Ryan Kral Posted January 27, 2012 Report Share Posted January 27, 2012 Hey guys. Im in need of a new spring creek rod, and was tossing out the idea of a fiberglass rod. I have never fished one, have only messed with Cabelas newer glass rod in the store. Just thought it might be a nice change of pace to use something that casts a little different than my standard fly rods. Anybody have any suggestions for a cheaper decent glass rod, besides the Cabelas CGR. I'm just trying to come up with a few to pick between, preferably a 3-4 wt. Thanks, Ryan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bob g Posted January 27, 2012 Report Share Posted January 27, 2012 I haven't done much trout fishing for awhile but I do remember a diamondback rod get passed around at the flyshop that seemed really nice. That was a few years ago and I don't remember what model it was all I can say is it was a diamondback and might be worth checking out there offerings. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colt Johnson Posted January 27, 2012 Report Share Posted January 27, 2012 If you want to go cheaper than the Cabelas rods (which I have read are decent rods for the money) you could try an Eagle Claw. From my experiences though, Lamiglass makes a good moderately priced glass rod. The 7 1/2' 4wt. seems to be the pick of the litter. See their honey colored series. Also another good company (and maybe my number one recommendation for a mid-priced rod) would be South Fork Rod Company. They make very nice rods for their price. Here are a few great resources for your review: http://fiberglass-fly-rods.pbworks.com/w/page/5182980/FrontPage http://fiberglassflyrodders.com/forum/ http://www.thefiberglassmanifesto.blogspot.com/ http://troutunderground.com/2008/01/casting-glass-the-undergrounds-wholly-biased-take-on-the-modern-fiberglass-fly-rod/ Email me at coltrane45@hotmail.com and I can provide more detailed information to help you narrow your choices. Colt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob G Posted January 27, 2012 Report Share Posted January 27, 2012 Ryan, I think Colt is your go-to guy around here for info on glass rods. I will second his opinion on the Lamiglas rod 7.5' 4 wt. if you want something a little more expensive than the Cabela's and like the traditional color. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike G Posted January 27, 2012 Report Share Posted January 27, 2012 There are fiberglass rods and there are fiberglass rods. The age of fiberglass was from about 1950 to 1975 when the graphite rod first appeared. Let's call this first group Classic Fiberglass. Since graphites appeared they have become the standard. Gierach points out that recently Orvis claimed one of its top bamboo rods performed similarly to one of its delux graphite models. Now there is a new generation of glass out there. Call them Neo Fiberglass. I can't speak about the neo Fiberglass rods, though I have a lot of experience with Classic Fiberglass. Classic Fiberglass rods were modeled after the bamboo rods that preceeded them. They weighed about the same and had similar actions. They were much more durable. Like the bamboo rod, the weight of the fiberglass rod meant that the blank contributed to loading the rod. There was a little tug on the backcast that told you, "We're loaded." Since it really helped with timing, I still miss that on my graphite rods. We have to ask if Neo Fiberglass rods are designed to emulate Graphite Rods and their action or the boo rods from the 50s. I can't answer that though it is important to know. One thing I know is that a lot of Classic Fiberglass rods are out there on eBay at reasonable prices. But they may not have the action you are looking for. So there are fiberglass rods and there are fiberglass rods. Try before you buy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob G Posted January 27, 2012 Report Share Posted January 27, 2012 All good points Mike. In around 1970 I earned enough money from my paper route that I was able to go and buy a Fenwick "Fenglass" rod. It was an 8 ft 5 wt and seemed to weigh half as much as my dad's old bamboo rod that I would borrow.....though much of the weight was undoubtedly from his Southbend automatic reel which could have easily served as another boat anchor on a windy day. Sure wish I still had that rod Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tjtroester Posted January 27, 2012 Report Share Posted January 27, 2012 for something different why not take a look at tom morgan. when he owned winston he had glass rods and is now making glass availble again. http://www.troutrods.com/fiberglass.html also: steffen rods http://www.graywolfrods.com/Steffen_Bros.html also carries tom morgan's blanks personally i like the lamiglass too i've been making bamboo rods for over 15 years