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fiberglass rods

8K views 22 replies 15 participants last post by  Steelheader69 
#1 ·
Is the fiberglass flyrod gone for good?
With the advent of graphite, I see little or no ads for the 'glass rod.
I started our with a fiberglass rod.
A Fenwick. (yes I know, Mr. Orvis rod owned a Fenwick :rolleyes: )
But I truly enjoyed my glass rod. I passed it on to another person getting into the sport of flyfishing a few years ago.

Maybe it was the "full flex" feel that enchanted me to flyfish only, not like the fast action tips of todays graphite offerings. Yes graphite is stronger; lighter, and smaller in diameter, but didn't you love your first fiberglass flyrod? ;)
I might look for another one just to reclaim some of those past days-gone-by, and maybe, just maybe, I'll feel a little bit younger. :rolleyes:
mayflyman
 
#2 ·
I for one do not think it is gone. Just look at bamboo's status as a rod material. While many people ruled it out as a rod material many years ago, there are some who are very devoted to it

The uses of fiberglass that will survive IMHO are for relatively short, slower action rods. One of my projects for the winter is a fiberglass 3 wt rod. This will be used for those small streams where a 20' cast is a long one.

Rods now available that I know of are the Lamiglas bushcreek series, and Fenwick has a series of rods that are in some of the mail order catalogs.
 
#4 ·
Fiberglassed?

I called Orvis today (12-12-01)
They stopped making fiberglass rods almost a decade ago. :(
One of their selling points was that they offered flyrods in every material advaiable.
Those days are no more, my friends.

Now I can say... "I remember when..."
 
#5 ·
Yes Orvis stopped making fiberglass rods a long time ago.

I to started fly fishing 40 years ago with a glass Garcia Royal 7 foot trout rod which I still have, then went to a Browning 7 foot which I still have. Then to the graphites fenwick, orvis etc..

Will have to pull out the glass ones and try them next year. I bet they will still be effective.

Caught a lot of fish on those 7 foot glass rods over the years.

The Lamiglass line should be looked into.

Good luck
 
#6 ·
The "other" fiberglass?

My fav. of this type of rod material was Lamiglass' "S-Glass" blanks. (God I think i'm saying that wrong, but zip on correct name." Light walled, wonderfull in the hand and still use a few for "plug rods" and an old 9wt fly rod. My fav. rod for years (light drift rod made from a 10'6" S glass fly rod blank) was made from that material.

Still miss it.
fe
 
#8 ·
glass

Like bamboo, most modern glass rods are of the boutique variety. While Lamiglass and Fenwick still make cheap fiberglass rods, Winston, Hardy and Scott are making fancy ones. Winston makes "The Stalker", an 8' #4 that is very soft and a beautiful rod. Hardy has a couple that are nice, especially the #4. Scott make a 7' #4 that is wonderful on small streams. They also make a 6'6" #3, but I have not cast it.
Winston, sensing a resurgence in the popularity of classic action rods is coming out with a full line of reproductions of their rods in the Seventies. I have not cast them either, but they are showing a big commitment to glass.
At the casting ponds in San Francisco, an old glass rod will draw as much or more attention that even an exotic graphite.
Glass rods are far from dead. Just expensive.
 
#11 ·
Re: The "other" fiberglass?

Completely agree Fred! In fact I think that the s-glass was so good it held up the popularity of graphite rods for years in the PNW, or so it seems. Light as a feather and you could really put the stick to a big fish with that strong but shock-absorbing blank. At the same time graphite technology got better and eventually the lami sales went to graphite as well, I think it was the 1000 series and LHS series rods.

fredaevans said:
My fav. of this type of rod material was Lamiglass' "S-Glass" blanks. ...

