Fishing Fiberglass

[Crippled Caddis]

----My wife picked out a W.W. Grigg 2 piece 8ft 6inch 5wt Premier model vintage glass outfit with a matching Grigg reel for my birthday last year. I used it all summer as my go to rod for creek smallmouth fishing and in Canada. It handled 3 to 5 pound smallmouth’s as well as any graphic rod I own.-----Many of the rod building sites are hailing that vintage glass is coming back, and I was amazed at the number of collectors. On further research, I found many steelhead fly fishers are switching to glass rods because they handle the abuse much better than composites. You can check out the Grigg line---

OK, I admit it. It was me exhorting Dano to take the plunge into fiberglass rods. I started fishing them again several years ago and found myself wondering why we had abandoned such a wonderful fishing tool so abruptly. I soon found the original fiberglass rod site (since kaput) on Clark's board and dived headfirst into learning all I could about a product I grew up with. To make a long story as short as possible it is my belief that it was fueled by the increased casting distances that tournament casters were able to achieve with graphite. The advertising advantages of that were immediately apparent to manufacturers and they, and their rod designers who had a new, exciting medium to express their craftsmanship, jumped on the graphite wagon and soon produced a demand from the average flyfisher who could fantasize about casting like Steve Rajeff. (Forget it---I've had the humbling experience of casting with him ) The snowball mushroomed and soon the criteria for flyrods had morphed from how well a rod fished to how well it would do in the parking lot competition at the local flyshop. (I recall that well as I was working at an Orvis shop in a major metropolitan area at the time) We've now inducted a generation into the ranks and indoctrinated another who have been trained by advertising and encouraged by their peers to think the sole deciding factor on a rod purchase is the modulus of the base material.

But there are always a few who think for themselves despite the social anathema it can bring down upon their heads and a few of us were old enough to recall when just casting was fun of itself. We still thought the choice of rod should be predicated on how it fished rather than how far it would cast. And we thought it should be a pleasant experience. So some of us regressed to "the lovely reed", bamboo, (just witness the resurgence!) and some, like myself, gravitated to a more affordable (and familiar) medium. A significant percentage of the retro crowd discovered the peace of mind wrought by the fact that fiberglass can be drug through heavy brush, beaten against the rocks, used as a wading staff and survive falls, abuse and freaks of nature so much better than anything else that their precious cane rods became closet queens to be drug out to be admired, perhaps even fished in a civilized setting a time or two a year for the justification it provides and then, once more, be relegated to closetdom for safekeeping and monetary appreciation while we gravitated back to the fiberglass workhorses that provide so much peace of mind and fishing pleasure. (Olde Phartes do tend to be long-winded ) And some, again very much like myself, can't help prosylitizing (sp.?) when they find a new epiphany.

Most of the time this year when I arrive at a fishing site I find myself reaching for a little 6', 4 wt. I rolled on an old UL spinning blank a few winters ago. Once I found the line it wanted it became a willing companion that seems to seek to please me more with each cast. My accuracy has taken a quantum leap (you can correct casts while they are taking place) and my ancient and abused body doesn't grouch at me quite as much at the end of a session. But mostly I just find the entire experience more pleasing. So why not spread the good news?

If it will copy in to the post try taking a Look at the 'Fiberglass Flyrodders' site.

http://p097.ezboard.com/bfiberglassflyrodder

If it doesn't work just Google it by that name. Check out the various boards including the building glass rods board which has several long threads concerning the rods that can be built VERY inexpensively on some UL spinning rod blanks that sell for under $10. (I picked up mine at Schneider Rods in Mt. Home) See if it sounds like fun by reading before you take the plunge. Then consider Danos' point that a retro rod begs for a retro reel and see what you have buried in your inactive pile of gear. Even if you splurge it won't cost a lot to try it to see if you like it if you'll avoid the custom builders until you know if it's your 'meat'. And if you find yourself enjoying the fishing part a bit more then the world is good. CC

[Danoinark]

Hey Dano... Didn't you tell me that was rated as a 5 wt but cast a 4 wt line better or something to that tune?

Terry I don't have a 4wt line to try. I have only paired it with a 5. But I think it will throw a six also and maybe with less line out for some real close in fishing.

Dano

Hey Steve, too much water since then for me to remember our glass discussion, but I sure would like to fish it one of these days...Dano

Crippled - Hear Hear, as always you say it with more grace and flower than I could ever. Thanks.

[Flysmallie]

Ok, I couldn't resist. I ordered the 6'6" 5wt and the 7' 5/6wt.

Good call on the medalist Dano, I found one in all my stuff last night. Now all I need is a decent line or two.

[Growler]

My second fly rod is a glass 9' beauty my Dad made for me. He used parts from the Herters company (now gone?). He taught me how to build rods while doing it also. I don't remember what weight it is, haven't had it out of the case for many years. My reel was a Martin Automatic, man was that rig heavy! I caught my first trout out of Taneycomo with it around 20 years ago, but put it up & haven't had it out since I bought a graphite rod. Now, I think I'll give it another whirl.

I've never cast one of the Eagle Claw fly rods. I have a friend with one of the spinning rods from the same family (yellow blanks). He uses it for crappie fishing. Says the light tip keeps him from tearing through their mouths on a hookset. I believe him, I don't think I have ever outfished him.

My glass fly rod sure was the ticket for bluegill & bass out of farm ponds while I was growing up. Can't wait to dust it off & re-live some memories now.

G

[Greg]

One of those yellow eagle claw fly rods was one of my first fly rods almost 30 years ago. I caught a lot of bluegill and bass with that rod and a $5 Martin reel. I don't know what happened to it.

I bought another 7 ft 5wt eagle claw off of ebay several months ago but I never fished it. I more or less bought it to play around with. Reading this discussion though has made me want to give it a workout. I think I'll try it at Taney.

Greg

[Danoinark]

Flysmallie, good deal. Can't wait for you to give it a try and post a report on how you like em.

All you gents and gentle lasses should dust off those back of the closet glass rods and give them a second look. You may have found a new passion.

Dano

[Steve Smith]

Hey Steve, too much water since then for me to remember our glass discussion, but I sure would like to fish it one of these days...Dano

Anytime Dan. You know where I live or at least where my wife says I live on the river.

[Crippled Caddis]

<All you gents and gentle lasses should dust off those back of the closet glass rods and give them a second look. You may have found a new passion.>

Getting the head ready first may be of great importance. If you've been fishing graphite all your life or for a very long time your initial reaction will most probably be that "it doesn't feel right". You have to slow down your own internal clock to be able to enjoy the more relaxed casting stroke. Let the rod tell you what it wants, give it to it and let it cast. There is a thread so applicable to this over on John Wilson's Ark/Mo board that everyone should read it.

<http://p222.ezboard.com/Half-the-Battle/fflyfishingarkansasandmissourifrm14.showMessage?topicID=3063.topic>

It will make you a better fisherman whatever sort of rod you might be using.

[Kansas Fly Fisher]

Interesting thread! Think I'll have to join the ranks and look into a graphite rod. Sounds like a lot of fun.

John

[Ham]

I "learned" to fly fish on my Dad's 1954 Shakesphere Wonder Rod. It is a white blank. It is old enough to not have a line rating. It is 6'6". I think it would do well with a 4 or 5 wt line.

I loved it and wouldn't mind fishing it EXCEPT that I am afraid of breaking it.

It's ok I have a 7'6" 3 weight for small water that is a SSSLLLOOOWWWWWW graphite.