and tend to lean away from the newer graphite stuff i do like alot of the glass rods. timothy troester Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colt Johnson Posted January 27, 2012 Report Share Posted January 27, 2012 This is a good thread we have going here. : ) Mike G: Excellent points. I am the exact opposite of you. I have almost no experience with the classic glass and (using your terminology) all of my experience is with neo glass. Although I think the main difference (if I had to speculate) is that some of the tapers may be a bit more refined to decrease the overall weight. And (I'm not sure when this was first introduced) today we have E glass and S glass, with S glass having the tendency to be a bit faster, crisper and lighter. But even S Glass would be considered SLOW compared to most slow action graphite rods. And that's where your point about the weight of the rod contributing to the loading of the rod comes in. Fishing glass is a wholly different feel than your average graphite rod. I have built/fished two Steffens, five Mcfarlands (with a 6wt. 8' blank on its way), two FH Paddocks, one TL Johnson, and the Kabuto I just built....all of which would/could be classified as neo glass. Of these, Steffen and McFarland are both from the United States and roll their own blanks. Steffen in AZ and McFarland in PA. Both are great guys to deal with, but both have a short to moderate waiting list. (4 to 12 weeks). Tjtroester: Tom Morgan's new glass rods are pretty nice looking....but ungodly expensive and EXTREMELY hard to get right now. There are guys on the fiberglass forum that have been waiting over a year to get the rod they paid close to a thousand dollars for. That's a long time to have your money tied up. I think his glass rods are close to $1400. Even his blanks are expensive at $300 a pop. Granted I'm sure the quality is untouchable, and Tom Morgan has quite the reputation. But that may be out of the price range for someone just getting into glass. Shane Gray at Graywolf rods is very nice to deal with. I have sold him a few blanks and vice versa. He would be a great person to buy a custom built rod from if someone would rather go that route. A friend of mine just started building custom glass rods out of Montana. Dusty Smith Rod Co. He has a small stock pile of the amber Lamiglass S-glass blanks in stock which he is custom building and offering at a reasonable price (about $325 built). And Mark Steffen may be the most skilled glass blank roller in the US. Either Mark or Mike McFarland. Both have mad skills. Mark's blanks are all S Glass and he has a ton of configurations to choose from. A 2pc. Steffen is still moderately priced at about $300 and would be one of the best glass rods available. He usually has a 6 to 10 week waiting period. There is a classified section on the fiberglass fly rod forum that has used rods all of the time. Whether someone wants to start with the classic rods (which is undoubtedly the cheaper way to go) or dive right into the "neo" glass is probably one of the first choices that a new buyer would need to make, as Mike G. pointed out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tjtroester Posted January 27, 2012 Report Share Posted January 27, 2012 here is a better steffen bros rod link http://www.steffenbrothersflyrods.com/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colt Johnson Posted January 27, 2012 Report Share Posted January 27, 2012 here is a better steffen bros rod link http://www.steffenbrothersflyrods.com/ I actually think tjtroester hit the nail on the head. If someone had the cash, the steffen bros. rods might be the best bang for your buck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob G Posted January 27, 2012 Report Share Posted January 27, 2012 Colt, so what is S glass vs E glass? I'm assuming that either could be made to any taper or speed by adjusting the thickness of the blank wall and diameter of the tube and of course how quickly it narrows down. Wow, the Stephenbros sure have a long list of lengths and weights to work with and two piece blanks only $135, haven't a clue about the quality but if you can't find what you want, doubt that it's made All this talk about glass rods has almost got me itching to build another one and I hate slow rods Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob G Posted January 27, 2012 Report Share Posted January 27, 2012 Colt, I should have just followed your earlier links to the fiberglass rod forum, found the info here. The E and the S refer to the glass fiber. The glass fibers are spun into thread and the thread is woven into cloth. The cloth is soaked in a partially cured glue (resin) to form pre-preg (fiberglass cloth pre-impregnated with resin). Various resins were used over the years, phenolic resins, then