Graphiteleader Calamaretti 16 – my favorite squid

Category: rod review Brand: Graphiteleader Tags: spinning review pilkermetaljig

Graphiteleader Calamaretti 16 is the first premium spinning rod that I wanted to buy. Although the original purpose of this rod is to catch squid, I bought it for slightly different purposes. In this article I will talk about the experience of using this spinning rod in fishing conditions on the Black Sea, and also give a detailed review of the Graphiteleader Calamaretti 16 .

Review of Graphiteleader Calamaretti 832M

I purchased a Graphiteleader Calamaretti 16 spinning rod in model 832M. I’ll tell you about my feelings and emotions from the rod a little later, but now let’s take a closer look at its characteristics.

Fishing with Graphiteleader Calamaretti. What is it for?

Graphiteleader Calamaretti is a squid spinning rod. Domestic fishermen often use it for jig fishing. Its top is not particularly soft, but tactile sensitivity is at the highest level, so this is quite justified. But I bought it exclusively for sea fishing, and especially for jig fishing in the Black Sea.

The Regular Fast spinning rod allows you to animate a jig of any shape in the best possible way. When retrieving the rod, its upper and middle parts work. The blank of the Graphiteleader Calamaretti is very dry and fast and after a jerk it returns to a static position with lightning speed.

The peculiarity of the blank, its structure and speed, made the Graphiteleader Calamaretti 16 an ideal garfish hunter. You can actually make a long cast, without investing any strength, feel the bite in time and make a hook, and cut through the fish. During retrieval, the blank performs jerks and actually ties the fish. This is very important, especially when you come across horse mackerel.

In addition to catching horse mackerel and garfish, I have one significant event associated with Graphiteleader Calamaretti - I caught my first bonito with this spinning rod. The fish was not the largest and not very lively (when compared with horse mackerel, for example), but still, it was quite strong and the spinning rod dealt with it without any problems.

Based on this, I consider the Graphiteleader Calamaretti spinning rod an excellent option for jig fishing in the Black Sea. In addition to the work of the form, I would consider its advantages to be lightness, ergonomics and convenience, as well as perfect balance.

In addition to fishing with jigs, I sometimes fished with bullers and Tict M-Caro bombards, the latter of which I really liked over the past two seasons. The spinning rod copes well with these tasks. Even though the heaviest bombards weigh 11 g, which is below the average test limit. Casting and retrieving went without any problems.

Review of spinning rods from the Graphite Leader Aspro series

Among the large list of models, it is necessary to note the most popular ones, which are in great demand for Russian jigs and have proven their quality more than once.

ASPRO GAPS-702L

• It is one of the lightest among the other Graphiteleader models.
• Can be used as a universal rod with various types of baits.
• The length of the 702L is 2.13, the weight of the gear is 100 grams.
• Spinning is a fast rod, which helps in fishing not only from the shore, but also using boats.
• Baits up to 11 grams are used, used for catching all types of fish.

ASPRO GAPS-702ML

• A light rod is a universal rod and can be used for fishing with bait up to 14 grams.
• The length of the tackle when unfolded is 2.13 meters.
• Weight is only 106 grams, however, lightness is not an obstacle to catching large trophies. Most often, the rod is used to catch medium-sized predators in large bodies of water.

ASPRO GAPS-702MH

• A spinning rod that differs from other fishing rods in its size. The length of the tackle is 2.13 meters, baits that can be used for spinning reach 35 grams. This function allows you to fish for large trophies without any difficulties.
• Despite the solid design, the 702 MH weighs 111 grams.
• Most often used with thick fishing line and artificial baits.
• GAPS-702MH is designed for fishing using a boat in the most difficult conditions.

ASPRO GAPS-772MH

• Spinning is a universal rod and is most often used for jig fishing.
• The length is 2.31 meters.
• Lures up to 39 grams are used.
• Most often, this type of gear is recommended for use in reservoirs with a current to catch predatory fish.

