While the Prestige G-XS 11ft six-weight rod from Snowbee incorporates cutting-edge materials and technology, it is inspired by loch-style fishing, one of the oldest forms of fly-fishing. Fishing a team of wet-flies from a drifting boat has been the traditional way of pursuing salmon, trout and sea-trout on the lochs and loughs of Scotland and Ireland for hundreds of years and, happily, it is still effective.

The technique makes demands of a rod. The tip needs to be stable and crisp for presenting and working the flies yet forgiving enough to absorb takes close to the boat. Lower down, the rod needs a progressive action with enough power in the butt section to lift line and roll cast, re-presenting flies quickly when needed. A longer-than-average rod also allows the top dropper to be worked enticingly, further from the boat, yet it still needs to be light enough to fish with all day. This is where technology plays its part. By adding graphene to the four-piece carbon blanks, Snowbee has been able to produce the ideal package.

Prestige G-XS 11ft 6 rod
Prestige G-XS 11ft 6wt rod

The mighty atoms

Graphene atoms are one million times smaller than the diameter of a human hair and 300 times smaller than the smallest nanoparticle. When added to resin, they create an even denser carbon mat with virtually no air pockets. Once rolled, the blanks are placed in autoclave ovens, which bake them under high pressure. This creates a blank that is stronger, more flexible and less likely to deform under load. Graphene is also lighter, less resin is needed in the process, reducing the overall weight. The 11ft G-XS rod weighs just 3.9oz, less than most comparable carbon-fibre rods.

Snowbee sales manager Simon Kidd said, “When we launched the Prestige G-XS rods and anglers tried them, we immediately had calls from customers in Ireland and Scotland asking for a loch-style rod they could use on their home waters. Thankfully, the lighter, stronger graphene blanks lend themselves perfectly to longer rods and have allowed us to drop a line size to a six-weight for a more delicate presentation with no loss in power." 

Quality fittings match the performance with lined hard-chrome stripping rings and high-lift snake intermediates on the attractive bronze blanks. The lightweight aluminium reel fittings have a hard anodised silver-and-gold finish and a nicely figured burl maple wood insert. The full-wells cork handle has a comfortable profile, while a cork-and-composite fighting butt finishes this pleasing-looking rod.

Snowbee Prestige G-XS 11ft, 6wt, £580.

Contact: Snowbee, 01752 334933; snowbee.co.uk