.043 ELF running line review

[hooksetter1]

A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of spending some time on the phone with Steve Godshall ordering some sink tips and talking about skagit/sink tip work. Long story short I ended up with a demo of the .043 ELF running line he makes to try against the miracle braid I had been using.

The rod: TFO pro 12'6" 8wt
The head: Rio 600grn Skagit 27ft
Running Line: SGS ELF .043 85ft (with 6" tactical welded loop)

All I can say is I was very impressed. The line's thicker diameter gave something substantial to hold on to with cold fingers, which was why I liked the braided surface of Miracle Braid to begin with. However, the ELF was MUCH more buoyant! This enabled me to carry longer loops, and because of the very high slickness factor the ELF shot just as well if not better. 80-90ft casts were relatively easy and comfortable with this setup. Also with the high silicone content of the line, it remains very supple in hand even with air temps in the high 30's. The only thing miracle braid had over this ELF line was stretch or lack thereof, but in the realm of swinging it's a non-issue in my book.

Bottom line, Steve is a very knowledgeable guy who makes a GREAT product. If you're looking for a winter running line for 'rifle season', or for any other application, make sure you look at the ELF lines while you're at it. Bob and Steve have definitely won my business as a return customer with great gear and some of the best customer service I've experienced.

[Grampa Spey]

In October, I sent back my Meiser 5/6 Switch rod for a tune up and line matching by Steve after he flex tested it.

That package with the mending line works very well.

After seeing the Elfs in action on the American River earlier this year, I ordered: The Elf SGS 032 85' .032 20# .038 $29.50 for use with my Z6126. That was a good move. That Elf and the Rio Skagit Flight Head 425 are a perfect match for my Z6126.

I will be ordering the Elf you have for my Z7136.

Originally Posted by hooksetter1

A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of spending some time on the phone with Steve Godshall ordering some sink tips and talking about skagit/sink tip work. Long story short I ended up with a demo of the .043 ELF running line he makes to try against the miracle braid I had been using.

The rod: TFO pro 12'6" 8wt
The head: Rio 600grn Skagit 27ft
Running Line: SGS ELF .043 85ft (with 6" tactical welded loop)

All I can say is I was very impressed. The line's thicker diameter gave something substantial to hold on to with cold fingers, which was why I liked the braided surface of Miracle Braid to begin with. However, the ELF was MUCH more buoyant! This enabled me to carry longer loops, and because of the very high slickness factor the ELF shot just as well if not better. 80-90ft casts were relatively easy and comfortable with this setup. Also with the high silicone content of the line, it remains very supple in hand even with air temps in the high 30's. The only thing miracle braid had over this ELF line was stretch or lack thereof, but in the realm of swinging it's a non-issue in my book.

Bottom line, Steve is a very knowledgeable guy who makes a GREAT product. If you're looking for a winter running line for 'rifle season', or for any other application, make sure you look at the ELF lines while you're at it. Bob and Steve have definitely won my business as a return customer with great gear and some of the best customer service I've experienced.

[AJU]

I spoke with Steve and Bob back in October prior to my trip to BC which I just got back from and they set me up with the .50 ELF for a couple of my reels. I used them with Airflo compacts, RIO skagits and a few other heads and I can say that they passed with flying colors on all points:
1. More boyancy than my miracle braid and Ridgeline.
2. Very durable - landed fish over 20lb's with no issue.
3. Most important aspect - MENDABLE !!

Most of my use was on my ACR 8133 and heads in the 540 to 600 range. Point number 3 is what I have the most difficulty with in going from full lines to shooting heads/running lines. IMHO, fly position and line control account for many more fish than straight distance and I found the ELF's allowed me to mend and gain slightly better line control - Kudos on this and long overdue!!

All in all, the lines performed exceptionally and I want to thank both of them for their great work on these and sharing their exceptional knowledge.

Oh Almost forgot, I will be posting a quick review of the Mendmaster line that Steve built for my rod which is really a dynamite setup......
Thanks Guys

[Grampa Spey]

Originally Posted by AJU

I spoke with Steve and Bob back in October prior to my trip to BC which I just got back from and they set me up with the .50 ELF for a couple of my reels. I used them with Airflo compacts, RIO skagits and a few other heads and I can say that they passed with flying colors on all points:
1. More boyancy than my miracle braid and Ridgeline.
2. Very durable - landed fish over 20lb's with no issue.
3. Most important aspect - MENDABLE !!

Most of my use was on my ACR 8133 and heads in the 540 to 600 range. Point number 3 is what I have the most difficulty with in going from full lines to shooting heads/running lines. IMHO, fly position and line control account for many more fish than straight distance and I found the ELF's allowed me to mend and gain slightly better line control - Kudos on this and long overdue!!

All in all, the lines performed exceptionally and I want to thank both of them for their great work on these and sharing their exceptional knowledge.

Oh Almost forgot, I will be posting a quick review of the Mendmaster line that Steve built for my rod which is really a dynamite setup......
Thanks Guys

Thanks for the report on the .50 ELF. I will be looking forward to getting one from Bob/Steve.

As I noted in my previous reply on this thread, I have Steve's Mendmaster Line for my SGS line on my 5/6 Meiser Switch rod.

It worked great in Perry poke and overhead casting. There is one spot on the local creek where I can stand at the base of a Dog Leg right and fire an overhead cast upstream and under the trees for 40-50'+. That can be done with any shooting line. However, the Mendmaster performed better, and then I was able to do the following:

With the Mendmaster I could move about 15' to the right as the fly was coming down stream and mend the line downstream through a meandering maze at least 50+' downstream, and I could strip out more line and skitter the line, tip and fly on down with an effortless two handed stack mending for various nymphing styles.