ASPRO GAPS-802M

• Model for jig fishing.
• Can be used for various types of fishing.
• GAPS-802M has a high level of sensitivity for quick hooking of trophies and maneuvering with bait.
• The length of the tackle when unfolded is 2.44 meters.
• The weight of the product is 127 g, various baits can be used.

ASPRO GAPS-822H

• The GAPS-822H model is designed for using heavy baits and catching fish at great depths.
• The available weight of baits is up to 57 grams.
• The length of the 822 H is 2.49 meters, 1.33 grams.
• Used in bodies of water with fast currents.

ASPRO GAPS-862M

• The gear is used for fishing in water bodies with moderate currents.
• The length of the model is 2.59 meters, 123 grams.
• Lures up to 28 grams are used. The tackle is highly durable for long-distance casting with a high level of accuracy.

ASPRO GAPS-872MH

• The model has a length of 2.62 meters, which allows you to make long casts with bait weighing up to 44 grams.
• 872 MH has high sensitivity necessary for maneuvering from the shore and timely cutting.
• The weight of the device is only 138 grams. Allows you to easily hold the device for a long time.

Review of Graphiteleader Calamaretti 832M

review of the Graphiteleader Calamaretti 832M is extremely positive. Everything about this spinning rod is perfect, from its appearance to its technical characteristics, which are truly impressive. This rod is pleasant to pick up, you want to take it out of the case again and again, it’s a pleasure to fish with it. But let's talk about everything in order.

• Design. I received great aesthetic pleasure when I picked up the Graphiteleader Calamaretti 832M spinning rod. It is made in strict colors, but at the same time there are a lot of decorative elements on it. Starting with the butt, for example, which has a decorative carbon wrap. The buttgrip and foregrip have metal elements around the edges. At the junction of the knees there is a carbon winding. The fonts with the name and technical characteristics are well chosen; they fit into the design of the spinning rod and even decorate it. The blank is varnished, the rings have a black winding. In general, the spinning rod looks elegant.
• Ergonomics and balance. Nowadays it is rare to find a rod that is light and at the same time balanced and ergonomic. Basically, everyone is chasing weight and this is understandable, the trend is this: the lighter, the cooler. But with the Graphiteleader Calamaretti 16, everything is going very well with balance. The spinning rod doesn't bite downwards even without a reel! Its thick butt, massive handle and lightweight titanium rings allow for proper weight distribution. I installed a Shimano Stradic 19 reel in size 2500 and weighing 220 g on the spinning rod, the balance was excellent. I am sure that if you put a brand new Vanford in size 2500-3000, which weighs 180 g, the balance will not suffer either.

The ergonomics of the spinning rod are also at the highest level. The VSS type reel seat, in my opinion, is one of the most convenient for fishing with metal jigs. In addition, the foregrip of the spinning rod is quite large, I grabbed the rod solely by it, without letting the reel foot pass between my fingers. The batgrip also fits well in the hand when casting. The EVA coating on all parts of the handle is of the highest quality, very pleasant to the touch, velvety.

