Greys GR80 10ft 7# fly rod is my new best friend

Last season I bought a Greys GR80 10ft 7wt fly rod, and this article reviews how it performed fishing for trout on large stillwaters and sea trout on the Welsh Dee. 

So, let’s take a look at how this partnership began…

An internet search for a new 10ft 7wt fly rod found a long list of options from the major rod brands, ranging in price from under £100 to approaching £1,000.

• Shakespeare Agility 2
• Wychwood (RS2, TRUEFLY T2)
• Guideline (Elevation, LPXe V3)
• Airflo Airlite V2
• Cortland Competition MkII
• Greys GR80, GR70, GR60…
• Vision (Stillmaniac, Stifu, ONKI)
• Daiwa Air HM
• Mackenzie NX1
• Snowbee (Grahene GSX, Prestige G-XS)
• Hardy (Ultralite Sintrix NSX, HBX)
• Sage Sonic
• Loop 7X
• Orvis (Clearwater, Hellios 3D)

Therefore, I used the following selection criteria to narrow my choice:

• Good ‘all-round’ rod capable of presenting dry flies, a team of buzzers or nymphs on a long leader, and casting high-density sinking lines
• Could be used for sea trout fishing on the Welsh Dee
• Budget of less than £400

These narrowed the choice rods, and after further reading, I bought a 10ft 7# Greys GR80 PowerLux fly rod.

It was an excellent decision because the…

GR80 has become my trusty stillwater fly rod and sea trout fishing companion.

So, let’s dig into why…

What is Special about the Greys GR80 fly rods?

Fly rod technical specifications:

The GR80 is Grey’s flagship model designed to meet the demands of stillwater and river anglers. It builds on the GR70 range by introducing the 3M Powerlux 1000™ resin into its high modulus carbon fibre construction. The Powerlux rods are lightweight, have a medium-fast action, and increased strength and impact resistance.

All the rods in the range have four sections and line-up marks on the dark olive blank, which help align the guides during assembly.

The rods have a hook keeper to keep your line tight when walking from one section of the bank to the next.

The reel seat is a lightweight carbon fibre construction with two locking nuts on the back of the reel seat to keep the fly reel tightly locked in position. The rod comes supplied in a partitioned hard rod tube.

What models are in the Greys GR80 Powerlux range?

There are currently 8 four-piece single-handed models in the rod range aimed at stillwater and river fishing.

What is the 10ft 7wt Greys GR80 fly rod like to use?

I’ve not owned a Grey’s fly rod before, so I was apprehensive when the postman delivered my purchase.

I needn’t have been because I was instantly impressed with the look and feel of the rod on opening the tube.

Performance as a large stillwaters trout fly rod

My preferred rod for fishing large stillwaters from the bank and boat is a 10ft seven-weight (7#) rod. The waters I fish are exposed to the elements, so the rod must deal with the whole gamut of weather conditions.

Eager to put the rod through its paces on a large stillwater, I arranged a rainbow trout fishing trip to Stocks Reservoir in the heart of the Trough-of-Bowland.

Initially, I set the rod up to fish a floating line (Rio Intouch Outbound) tipped with 18ft 10lb fluorocarbon leader with an Apps Bloodworm on the point, a silver cormorant on the middle dropper, and a peacock cormorant on the top dropper.

The rod has a medium-fast action and was a dream to cast. It handled the long leader well, achieving good turnover and presentation even into the breeze.

It wasn’t long before I had a take, and the rod bent into its first rainbow trout. The flex in the top section of the rod allowed me to control the fish, and I didn’t feel out of control even when the fish gave a short aerobatic display.

After a couple of hours of catching rainbow on nymphs, I noticed a few trout taking flies near the surface. So, I changed to fish two dry flies spaced 5ft apart on an 8lb fluorocarbon leader.

The lightness of the tip action of the rod made it possible to delicately present the dry flies with precision by using my wrist. It wasn’t long before a trout swirled at the daddy, and I hooked my first trout on the dry fly.

The trout moved further out, but it was still possible to reach and catch a few more rising fish with the GR80.

For the last hour of the day, I switched to an Airflo Sixth Sense DI5 to see how the rod performed.

With the fast sinking line, the rod flexed further into the blank, and I had to increase and slow my stroke a little to get the best cast. However, it was relatively easy to achieve impressive casting distances.

Overall, I was very impressed with the Greys GR80 on large stillwaters because it has handled some lovely rainbow trout with ease.

It loads nicely, so don’t be too put off by the medium-fast action. It’s a versatile rod that will cast a team of flies, handle big bulky streamers or snake flies, and turn over big indicator rigs.

So, let’s review how the rod performed fishing for sea trout at night…

Performance as a sea trout fly rod

My sea trout fishing season in Wales is short (6-8 weeks). As such, it’s beneficial to fish at night with the rod that I regularly use on stillwaters; it’s helpful to use a rod you can cast without thinking.

Using a Rio Outbound Short 7# floating fly line, I found the GR80 was soft enough to feel the line load the rod at night. The sensitive tip section allowed the delicate presentation of small sea trout flies.

The rod blank has the backbone to punch out large intruders and tube flies at night on the Welsh Dee and River Conwy. Also, the control and strength to subdue hard-fighting sea trout.

If you wanted a fly rod solely for sea trout fishing at night it would be better to choose a rod with a forgiving softer action, especially if you are a beginner to fly fishing at night.

How much does the rod cost?

The 10ft 7# Greys GR80 fly rod cost me £320, but prices have risen since their initial launch a few years ago. However, I think that is good value for a rod that covers all my rainbow trout and sea trout fishing activities.