Why Glass

[Fredrick]

So why glass ? Is glass replacing bambo ? I noticed allot people on here talking about fishing glass rods . With the quality of graphite rods these days why buy a glass rod ? As far as I can tell they don't cost less plus they are almost twice the wieght of a graphite rod . And then there is the performance issue glass just doesn't perform as well as a graphite rod . Is fly fishing so easy for some that You need to make it harder.

Discuss ....

 

[Swattie87]

It's "hip".

Glass is way cooler than graphite. At least for now. All the chicks are with guys slingin' glass right now.

If you're fishing graphite these days you might as well be wearing bootfoots and fishing a disc drag.

 

[jifigz]

I don't think that you can say that glass doesn't perform as well as graphite. I own about 11 fly rods and two are glass. One is a 7/8 CGR and the other is the 4/5 Eagle Claw Feather light. I love both rods. The CGR is so fun to fish for smallies and walleye. I just think fiberglass is more fun to fish and more fun to catch fish on. I love it. Graphite is nice too, though. Fiberglass is a fad.

 

[redietz]

Although I fish mostly cane nowadays, yesterday I fished the glass Orvis Superfine that I keep in the trunk of my car in case I forget to bring a rod. It was perfect for the conditions: small, tree line spring creek. It loads with only a foot or two of line out and can still turn over a 14' leader. And the rod is lighter than any similar length (7' 6") graphite rod I've ever used.

My first fish on a fly was on a glass rod in 1963. My first trout on a glass fly rod in 1964, albeit on garden hackle. My first trout on a fly was in a glass rod. I caught something like 5,000 fish on glass before I foolishly bought into the graphite craze.

Graphite will usually get the job done, but I've cast very few that I can actually say I enjoy casting. It's very unlikely that I will ever again use a graphite rod unless I want to use a rod longer than nine feet or in a weight class over 6.

All the common materials (glass, cane and carbon) have their place. Glass has always had its place in my arsenal and always will.

 

[BrookieChaser]

I started fly fishing using glass rods. It was all I knew. I got a Sage graphite rod and my casting, and, as a result, my fishing, improved. The faster rods fit my casting stroke better than glass.

If I have to reminisce with a slower action rod, I prefer my Graphite II LL.

 

[CastingAcross]

There is a time for everything. I don't think glass itself is a fad. I think there is a surge of attention due to the renewed interest.

Which, I think we can all agree, is the pendulum swinging the other way from the super fast action graphite rods that were the "fad" a few years back.

There are anglers that go crazy over gear, causes, etc. and the market wisely capitalizes. No reason to dismiss it entirely, though.

Different (casting) strokes for different folks.

 

[Dave_W]

Not a gear guy here...but I'm old enough to have begun fishing when glass rods were still prevalent (and much cheaper than graphite).

I think graphite rods became so fast and so long that many small stream anglers were truly surprised when they tried glass rods that these slower, softer, and shorter fly rods actually worked very well for the sort of fishing they did. So there is some practical reason that glass FF rods are popular now: it's a bit of a backlash against the ever longer, ever faster, evolution of graphite (which was an evolution partly driven by the explosion in popularity of saltwater and big western river FFing in the 1990s). Longer and faster isn't always the best for our small trout streams here in the East.

Is it also a fad? Perhaps so.
I think of it as a bit like the 1980s fad in bowhunting to go back to recurve and longbows and instinctive shooting - it was a bit of a backlash against the ever newer and ever more high tech archery gear. Some folks want to go back to simpler gear and recover the charm and challenge of hunting and fishing as it was when they were younger and there was less emphasis on ever newer and (supposedly) better new stuff.

Slow and short fly rods fish very well in addition to having a nice retro feel to them.

 

[hendeylathe]

If you fish with a glass rod I'll bet you hear the Jeopardy Theme Song playin' in your head while you cast.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vWuQVpBeqLs

 

[PatrickC]

I do a lot of casting instruction with glass. Glass is slow. It forces you to respond to it. If you don't adjust to what glass wants, it will not unload much line. So, from an instructor's standpoint, I like that glass forces students to slow down and learn to respond to the feedback from the rod. There are exceptional values to be found for both single and two handed glass rods.

Now, I don't fish glass all of the time, because when I fish....I like to cast big heavy streamers. But when I'm casting small (light weight) stuff, I love the delicate and accurate presentation of glass.

And yes, I can get a quality glass rod far cheaper than a quality bamboo rod. I like the way bamboo casts in similar situations, but cannot fathom when I will be able to actually incorporate one into my fishing.

 

[salvelinus]

A lot of good points. They are great for fishing blue lines and, when fishing them, a lot sturdier than carbon or cane for busting brush.

 

[bikerfish]

Glass rods simply fit my casting style better than graphite. I don't give a crap about fads or whatever, I like to use the tools that allow me to fish the way I wanna fish. Are graphite rods "better"? for some, yes, for others, no. I simply don't like casting them. I use them on occasion, I own 5 or 6 of them, but my glass rods get 99 percent of the use.
It's all in how you cast and how you like to fish.