polyesters, and finally epoxys. The pre-preg cloth is cut into a specially shaped strip, wrapped around a tapered steel rod (mandrel), and baked to complete the glue cure. The result is a tubular fiberglass rod. E-glass stands for "Electrical" glass, because the material does not conduct electricity (your power company linemen use tools with E-glass handles). E-glass has been the standard fiberglass material for decades. S-glass stands for military spec glass, because it was initially designed for high performance military uses. Until the 70s S-glass was too expensive for fishing rods. Fenwick may have been the first to use it in their Lunker Stik bass rods. Graphite hit the market around the same time and pushed S-glass into obscurity for 20-30 years. S-glass is 25% stiffer (higher modulus) than E-glass, so all things being equal an S-glass rod would be slightly lighter. In reality, the big differences in rod design are the rod taper, the wall thickness, the design and weave of the glass fibers and cloth, and the resin used to impregnate the cloth. Excellent rods are made from both E-glass and S-glass. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colt Johnson Posted January 27, 2012 Report Share Posted January 27, 2012 S-glass is 25% stiffer (higher modulus) than E-glass, so all things being equal an S-glass rod would be slightly lighter. In reality, the big differences in rod design are the rod taper, the wall thickness, the design and weave of the glass fibers and cloth, and the resin used to impregnate the cloth. Excellent rods are made from both E-glass and S-glass. Exactly. I haven't looked this up but I think S glass tends to be around 12 to 13 million modulus and E glass tends to be closer to 9 or 10 million modulus. But you are exactly right that the rod taper and wall thickness can change the characteristics of either material. But as a generality, S glass rods tend to be lighter and a bit faster/quicker recovery than E glass. I can say that Mark Steffen and Mike McFarland both have extremely refined tapers. For example Mike McFarland has made some black S-glass rods that are much longer than most glass rods ever made (setting aside the super stiff glass surf rods and saltwater rods). Most of Mike's rods are all e-glass. But he has been playing around with S-glass. Mike has a 9'2" 5wt. and several configurations that he claims are comparable in weight to a similar graphite rod. Rob G: If you decide to build a glass rod, you should call Mark Steffen and tell him what you are looking for/what you are interested in. You will be blown away at both Mark's personability and his knowledge. He will help you select a blank.....and if none are listed that you are interested in....he will custom make one for your liking. Same goes for Mike McFarland. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dale M Posted January 28, 2012 Report Share Posted January 28, 2012 Hey guys. Im in need of a new spring creek rod, and was tossing out the idea of a fiberglass rod. I have never fished one, have only messed with Cabelas newer glass rod in the store. Just thought it might be a nice change of pace to use something that casts a little different than my standard fly rods. Anybody have any suggestions for a cheaper decent glass rod, besides the Cabelas CGR. I'm just trying to come up with a few to pick between, preferably a 3-4 wt. Thanks, Ryan I have a 7' Cabelas CGR 4/5 rod. I bought it last fall but didn't really try it out until a few weeks ago when I was on a Wisconsin spring pond (some open on Jan. 1st). I was casting a Cabelas premier WF-4-f line with it. I could cast about 50' or so without any problem but, what really impressed me was how gently I was able to put the line on the water. The rod worked very well for skittish brookies in crystal clear water on a sunny day. To me this rod seems more like a true 4 wt than a 5 wt. and I its' slower action works well for me. To me it casts just as well as $400.00 rod. On the downside of the rod is the handle. The reel seat seems to be too small and the rings don't fit comfortably around the food of the reel. I took out some fine sandpaper and sanded it down about a a sixteenth of an inch or so. This was where I found that the cork was what you would call good quality with a lot of filler. You will need a reel with a shorter foot, an Orvis Rocky Mountain 3/4 wt fits the rod very well while I had trouble (even after sanding) with a Scientific Anglers System 1 reel. I still think it's good rod and would still recommend it, you just need to be aware of those flaws. I can't wait to try it out in the Driftless this spring. I"ve gotten into using glass lately. Last year I purchased a Fenwick FF 756 rod and this is another nice rod. This is a classic glass rod that obviously is not made anymore. It casts a Cortland Sylk DT-6-F line nicely. I tried it out on a Driftless stream last summer and even though it was a 6 wt rod a 10" brown still put up a nice fight on it. So it may not be necessary to have 3/4 wt rod. These rods usually show up on ebay from time to time for about $75.00 or so. Those are the only 2 glass rods that I own so I hope you don't mind me putting in my 2 cents. