what are the pro & con points of fiberglass rods? I may buy one. I have bamboo, cane & graphite rods already.
Bill
Bill
fiberglass fly rods
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 bill0215 |
fiberglass fly rods |
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Posts: 403 11/05/05 21:01:40 Master Guide |
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Flytackle |
Re: fiberglass fly rods | #1 | |||
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Posts: 1668 11/06/05 06:25:05
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Bill I am a big fan of the slower action of 'glass, as well as its tough durability. I fish alot form a canoe, which can be hard on a rod, and 'glass holds up better under those conditions than graphite. Glass also protects light tippets nicely. Inspite of recent marketing to the contrary, glass is very affordable. Mostly though, its the sweet and easy casting rythm of a slow glass rod. I also find that it is easiet to open up your loops with glass, something that is required when throwing heavily weighted wet flies, which I do for 'gills, or two fly rigs, which I like when trout fishing. Another aspect is purely emotional. My first fly rod was glass (Cortland) and I tend to be a sentimental fool
 . My favorite rods currently are anything by Steffen Brothers www.steffenbrothersflyrods.com and the unfortunately recentky discontinued Fenwick Fenglass line of rods, particularly the 7'6" for 5 and the 6' for 5, which I fish a 4 on. The Lamiglas 4 piece 6'6" for 4 is also exceptional. I think the 6'6" 3 piece 3 weight in blanks is available from Anglers Workshop here www.anglersworkshop.com/. As for older rods, the original Fenwick Ferulite series is great. I remember being a boy and really longing for one of them! There are also Phillipson, Browning, Shakespeare and Cortland rods that are great. Of course the big names like Fisher, Winston and Scott are nice, but can get awfully pricey. The new Diamondglass rods by Daimondback are quite popular and can be found discounted at a good price. If I only bought one glass rod though, it would be either the Fenwick Fenglass 7'6" for 5 or a Steffen Brothers 2/3 weight. The original Fenwick Fenglass 8.5' for 8 is also a favorite and can do alot. Pure pleasure! Tight lines! Alec |
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BassYakker |
Re: fiberglass fly rods | #2 | |||
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Posts: 281 11/06/05 16:45:38 Registered Member |
I am going to break my own rules and answer with a quote (because it is so appropriate and a classic to boot!):
"More than any other material it (fiberglass) will excuse our neglect, disregard our carelessness, forgive our abuses and reward us with long and trustworthy service. Fiberglass is a warm water fly rodder's best friend." -Tom Nixon Not to mention, it is not as expensive as graphite...well, at least until now.  Just to keep it balanced, I can give you some "cons": I have an old Shakespeare Wonderod 8wt, I enjoy using it, except out of the kayak. I am not sure why..it has very slow action and I am used to using fast action rods. The other thing I don't like about it is the reel seat. Modern reel seats are better IMHO. But I have used this rod quite a bit and caught lots of fish on it. Good Luck! -Phil |
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Flytackle |
Re: fiberglass fly rods | #3 | |||
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Posts: 1668 11/06/05 17:37:23
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Thanks Phil - Great quote!! Alec
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spinzo |
Re: fiberglass fly rods | #4 | |||
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Posts: 1067 11/06/05 19:46:20
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"...(fiberglass) will excuse our neglect, disregard our carelessness, forgive our abuses..."
Sounds like someone looked into the future and thought of me when they built the first glass rod. I should have more of these in the arsenal! mike |
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Gerbubble Bug |
Re: fiberglass fly rods | #5 | |||
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Posts: 670 11/07/05 15:58:39
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On an STS Outing Alec let me borrow his 7 1/2 FT Fenglass for a 5 wt & I would not give it back to him. Very disapointing that these rods are no longer made & all we seem to have to pick from are more expensive models. Alec gave me the rod by the way & my son stole it. This was an exceptional rod, but I still feel that fiberglass belongs in the 7 foot or shorter - 5 weight & lower classes. After that Graphite is just lighter & seems to be better at the longer lengths. Some of the early IM6 rods might work for the fly fisher who like a slower rod. For me the faster, the better. One pick up & cast.
Tom |
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dave potts |
Re: fiberglass fly rods | #6 | |||
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Posts: 40 11/08/05 17:28:30 Registered Member |
Bill,
Check out this "sister site" on fiberglass rods. There's a lot of people who still love the glass rods. p097.ezboard.com/bfiberglassflyrodders Dave |
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bill0215 |
Re: fiberglass fly rods | #7 | |||
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Posts: 403 11/20/05 19:30:10 Master Guide |
For the past two days, i have been casting a Fenwick"woodstream". It is 7' 1/2" long. I never casted a rod this slow before. I have a 4 pc 8' Browning 5 wt that is almost as slow as this Fenwick. It feels like this will be fun to use to catch fish.