Read also:  Where to catch pike in the Belgorod region
• Lightness and power. From the outside, the Graphiteleader Calamaretti spinning rod looks very powerful. Thick butt, large handle. But when you pick it up and start fishing, you realize that this is an elegant rod that weighs only 91 g. Although this spinning rod has a large reserve of power and can cope with quite large prey, it also works on catching even a small garfish.
• The casting range of the spinning rod is also at an excellent level. I won’t talk about hundreds of meters of casting. But I will only say one thing - this is the first spinning rod that I was 100% satisfied with casting. You don’t need to invest much in casting, the form does everything itself. Perhaps you should only use extra force when casting into the wind, but this is not necessary. The blank bends and quickly straightens when cast, firing the jig in the desired direction.
• Test. Since the Graphiteleader Calamaretti was originally designed for catching squid, its test is indicated not in the usual grams, but in EGI. Values ​​indicated are 2.5-4 EGI. In decoding, we can say that this test is approximately equal to from 10 to 25-30 g. The lower limit of the test is actually somewhere around 5 g when using a thin cord. And the top one is about 25 g. I myself didn’t throw more than 20 g, since there was no need. I also didn’t drop below 9 g, but I can safely say that even with this weight the rod blank fully works when casting. The sizes I used most often were 12g, 15g and 18g.
• Sensitivity. I would not say that the sensitivity of this spinning rod is at some prohibitive level. But this rod allows you to feel the touch of the bottom at the very release of the bait, to feel the light pokes of the fish. When retrieving, I even felt when small floating algae clung to the hook.
• Reel and cord. With the Graphiteleader Calamaretti 16 spinning rod, I used a Shimano Stradic 19 reel in size 2500. I consider this reel size to be ideal for my 832M model. This reel weighs 220 g and creates the perfect balance of the tackle. The rod itself is balanced very well, so you can use a lighter reel. I used an eight-core Yujikey cord in size 0.6 PE. For test rods, it seems to me that it is dangerous to use thinner rods; there will be a lot of shooting of baits. Well, I didn’t need a more powerful cord. I consider this cord or an upgrade of the same size that I used last season to be ideal for this gear. They are thin and smooth, allow you to make long casts, and the power is enough for your eyes, even if a large croaker or a good bonito hooks up.

Overall, I really liked this spinning rod. I leave a positive review for Graphiteleader Calamaretti 16 and recommend it to everyone. But still, there is one point that didn’t quite suit me - the test range is too wide, I don’t need to throw baits higher than 20 g. On the one hand, it’s good to have a reserve of power, you never know what situation you’ll find yourself in while fishing, for example, storm and wind. But on the other hand, if the spinning rod had a smaller test range, it would be more delicate and lighter. So perhaps I should have bought a model with the index L, not M. In any case, this can no longer be attributed to the shortcomings of the spinning rod; in my understanding, the Graphiteleader Calamaretti are ideal.

Reviews about spinning rods

I’ve been using the 802 M tackle for the second season and there have never been any problems with the quality of work. Works best with light baits and spinners. Well used for catching medium-sized pike. You can also catch decent trophies up to 6 kg. Grade:

Peter

The models have no flaws, in my opinion. The high cost is justified by the quality. The build quality is good, the only drawback is the quality of the storage cases. The material is too soft and sometimes it is difficult to quickly get the spinning rod out. Grade:

Igor

I received a GAPS-802M, unusually light without heavy bait. The first time it took me a long time to get used to the weight. The handle is comfortable and does not slip in the hand. It is easy to cast and very sensitive. It reacts to the first bite, I will test it further. Grade:

Kirill

I've been interested in fishing for a long time. I tried a large number of models of varying prices. Now I have ASPRO GAPS-822H, I recommend it to other fishing enthusiasts. Grade:

Andrey

I believe that fishing tackle should be of high quality, therefore, despite the high cost of spinning rods, I use ASPRO GAPS. I’m happy with everything, especially when fishing for predatory trophies in river conditions. Grade:

Maksim

Let's celebrate! Graphiteleader Aspro models are considered the best fishing rods according to user reviews. Spinning rods are light in weight and have high-quality assembly, which allows you to use the gear for a long time without reducing its performance. You can purchase gear in specialized stores or on the official website of the manufacturer.

Where to buy the Graphiteleader Calamaretti 16 spinning rod?

Nowadays to buy a Graphiteleader Calamaretti 16 spinning rod in regular fishing stores; they don’t appear in stock. I used to meet him on Fmagazin and Fishmania. I bought this rod at a fishing flea market called BidBaits. Now it is easier to buy Calamaretti 20. This is an updated version of the spinning rod, very similar in characteristics. Also in 2021, they announced the appearance of Graphiteleader Calamaretti UX - this is a budget (of course conditionally budget, by Graphiteleader standards) version of the Chinese production. Based on the stated characteristics, the spinning rod seems quite interesting.

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