Ever since the fly show I have been looking at fiberglass rods. The search has been a little overwhelming. There are so many choices and price points it is hard to know what is good and what is worth the selling price. Many of these old rods are selling for more than they did 40-50yrs ago. What's crazy is some are in the same exact condition they were 40-50yrs ago. A member of the local fly fishing club was nice enough to let me try out a bunch of different glass rods. He showed me a few that looked brand new. I found it hard to believe that anything sitting around for 40yrs could look that good but I saw it first hand. The day wasn't the best for casting. There was a stiff 15-18mph wind and it was eating up my back cast. I found I could one way or another cast with any of the rods. It was just a matter of timing and figuring out how the rod flexed. I liked all the rods but one in particular stood out. The rods I tried were:
Fenwick FF85
Fenwick FF705
St Croix 5wt
I went into this looking for a cheap rod I could throw poppers with but then I tried the FF705. I loved the feel of this rod and it has made me expand my search to look at 5wts. The only bad thing is fiberglass rods that are in the 5-7wt range have higher prices than heavier rods. There has been an increase in the demand for these rods which has made the prices sky rocket. Thanks a lot Fiberglass Manifesto. I don't want to spend more than $60 on a rod. Mainly because I'm not sure how much I'll like fishing these sticks. When I'm first interested in something I kind of geek out on it. I've read so much about Fenwick, Garcia Conolon and Wright and Mcgill that I'm kind of burnt out. I had been basically researching and shopping all weekend. After losing a Ebay auction I decided to take a break from looking for a rod. The TFF member was nice enough to lend me the FF705 to try it out for awhile. I'll play with this and look for rods from time to time. I really don't "need" another rod but what fisherman does?
I'd love to hear info from other people if they've tried or have these rods:
Fenwick FF858
Fenwick FF807
Fenwick FF806 or FL-7
Garcia Conolon 2404-A 5-Star Dry Fly Action
Kevin
ReplyDeleteI have often thought of trying the Fiberglass rods and even the Glass fly rods, but after going to the Graphite fly rods some years back, I discovered it best suits my needs. I am so impressed with the lightness and ease at which these rods perform for me. At my age I need something that is light enough to keep me on the water most of the day and the graphite is what will do it for me. Thanks for sharing
It's funny you say that. Most of the fiberglass rods I've held in my hand seemed lighter than any graphite rod. When we talk about actual physical weight of rods what are we really talking about? Ounces? The real weight on a fly rod is caused by the reel.
DeleteVery good conversation starter here, Kevin. I have fished with Fenwick Rods years ago. They were the going thing at the time and I enjoyed them. Then came Graphite rods and, as you know, the revolution bypassed most of the use of glass. Glass is definitely making a strong comeback on the rod scene and they appear to be beautifully done for the most part. Haven't cast anything glass except for the Eagle Claw Featherlight that I got from Fiberglass Manifesto. They are a lot of fun and don't cost much at all. That being said, I still use Graphite rods too. Good luck with your search for a glass rod. Waiting to hear some results from your experiences.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comment Mel. I'm not going to stop using graphite. I just want to give this glass thing a try. At least for one season. I'll still use my graphite rods now and then but I'd like to mix in a glass rod. Especially for the Eno and the Neuse.
DeleteAfter I started using glass, I got rid of all my graphite rods. There are a lot of reasons why I like glass but besides price, I like a full flexing rod that I can feel load. Modern glass is every bit as light as graphite in weight.
ReplyDeleteSome of the old Fenwick glass is very sweet (picked up a dandy 6-footer for a 5-wt. last summer for $75) and a lot of the new custom rods are awesome. For me, it's glass and cane. Good luck with the fiberglass hunt!
ReplyDeleteKevin
ReplyDeleteWhen it comes to lightness, Redington has one of the lightness graphite rods on the market at 2.5 oz. in the 8 1/2 ft. --3 wt. --I have paired this fly rod with the Redington Drift reel which weights in at 3.5 oz. making the combo weight in at 6 oz. ---When I buy a fly rod or reel now days one of the first things I look for is the weight of the reel and fly rod. I have another Redington combo in a 5 wt. 9 ft. weighting in at 6.5 oz. I am so impressed with these fly rods and their Drift reels.
Kevin,
ReplyDeleteI have a few glass rods- an Eagle Claw Featherlight that's almost 20 years old (6'6" 5 wt), a more recent Featherlight (8' 6 wt), and an antique Garcia (8' 6 wt) that I refurbished (new guides). The Garcia I have is my favorite among the bunch... and it's only a 2 star model. My understanding is that the 5 star were their top of the line. I don't think you could go wrong with one of those, but maybe consider doing what I did. Find one in less than perfect condition and put new guides on it. Most of the old rods were fitted with too few guides compared to how things are done now. I think by adding a few guides and reformulating the guide spacing, I seriously improved the performance of the 2 star Garcia rod that I have. The older guides also tend to be a bit small for more modern fly line. I actually put single foot guides on mine (gasp- some people think single foot are horrible) so as to reduce the number of wraps and ensure none of the flex was lost.
I saw a 5 star on ebay last night that needs a new stripping guide, and it was priced accordingly. That could be a winner.
DeleteI have an Eagle Claw Featherlight and it is about all I use. I never even planned to use it when I bought it. I planned to just put it in my garage and let anyone that wanted to go fly fishing with me (that didn't have a fly rod) use it. My brother-In-Law went with me one day and took it; we ended up swapping rods and it has been my go to rod ever since. BTW - Garage sale price $20.
ReplyDeletehave an ff858 and a ff806 (and a tfo ticrx 12 wt w/ a c-vex reel {10-12 wt lines} )
ReplyDeleteif i could only fish one rod it would be the ff858 w/ a medalist 1498 (8-10 wt lines)
if i could keep two: it would be the ff858 and the ticrx
dont get me wrong--the ff806 is a great rod that will handle 6-8 wt lines (i love it w/ an Orvis Battenkill 8/9)--it's just that i do enough inshore and surf stuff that the bigger gear usually is the better tool