Elkhorn Ladies’ Line Traveler 863-5 Pink Rod and T-1 Reel Reviews

By Emily Neiley

Elkhorn’s Ladies’ Line of rods and reels has got some serious zazz.  I have to get that out of the way because the zazz is what qualifies the line as “women’s gear”.  Yep, you guessed it—pink (or purple, or raspberry) is the one difference between these rods and reels and the rest of Elkhorn’s selection.  But damn, I like the senseless pinkness.  They’re beautifully made, and the three-weight set-up I took for a spin definitely earned its snazzy red stripes.  

The Traveler 863-5 rod, one of three rod models in the Ladies’ Line, is pretty damn smooth for a five piece rod.  It’s not quite seamless, and its fast action felt a little creaky on the first few casts, but once the ferrules settled into place I forgot there were four of them.  Normally, I wouldn’t dare hold a 5-piece (or most 3-piece rods for that matter) by the third-to-last ferrule while trying to snag my wind-blown tippet, but after cautiously choking up, the rod didn’t even creak under my exigent mishandling. Plus, Elkhorn’s “No Nonsense” lifetime warranty (30 bucks for any repair/replacement sections) added to my sense of security.

I fished the Traveler against some serious wind.  Still, the rod kept a sunny outlook on life and performed like a champ, chucking midges (and a streamer, just for the hell of it) 30 feet with more grace than can usually be managed in such conditions. The Traveler isn’t quite as sensitive as I like a 3-weight to be, but I enjoyed fishing it, and for a pack rod it kicks ass.  

Elkhorn’s T-1 reel is gorgeous and was consistently smooth with the mid-sized bows I hooked. These reels are machine cut from T6 aluminum billet stock which forms a strong but relatively light frame.  They weigh in at 4.6oz, which isn’t the lightest of small trout reels, but they balance well with 2-4 weight rods.

I never got buzzed into the backing, but I don’t feel this is a reel that’s easily overwhelmed. With a large drag knob that’s easily adjusted from near free spool to hawg stopping force, the cork on delrin disk drag is smooth, and despite the eight degree weather, it never froze or locked up on me once.

The 100 yard capacity is more than adequate for trout on a 3-weight, and its large arbor design picked up line quickly and eliminates line memory found on other small, traditional arbor reels. Removing the spool is easy with its center pin screw cap, however the cap needs to be completely removed for the spool to be changed, and unfortunately it becomes one more piece to drop or lose in the stream.

The T-1 met my expectations for a quality large arbor reel and its striking appearance makes it the perfect match for any rod under Elkhorn’s Ladies’ Line. True, the color scheme is the only element of the Ladies’ Line that was actually designed for women, but pink craftsmanship is still craftsmanship, and well made rods and reels are hard to come by in pink—at least for $229 and $149 respectively.  

Visit Elkhorn at http://www.elkhornflyrodandreel.com