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What 15ft rod for grayling

S

Steven Knox

Senior Member & Supporter
I've mostly been using 13ft acolyte plus /specimen and 13ft6' browning sphere for my grayling fishing.
I'm thinking of buying a 15ft rod to use this winter on some of the larger rivers I fish and was looking for suggestions?
As i stay in central scotland actually seeing / holding any rods before buying is difficult.
I will be mostly fishing later flowing rivers with fish between 2lb and 3lb not uncommon.
 
The obvious answers would be 15' Acolyte Plus/Specimen or a 15' 6" Sphere. The biggest problem would be sourcing the latter.
 
Im leaning towards the acolyte plus. I also like the look of the preston supera x 15ft but its hard to find out much info online.
And then suggestions for any other rods worth looking into?
 
With the demise of Bobco, most recent rods are passing me by without me ever seeing them. The only older 15'er that I could suggest is the Maver Signature Pro. I doubt one would be any easier to find than a 15'6" Sphere, though it is likely to be a lot cheaper.
 
Chris Jones said:
With the demise of Bobco, most recent rods are passing me by without me ever seeing them. The only older 15'er that I could suggest is the Maver Signature Pro. I doubt one would be any easier to find than a 15'6" Sphere, though it is likely to be a lot cheaper.
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Signature Pro is a good call - excellent rods.

Maybe a Tricast XS; but that is only available in 14ft. Slower action but more powerful than a Sig Pro or Acolyte Plus.
 
Steven Knox said:
Have you had experience using this rod? Cant find much info or reviews online
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No, I haven't had any experience of them, but i've heard some good comments about them from friends who have.
As far as i'm aware they are rated to 6lb which should be well powerful enough for the biggest grayling swimming.
I got the old discontinued tournament pro bu 15 footer because it's rated to 10lb mono and I wanted a more powerful rod to target barbel. If I hadn't managed to get one I was going to take a punt on the 15ft tourny S as a rating of 6lb should be able to cope with barbel ok.
 
I’d say the acolytes are realistically the best bet for you and your grayling sport with 3 x 15ft models all super light just pick the action most suited to your venue/species

I have the 14ft supera X from Preston and yes I’m a big fan. I haven’t tried the 15ft version as I was looking for the more powerful rod at the time but I’m sure it would be equally as nice.
 
Orrrrrrr hang on for a bit and see if normark releases those 15ft Avengers we’ve been waiting for. Judging by how the 13ft one feels I think they could be absolutely ideal for what you want.
 
There doesn't seem to be many options around.
I'll probably just buy an Acolyte plus or take a gamble on the preston.
I like the look of the daiwa tournament s, but it comes in at almost double the price which makes it an even riskier blind buy.
 
I use the 15ft plus, it’s plenty powerful enough for grayling, probably too powerful, but my reason for using it is its also powerful enough to cope with the trout which are always close by
 
The Acolyte Ultra is powerful enough for run of the mill grayling. Its softness may even allow fewer fish to be lost. However, if you are regularly expecting 2lb+ fish, you're probably better served with an Acolyte Plus. If you are fishing for big grayling in heavier flows, the Acolyte Specimen can be a good choice.
 
Chris Jones said:
The Acolyte Ultra is powerful enough for run of the mill grayling. Its softness may even allow fewer fish to be lost. However, if you are regularly expecting 2lb+ fish, you're probably better served with an Acolyte Plus. If you are fishing for big grayling in heavier flows, the Acolyte Specimen can be a good choice.
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2Lb+ fish are pretty regular and 3lb+ not that uncommon. It's looking likely I'll just buy the acolyte plus or specimen.
Unless I can find a few more reviews of the preston.
 
Richard Isaacs said:
I’d say the acolytes are realistically the best bet for you and your grayling sport with 3 x 15ft models all super light just pick the action most suited to your venue/species

I have the 14ft supera X from Preston and yes I’m a big fan. I haven’t tried the 15ft version as I was looking for the more powerful rod at the time but I’m sure it would be equally as nice.
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Hi Richard, I'm tempted by the 14ft Preston supera x myself, would it be over gunned for grayling? Where I fish there are plenty of trout as well , so my thinking was it should be ok. Thanks Wayne
 
Wayne Botley said:
Hi Richard, I'm tempted by the 14ft Preston supera x myself, would it be over gunned for grayling? Where I fish there are plenty of trout as well , so my thinking was it should be ok. Thanks Wayne
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No it wouldn’t be overgunned but that’s not to say you wouldn’t knock off the odd one or two more than if you were to use something with a softer action.
It’s about finding that balance between having enough beef to deal with the river and it’s other swimming species but with enough cushion in the blank to hang on to the ones that are notorious for letting go like grayling and dace.
The Preston’s top end is pretty good and would be a decent choice if you need that power in the blank.
A rod I’ve come to love a lot but unfortunately you could spend a lifetime looking for is tricast triaxial. It would be perfect for what you want.
Super lightweight, proper multi length via interchangeable butt sections. Enough power to deal with barbel when space is a premium (I’ve tested that personally) yet it has a very long progressive spliced tip which makes it more versatile for those more wriggly targets
Look out for one of those.
I had a John Allerton years ago and i personally didn’t like the action or the transition between the spliced tip and the section. The triaxial is 100 times better
 
Richard Isaacs said:
No it wouldn’t be overgunned but that’s not to say you wouldn’t knock off the odd one or two more than if you were to use something with a softer action.
It’s about finding that balance between having enough beef to deal with the river and it’s other swimming species but with enough cushion in the blank to hang on to the ones that are notorious for letting go like grayling and dace.
The Preston’s top end is pretty good and would be a decent choice if you need that power in the blank.
A rod I’ve come to love a lot but unfortunately you could spend a lifetime looking for is tricast triaxial. It would be perfect for what you want.
Super lightweight, proper multi length via interchangeable butt sections. Enough power to deal with barbel when space is a premium (I’ve tested that personally) yet it has a very long progressive spliced tip which makes it more versatile for those more wriggly targets
Look out for one of those.
I had a John Allerton years ago and i personally didn’t like the action or the transition between the spliced tip and the section. The triaxial is 100 times better
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How does the preston compare to the acolyte specimen?
 
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