 

[JeffK]

I like the options. My old Fenwick 756 (7.5' 6 wt) was a light rod of my youth and I neglected it for many years. But after hearing chatter about it at the fly show, it was resurrected and is a pleasant rod to fish on smaller streams. On the other side, I love my 10' 3 wt. No way glass will make a functional; 10' rod.

I fish for relaxation, and slower rods are more relaxing to me. That doesn't mean I don't have a fast 9 1/2 ft 5 wt Z-Axis for bigger rivers.

 

[pabrookie94]

I simply bought my glass rod because I wanted to dip into something I hadn't tried before. I love it now and for small stream fishing or delicate presentations I wouldn't say it's outgunned by any graphite rod IMO

 

[hooker-of-men]

A number of guys I know, myself included, have glass rods simply because of their prevalence in the past. They had to go somewhere, so they got passed down. If I'm given a decent rod, you can bet I'm going to fish it.

But I also don't see the gear I use everyday as some kinda claim staked to what's cool in fly fishing; that's what the stupid internet is for, I guess.

 

[shakey]

i like glass and cane for the same reasons.

i feel the rod load better,i feel the fish fighting better and i break less tippet.

i doubt they'll ever make a graphite or boron rod that punches like a phillipson

 

[PALongbow]

Play a fish on glass rod and you will no why people fish glass. Glass delivers a nice bend in the rod and you will actually feel the fish fight. Also as others have stated its a slower action. Glass also provides a more delicate delivery especially if you match it with the right line. Nothing better than a glass rod and a Cortland Peach 444 DT line.

Ron

 

[afishinado]

There is no wrong or right, just right for you. Cast and fish any rod that works best for your casting and fishing.

The one thing that bothers me is the characterization that all the new rods are too fast or too long or too light or too whatever.

Each rod manufacturer offered one or two lines of rods to choose from ten or twenty+ years ago. Check out the offerings of the American-made rod manufacturers (Sage, Winston, Scott, Orvis) now and you will find they make all kinds of rods with all kinds of materials and offer all types of actions and rod lengths for all kind of fishing. In fact, there may be too many choices right now....lol.

If you spend the time to research and cast a few, I'm sure you can find a rod that works well for your type or fishing.

 

[PocketWater]

I got a 2wt Cabelas CGR when they were half off for small stream fishing and it is a lot of fun as even a 6" brookie puts a little wiggle in the rod and it is really nice to cast. I overlined it with 3wt line and it casts really well. I took that thing on a trip with some friends as we were fishing small streams, but they wanted to stop at Laurel Hill in the Keystone Select water. I actually landed a 17" stocker brown on the thing. I was nervous the rod would snap but it held up.

 

[PALongbow]

Play a fish on glass rod and you will know why people fish glass. Glass delivers a nice bend in the rod and you will actually feel the fish fight. Also as others have stated its a slower action. Glass also provides a more delicate delivery especially if you match it with the right line. Nothing better than a glass rod and a Cortland Peach 444 DT line.

Ron

 

[pcray1231]

I know this is all personal and have no issues admitting that. To each their own.

But for me, weight never seemed to be an issue. Glass, cane, etc. Too heavy has never been an issue, provided you find a reel which will properly balance it. Not that I'm against light rods, or specifically look for heavy rods. Weight just simply isn't very high on the priority list for me. Light, heavy, they all can be good. Or bad.

I've never quite pinpointed exactly what it is I like or dislike about actions. Most of the ones I've liked are described as fast or medium fast actions and "progressive taper", whatever that means, as I think virtually all rods are technically progressively tapered! That's not to say I like ALL fast and medium fast actions, though, or that I couldn't find a slow action I do like.

I tend to overpower my casts. I don't do delicate. All of my casts start with the overpowered bit and if I need drag control it's all in the finish of the cast. Curve casts, pile casts, shocking it in mid air, etc. But, especially in small water situations, I do like to get that power with as little going on behind me as possible. Water hauls, roll casts, snap casts, even bow and arrow. With nymphs I wanna be able to flip. Even with dry flies in big water, I don't wanna have to reach way back and hook those trees behind me. The overpowering bit is on the forward power stroke, and I want it to be there, with lots of power, and as little loading as possible.

"Power" would be my description for what I look for in a rod and it doesn't seem to correlate perfectly with any "speed of action". I can't say I've ever really found that power in any glass rod, but, that's not to say that a maker couldn't do it. In boo, most tapers don't have it either. I think just because they choose not to, as most boo enthusiasts aren't looking for that. But I have come across some bamboo rods which do have power, and I own one of them, and use it a lot. A lot of graphite sticks have pretty good power, but even there, a lot don't too. Seems to be a trend that people want these super soft noodles, and thus makers want to make them. I'm not part of that trend.

"Feeling" the fight has never been a goal of mine either. If I'm catching small fish, I'm not doing it for the fight. If I'm catching big fish, I want some backbone, though I do see the usefulness of a little tippet protection on the tip end for catching big fish. Usually takes a backseat for me, unless it's a steelhead rod or something where truly big fish are going to be the norm.

In graphite, my workhorse is a G Loomis GL3 9' 5 wt 2 pc. I consider this to be a fairly powerful rod, for comparison.