Bill |
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Cornmuse |
Re: fiberglass fly rods | #8 | |||
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Posts: 253 11/21/05 07:23:59 Registered Member |
I LOVE Fiberglass rods for smallie fishing and similar. The single biggest advantage these rods exhibit is the ability to handle a heavy line and thus cast large, air-resistant flies with accuracy out to 60 feet or so. At the same time, they will flex right into the cork with 18" of smallmouth attached angrily to the other end. Wonderful!
It's no disadvantage that its very, very difficult to break a glass rod, too. They will flex to maximum curve and then just hold together where a graphite rod will shatter once the stress gets too high. I use a Silaflex 7wt for bass and pike on a small Minnesota stream for exactly this reason. I can cast big flies in close, enjoy a great fight, and put lot's of pressure on a difficult fish in tight conditions. I just bought 4 "new" glass rods this week! joe C. |
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bill0215 |
Re: fiberglass fly rods | #9 | |||
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Posts: 403 11/21/05 12:20:40 Master Guide |
I'd like to buy more glass rods but then what do i do with all the other graphite rods i own???
Bill |
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anglerdave |
Re: fiberglass fly rods | #10 | |||
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Posts: 54 11/21/05 12:38:27 Registered Member |
Bill
Can anyone ever have too many fly rods? I tell my wife that they are tools. And each tool has a specifc purpose. She doesn't buy that of course. But for me, I like using glass for some applications and graphite for others. Now I have two glass rods and keep telling myself that I don't need anymore. But then again................ |
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cooper bug |
Re: fiberglass fly rods | #11 | |||
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Posts: 119 11/21/05 12:57:57 |
I have a Shakespear wonder rod [7 1/2', 6wgt] that I haven't had out in a while. Bought it back in the early 70's. Guess I should pick up a line for it and use it once in a while. From what I remember a 6 or 7" BG will bend it into a big "C". All the varnish is yellowing on it but I don't really want to re-finish it. That would very probably kill any value it might have.
Don |
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BassYakker |
Re: fiberglass fly rods | #12 | |||
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Posts: 281 11/21/05 14:31:02 Registered Member |
I was "wondering" why all the Wonderods I see are white and mine is yellow!
 
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paveglass |
Re: fiberglass fly rods | #13 | |||
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Posts: 10 12/05/05 18:27:02 Registered Member |
Bass Yakker,
The older Wonderods were built on yellow blanks. You might want to check to see if yours says "Pat Pending" on the label--if so it was made before they got the patent in 1952 for the fiberglass rod manufacturing technique that Shakespeare still uses today. There will also be a model number like 1270T or 1380B and a three letter code that says when it was manufactured, such as FBF. These are probably stamped into the reel seat hardware or rings somewhere. There are some of the yellow blanks around, Shakespeare improved on their technology over the years and the later rods with the white blanks are generally better rods but the originals are no slouches and they represented huge leaps in technology for their day. There is a guy named gaddis on the fiberglass rod forum who knows almost everything about Wonderods--I think he even has most of the old catalogs. paveglass |
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cooper bug |
Re: fiberglass fly rods | #14 | |||
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Posts: 373 12/05/05 20:32:01 Registered Member |
No, bassyakker. Mine is white; the wraps are yellowed. lol
Don |
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BassYakker |
Re: fiberglass fly rods | #15 | |||
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Posts: 281 12/05/05 20:36:31 Registered Member |
Big, big thanks, Paveglass. Ever since I got this rod, I have wanted to know a little about the history.
I think it is an "newer" rod. The labling is painted(?) into the finish (no stickers). It is an Action Taper, FY 170 8wt DEE. It has US and Canadian patent numbers. I am very interested in any info you or anyone else can give me. Again, Thanks!!! |
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BassYakker |
Re: fiberglass fly rods | #16 | |||
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Posts: 281 12/05/05 21:13:01 Registered Member |
Quote: BassYakker ->   
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paveglass |
Re: fiberglass fly rods | #17 | |||
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Posts: 10 12/07/05 19:11:07 Registered Member |
In the early days, Shakespeare Wonderods had four digit model numbers--1270, 1380, 1425, etc. In the late 60s/early 70s their rods had three digit model numbers. The three letter code indicates the year in which a rod was produced (or began production). I believe that the production date code DEE means July, 1976...which does seem like it was late in the era of glass rods. Gaddis would know...he probably has the catalog and can tell you what your rod cost when it was new.
All the best. paveglass |
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gaddis |
Re: fiberglass fly rods | #18 | |||
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Posts: 58 12/15/05 09:41:14 Registered Member |
BassYakker,
Your FY-170 question sounds familiar. I think I answered it for you on some other board. Paveglass is correct about the date of the rod. Unfortunately, the pricing is not available as Shakespeare stopped putting the prices in the catalogs in the seventies. As far as color goes, many Wonderods were white, but that was not the only color. There were also rods in yellow, tan, ivory, green, etc. Hope this helps. |
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BassYakker |
Re: fiberglass fly rods | #19 | |||
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Posts: 281 12/15/05 13:53:26 Registered Member |
Yes, you answered my question on the glass rod forum.
Thanks! -Phil |
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