert
• Line Weight Range: 5/6wt through 10/11wt
• Piece Count: 6 piece, every model
• Models and Weights: 11ft 3in switch in 5/6wt (195g), 6/7wt (198g) and 7/8wt (200g); 11ft 9in 8/9wt (202g); 12ft 9in in 7/8wt (235g) and 8/9wt (240g); 13ft 9in in 7/8wt (256g) and 8/9wt (263g); 14ft 6in in 8/9wt (276g) and 9/10wt (286g); 15ft 8/9wt (306g); 15ft 1in 10/11wt (318g)
• Tube Length: 66cm on the 11ft 3in, 69cm on the 11ft 9in, 73cm on the 12ft 9in, 78cm on the 13ft 9in, 83cm on the 14ft 6in, 85cm on the 15ft and 15ft 1in
• Guides: Fuji stripping guides, hard chrome snakes
• Reel Seat: ALPS Tri-Lock down locking
• Finish: Matte green with silver whippings, alignment dots on every section

Recommended Lines

Gaelforce publishes a line chart for each model, and the numbers move a long way across this range, so buy to the grain weight for your rod rather than to the line number printed on the blank. Broadly, Gaelforce puts the 11ft 3in switches in the 280 to 450 grain band, the 11ft 9in and 12ft 9in rods around 425 to 550 grains, the 13ft 9in and 14ft 6in rods around 550 to 800 grains, and the 15ft 1in 10/11wt at 650 to 910 grains depending on head length. For the switch and short spey models, the Gaelforce Equalizer ESSS Switch & Short Spey Line is the rod maker's own match, an integrated 33ft head in 4/5 through 9/10 that Gaelforce lists against every 11ft 3in and 11ft 9in Destination. For the long rods on floating line swings, the Gaelforce Equalizer Spey Fly Line - 63ft covers 600 through 848 grains with a 63ft head, which is the length that suits a progressive rod with an unhurried sweep and lets you fish a long line without the running line ever reaching the tip. When the water is high or cold and you need a tip and a big fly, the Gaelforce ESP Skagit Patriot Shooting Head runs 450 through 650 grains and covers most of the range, from the 7/8wt switches at 450gr up to the 15ft 1in at 650gr. The Skagit Patriot is a head rather than a full line, so pair it with a running line; the Gaelforce Equalizer Shooting Fly Line - ESL is the matched option.