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike G Posted January 31, 2012 Report Share Posted January 31, 2012 I want to take one more crack at the topic now that I have a better understanding of Neo Glass rods. Neo rods seem to combine features of Classic Glass rods and Graphite rods. They have the action of classic Glass though describing them as slow is somewhat prejudicial. “Slow” comes with negative baggage as in slow learner and slow track. In the days of Classic Glass, terms like progressive and parabolic were used, never slow. This meant that when loaded the blank bent from grip to tip forming a parabolic curve. Very au courant. On the down side Neo Glass Rods come with the price tags of high end graphite. This is probably justified by better materials and workmanship. In spite of that I do miss the Herter’s Browntone Fiberglass rod building kits that included everything you needed to build a fly rod for $10-12. Their blanks were not perfect by any means. After several years of use the blanks became softer due to checkering – partial breakdown of the lamination. This was not a problem because one could always build another rod for less than $15. But then Herter’s went out of business around 1978 After considering all the trade offs in materials, action, durability, and cost, I have determined that my ideal rod is an 8’9”, 8/9 wt Ugly Stick. Does anyone know where I can get one? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob G Posted January 31, 2012 Report Share Posted January 31, 2012 Mike, here ya go. Cut 1.5 inch from top and bottom and you're in Ugly Stick Heaven for only $60 shipped. Btw, I'll bet you need a 2 lb. reel to balance that beast out. http://www.fishusa.com/Shakespeare-Ugly-Stik-Big-Water-Fly-Rods_p.html?source=googleps Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike G Posted January 31, 2012 Report Share Posted January 31, 2012 Mike, here ya go. Cut 1.5 inch from top and bottom and you're in Ugly Stick Heaven for only $60 shipped. Btw, I'll bet you need a 2 lb. reel to balance that beast out. http://www.f,ishusa.com/Shakespeare-Ugly-Stik-Big-Water-Fly-Rods_p.html?source=googleps Thanks Rob, I just added that site to mu favorites. I have a Medalist 1500 series that will fill tie bill. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob G Posted February 1, 2012 Report Share Posted February 1, 2012 Thanks Rob, I just added that site to mu favorites. I have a Medalist 1500 series that will fill tie bill. Mike, I have ordered hooks and other tackle from that site several times and always received excellent service. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Sadowski Posted February 1, 2012 Report Share Posted February 1, 2012 Good discussion. Above my level of expertise. I do fish the Driftless with a glass rod though, the Scott F6'6", 2 WT. Perfect rod, if you're hitting the smaller creeks/feeders--this rod will serve you well. Just take it a bit slow. Bonus is that this rod (all glass rods really) is nigh unbreakable. I took a few major spills and the rod was no worse for it. They are selling the new F series so I am guessing you can nab a deal on the older ones. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nate D Posted February 1, 2012 Report Share Posted February 1, 2012 If you're looking for a nice glass rod, look into Hardy Fly Fishing Co. English company. I've thrown the glass rod and it would be fun for small creeks/ponds. It's a nice rod. Bullwhip comes to mind whenever I cast it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ronk Posted February 1, 2012 Report Share Posted February 1, 2012 Mike, here ya go. Cut 1.5 inch from top and bottom and you're in Ugly Stick Heaven for only $60 shipped. Btw, I'll bet you need a 2 lb. reel to balance that beast out. http://www.fishusa.com/Shakespeare-Ugly-Stik-Big-Water-Fly-Rods_p.html?source=googleps Also needed will be some push ups.Due to the rod's relative heaviness most bamboo afficianadoes rods top out at about 8'5wt.I think the same should apply to glass rods.They're ok in the shorter lengths/lighter weights.But I don't see any reason for heavier ones over light,lithe,powerfull grapite or boron.Just as there are classic glass rods there are classic action graphite rods for those who prefer a more parabolic feel w/o the weight penalty of 7wt+ glass rods. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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