Still miss it.
fe
 
#14 ·
Somewhere in the basement of my house lie three old glass rods -one of unknown vintage, an Arthur Cove 8' 5wt nymph rod and a Portman 9' 9wt which is to this day a sure fire recipe for tennis elbow! I bought my first graphite rod back in 1976 and by today's standards it would be regarded a "dog" - the line rating was 6/10:hehe: Well, years and experience taught me better. I once had the chance to play with some original greenhart rods in various weights. The smaller trout rods - 3-4wt were a delight. The line you used was irrelevant, the rod just did its thing and out flew the line. The bigger salmon class rods up to 18' were a different story weighing a couple of pounds when equipped with reel, line etc. Men were "Men" back in those days and you needed well honed biceps to handle those big old weapons. I find it ironic that a well made glass rod is today considered expensive. Yet another example of life's great cycle of mystery I guess:rolleyes:
 
#16 ·
S blanks-1000 or .... designation

juro, think we have our next "contest." AND no fair if you work for the folks in Woodland Wash or picking up the telephone for a history lesson.

What series did Lami. call those s series rods? I only remember the 1000's as the bottom of the line graf's. But now is now, then was ..... was .....25 years ago?
fe:rolleyes:

Dang!!! Finally got the "smilies" to work. Thanks to the several folks who e mail the 'clutz' on the 'who-to.' How do you spell "computer illiterate?" Fre......
 
#17 ·
My first fly rod (and my wife's favorite one) is my 6 weight Fenwick, it's about 18 years old I think.

So is the "re-introduction" of glass rods the beginning of a cycle?
From the classic bamboo action to glass to graphite/ glass, to graphite to titanium mixtures....:eyecrazy:

Personally I think it's a result of people finally realizing that they don't necessarily need a fast action rod.

Not that there's anything wrong with owning every style/ kind of rod there is....
 
#19 ·
you haven't cast a fiberglass rod until you have cast a Russ Peak glass rod.. No one has ever come close to the Peaks glass rods. The ones I have cast were every bit as capable as a comperable graphite rod. If you ever get a chance to try one go for it , you'll be impessed.
 
#20 ·
I used to have a Glasstech 5ft6 for a 3 and thought it was the sweetest trout rod I ever had my hands on. Until one day it got pulled off of my boat on a sweeper never to be seen again.:whoa: :( :( :(
 
#23 ·
Love glass rods

I really need to look "outside the box". I spend most of my time on salmon/steelhead boards and never check out the other boards on here.

Ii have quite a few glass rods. When I started fishing I do't remember seeing graphite rods yet, or maybe they were in very limited supply back in the mid 70's. We had Fenwick glass rods. My first driftrod wa (and I still have) was a fenwick F85C with an ABU on it. My catch rate really didn't go up that much when I switched to graphites, just a LOT lighter to toss all day long. I also have a few fenwick glass rods, from 7wt up to 9wt. Love them andget them out from time to time. IMHO, the older Fenwicks are great rods and not cheap at all. I love grabbing my 8' 7wt and hitting summerruns. Can't beat th feel of a steelie on a glas rod, having it bent in half without thewory of snapping like you d with graphite. Hot, cold, even if you ccidentally tap th side o the boat you don't have toworry about it snapping (unless you hit it ina cardor).

Personally, I don'tlike the new glass rods from fenwickk/lami. I feel thy're trying to bring back somethingthe just can't duplicate (especialy since Fenwick isn't fenwick anymore). I've picked uup a newer F89C ( I hae afew of thse rods to, al pre buyouts) and the lok llike junk compared to my old rods. Maybe I'm just biased by the old fens. I to also hhad som other glass rods (Danielson..EEGADSSSSSS, and an OLD soouthbend) and sld tem of years ago.

I'm not sure i I coul go out ad spend $200+ dolars for aglass rod. I gus you pay for something because it's "hot" now you don' eihe 1. remember thy wwere chaper priced or 2. or did't know they actually made them back in theolden days.

I myself would buy any older fenwicks or lami's. I have oon custom built s glass and LOVE it. I had quite a few of my old fens and lamis s glass stolen back around 83' when somnne broke into my Dad's truck before we were goin on our fishing vacation. Can never replace them, they were mostly handbuilt by a deceased friend ofours.

Jerry
 
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