I have no idea why I have become so enamored of fiberglass fly rods, because I absolutely loathe (with a few exceptions) most fiberglass casting rods, and haven't actually bass fished with one since my pre-adolescent, late-seventies, early-eighties Lew's Speed Stick and Fenwick Lunkerstik days.
But bass casting is not fly casting, and the fiberglass rods (and slower-action graphite) just seem to suit my flailing, untutored stroke. And I must admit there is an aesthetic component as well: holy smokes some of those custom and semi-custom glass rods are beautiful things to behold. For months I've been lurking on websites like The Fiberglass Manifesto and the various Facebook fiberglass fly rod groups, staring at those lovely, translucent creations, and dreaming...
This, however, is not one of those...
It is in fact, butt-ugly, some nameless and unknown fiberglass rod that my son - ever the hawk-eyed picker - paid (IIRC) a dollar for at a garage sale while visiting his grandparents last year. All identifying markings have long-since worn away, so I was hoping someone could maybe ID it from general appearance. It's an eight-foot, two-piece, maybe a 6 or 7wt, and it's rough, really rough. All the eyes are loose and/or bent, the finish is peeling, and the EVA foam handle had sort of melted all over the end of the rod, so I took it off. I'm assuming it's an inexpensive, department-store rod, so I was considering using it as practice blank for a crude first attempt at building a fly rod.
Anyone have any idea what, exactly, it is?
I, too, am enamored with fiberglass. I don'tt have any spendy glass rods, but I have an older Fenwick 6wt and a sweet little 5.5 foot Wright & McGill Eagle Claw 5 wt which is totally boss. if the above rod came with a foam grip I wouldn't spend too much time trying to figure out what it is. Probably a Fleet Farm or Montgomery Ward special. I would highly recommend you rebuild it though. Might have a sweet action and become your favorite rod. Do it.
ReplyDeleteScott Hanson
chaotickidsclutter.blogspot.com
I have an old Fenwick HMG graphite that I guess is pretty slow for graphite, and I love it. Actually the one fiberglass casting rod I like is Fenwick Lunkerstik I'm hoping to rehandle and rewrap someday...
DeleteWhat it's not: A Garcia Conlon or Wright-McGill or other nice workmanlike rods. It looks sorta like an old Garcia that I had.
ReplyDeleteWhat it might be: If you count the guides and there's a lot, it's probably a home wrapped rod, or a pretty good to good store bought rod. If there's not very many, like 4 plus the stripping guide, or just a stripping guide on the butt piece, it's again, probably a low to middlin' workingmans rod.
What it is: It's a great project. Wrap it with enough guides and it'll cast just fine. I've done that with the 7 1/2 foot for number 7 rod I got as a 9 year old 45 years ago, and I still fish it. Put a decent grip and reel seat on it, and you're golden.
By the way, the wrapping thread sits really well in a short whiskey glass while you're wrapping...an empty one of course.
I enjoy your blog.
Thanks for the tips, man. Yeah, I think it's just a beater, or as I like to call it, a proletariat rod.
Delete....google Fiberglass Flyrodders and join the group...post pictures and await a response. T. Condon
ReplyDeleteHi Tom, yep, gonna do that. I lurk on the Fiberglass fly rodders page on FB...
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