Ok, so, I have been thinking about trying out a fibreglass fly rod

used to use these all the time as a kid when deep sea fishing in SA and do recall using a fibreglass fly rod once in the mountain lakes in the Drakensberg and loved the deep action of the rod.

Question is, what does everyone else think of fibreglass vs graphite and other modern materials?

views appreciated.

SKB

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I'm a new convert - for stream/river fishing where distance is not the primary objective. Love the way they feel and cast, love the rod loading with 5' feet of line yet get 30' feet out and slow down your stroke and 70' no problem. Love the way one rod can really feel a 12" fish and have the power to subdue something 5 times the size. Love being able to roll cast properly with a short rod. Love being able to drop a dry fly like a feather with a 6/7 wt and cast a 4" streamer without changing tackle. Tough as nuts, cheap as chips. Not heavy but but heavier than carbon, not slow necessarily but slower than most modern carbon. Get the feel of an orvis superfine for a fifth of price. Shop stateside either second hand or build your own to go cheap, or buy a hardy. Just don't buy a long one - carbon does that better - and stick to carbon if strong wind is an issue.

Up to nine feet they are as good as carbon - and better for delicacy, better for short casting without needing to overline the rod to bring out the action (so you can still throw twenty plus yards if need be without changing back to a lighter line) and better for tight, overgrown waters where you risk banging the rod against trees.

People caught loads of fish before carbon-fibre - they really did. However, if you're in the market for a good glass fly rod, buy now. The world is slowly waking up to the idea that glass is actually quite good, and it's heading for a renaissance similar to what happened with cane in the early-mid eighties. Hardy glass fly rods under nine feet have rocketed in second-hand value over the last two years, and I suspect they'll keep on going now that Hardy no longer manufacture their main range in the UK.

Don't overlook other makers though; Oliver's of Knebworth made some beauties, as did Fosters and Chapmans.

A good Hardy Jet in the smaller sizes would be a nice one to get I would have thought but the price for second hand ones is going through the roof at the moment.
Tight Lines

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I have the Hardy jet 8'6" and a home made 7'6", both of which I use and a longer 10ft rod which is awful.

In the short lengths they are at least as good as carbon and weigh little more. They cast as well or better than carbon for most river situations and they are very tough. My 7'6" rod also happens to be very fast actioned indeed, they are not all slow.

Longer glass rods tend to be heavy and much sloppier than their carbon equivalents. Like a previous poster I would put the cut off at about 9ft.

Are you lot enthusing about hollow glass or solid glass rods?

I do feel you have to move on, i started with split cane, moved on to solid glass, then hollow glass, and now to carbon, in the future if they come out with a better material than carbon, i will move on and give it a go.
Anglers still go on about split cane well ive fished all night for Seatrout with a 10ft,
And by morning your arms were killing,
When i was a lad i used to listen to senior anglers who used greenheart and that was even heavier,
My first rod was a tank Ariel.

I don't think anyone would argue with you about rods over nine feet. Glass and cane both have their place in the shorter lengths, and it would be a shame if people were discouraged from trying these rods and deciding for themselves.

I know this is the Vintage forum, but thought I would mention my brand new, i.e. manufactured in 2008, Scott F series 6' 6" 2-weight glass rod; bought off another forum member. Haven't fished it yet but it's great to cast with. http://www.scottflyrod.com/rods2/f

Hardy are also making new glass rods, well 90% glass, 10% carbon rods, see http://fly.hardyfishing.com/en-gb/pr...ds/glass-rods/

Andrew

Personally, I am talking about hollow glass which, I believe were in production from the 60's to the late 80's.

I do recall having one fly rod (of which I was very proud) that was 80% Carbon and 20% glass fibre..........oh, how I boasted to my chums how light and space aged this rod was.

It was 1994 too!

I do agree that we should, perhaps, 'move on' but isnt this the same as saying we should all be driving the latest Audi/Toyota/Vauxhall and ignore classic and vintage cars?

Should we leave the 'Model T' in the garage gathering dust?

I think some of this harking back to halcyon days is about revisiting and enjoying the past, celebrating what was once (and still is) very good at what it did.

There is also alot to be said for the feel of fibre glass. One can also give alot more abuse to a fibre glass rod than a whispy piece of carbon/graphite. I have have never had a firbe rod snap on me but I can recount several graphite/carbon rods that have...........ok, so I perhaps shouldnt have tried to crank in the tiger shark that snacked on my 40lb king mackeral

Anyways, please keep the advice and views coming!

Am watching several fibreglass rods and even a few cane rods now (though I believe you have to use silk lines for cane rods!?)

many thanks

SKB

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