jim bielecki Posted February 15, 2007 Report Share Posted February 15, 2007 Hi everyone... I have an old fiberglass St Croix flyrod. I'm not sure if it's worth anything. I'd like to use it for smallies if it's not. There's nothing wrong with it. I'm a novice to fly fishing by any standards so I'm not sure what all this means...on the rod it's printed: 900 8' Line C(L6F) GAG(DT8F) GAF WF8F Can I use this for smallies...none of the letters above start with "s" I can use the help of the experts on this one. Jim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Flyrodder Miller Posted February 15, 2007 Report Share Posted February 15, 2007 The rod is bit heavy for small smallies, but is fine for the bruisers. It can even be used for bluegills, but that would be a bit like using a Mauser 7mm on squirrels ( a bit much for the job). The rod is a shorter rod at 8' but should be fine. It's an 8 wt rod. You can ignore all of those other numbers and letters on the rod. They refer to line weights using both the old and new line designations. The old designations used to use letters to define the taper and line weight. That is why they have GAG being DT8F. They are the same thing. They are both a double taper 8 weight floating fly line. The GAf is a weight forward 8 weight floating fly line (WF8F). You can totally disregard the reference to a 6 weight line. That is a level line which is near impossible to find without really looking for one and rightfully so. The level lines are not a very good line for fly fishing when compared to the double taper and weight forward. I'd suggest a weight forward 8 weight floating line (WF8F) for your purposes. If you plan on coming to the Great Waters Fly Show this weekend, I can bring one of my lines for you to try on it if you bring the rod to the show. You need to let me know though so I can have the line there. I'll be there tying and maybe doing some casting instruction. Let me know either here on via e-mail. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamie shard Posted February 15, 2007 Report Share Posted February 15, 2007 --> QUOTE(jim b @ Feb 14 2007, 08:25 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> I have an old fiberglass St Croix flyrod. I'm not sure if it's worth anything. Those fiberglass rods are becoming kinda retro-chic these days. I haven't cast a fiberglass rod, but I hear that they cast very slow, almost bamboo-like slow. I also hear they're pretty tough and don't snap like graphite rods do when their hit by beadhead, lead dumbbells, etc. So before you throw it away, let me cast it once or twice -jamie s Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jim bielecki Posted February 16, 2007 Author Report Share Posted February 16, 2007 Thanks for the advice... A long time ago I have used this rod for steelhead on the root river in wisconsin and it's a pretty tough rod for that... Bluegill...like you said don't stand a chance. Draw backs that I remember for this rod; it's difficult to cast and it doesn't cast very far. Guess I should investigate on some new gear... I've got a real...pretty simple...any suggestions on rods? (preferably under $50 bucks ???) Jim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ken S Posted March 15, 2007 Report Share Posted March 15, 2007 Those fiberglass rods are becoming kinda retro-chic these days. I haven't cast a fiberglass rod, but I hear that they cast very slow, almost bamboo-like slow. I also hear they're pretty tough and don't snap like graphite rods do when their hit by beadhead, lead dumbbells, etc. So before you throw it away, let me cast it once or twice -jamie s I have an older 6wt fiberglass rod. I have become spoiled by my Sage XP which is quite a fast rod. I have often referred to the old fiberglass rod as my "wet noodle". It is quite a challenge to cast, but having learned fly casting on that old rod, I believe it has helped me more quickly adapt to the different rods I have cast since. I guess it is something like when I taught my wife to drive. At that time she was still my "bride-to-be". I taught her how to drive on a 1976 Mercury Marquee Brougham. I think it was the third largest car on the road at the time. She did very well while learning in general and even mastered parallel parking that monster. When our first child arrived, we traded that monster in for a Ford Escort. She laughed at how easy that was to park. She is quite comfortable parking just about anything now. I guess I don't recommend fiberglass for a beginner, but if that is what you have, I am proof that it can be done. The real key will be making sure you have a good quality matching line on the rod. Ken S. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Flyrodder Miller Posted March 19, 2007 Report Share Posted March 19, 2007 --> QUOTE(jim b @ Feb 15 2007, 07:55 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Draw backs that I remember for this rod; it's difficult to cast and it doesn't cast very far. You might want to try casting that rod again, but to get the distance that you want you will need to slow you stroke down. The rod needs time to load. Just cast it a lot slower than you would cast with a graphite rod. That means a slower stroke and a longer pause. You don't need to throw it any harder. Let the rod do the work for you. You will find that for the same amount of power that you apply, the rod will bend much more deeply than the graphite, which is what you want to see. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick D. Posted March 24, 2007 Report Share Posted March 24, 2007 Keep the fiberglass rod and put it to good use. I have several St. C and Fenwick that are the best! I have two favorite materials for fly rodding. Glass and cane. The glass is my favorite. Graphite is fine but it not that classic finesse feel the glass and cane offer. Get a quality WF8F or DT8F and start casting. I will bet a WF7F will also perform well with it. You soon master the loading, control and feel. You'll learn to love it. If you don"t I may be able to find a caster for it! Good luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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