Mito Materials Graphene Amplify Composite Fly Fishing Rod Performance
Functionalized graphene addition to premium-performance Evos and Evos Salt fly rods by St. Croix Fly enables faster recovery, increased torsional rigidity and improved strength-to-weight ratios.
St. Croix Fly, a company that has developed and manufactured fly fishing rods throughout its 75-year history, is unveiling Evo and its saltwater-equivalent, Evo Salt, two new premium fly rod designs that have been further refined using Mito Material Solution’s graphene technology.
Many of St. Croix’s conventional (non-fly) rods are constructed from SCIII+, a hybrid carbon fiber material combining high modulus, high-strain SCIII carbon fiber and super high modulus SCVI exotic carbon fiber. The Evo and Evos Salt Series fly rods are constructed from ultra-high modulus/high-strain SCVI carbon, high-modulus SCIV carbon and premium-quality SCII carbon.
Unlike other fly rods built with pre-applied graphene integrated into carbon fiber prepreg, Evos and Evos Salt are powered by Mito’s functionalized graphene, which is applied in-house at St. Croix at total weight-loading accuracies within 0.01%, delivering radical hoop strength, optimized loop stability and complete accuracy. The process also fits within St. Croix’s vertical-control philosophy, affords extreme consistency and ultimately delivers anglers with more of the benefits graphene can provide — namely faster recovery, increased torsional rigidity and improved strength-to-weight ratios.
St. Croix also says the use of integrated poly curve (IPC) mandrel tooling provides improved energy transfer, increased strength and efficient rod recovery; advanced reinforcing technology (ART) adding 10 times more strength with virtually no increase in blank diameter or weight; a fortified resin system (FRS) boosts blank strength by 33% over standard resins and curing methods; and a reinforced slim profile ferrule (SPF) design adds strength with minimal added weight.
Evos is said to challenge the status quo of traditional fly-rod design and sets the bar for multi-technique. The rod consists of 14 four-piece models ranging from line sizes #4 through #8. Similarly, Evos Salt optimizes angler ability by delivering critical control in any saltwater environment. It is available in seven four-piece models covering #6 through #12 line sizes. Overall, both series offer their user a wide range of casting distances, high accuracy and a balance between punch and precision.
Read the original article on Composites World.