Peter Emmel looks back at his love affair with fiberglass trout rods and why they are a great option to add to your rod line up.
So you have been fly fishing for quite a long time and you feel like there is a little something missing. You know, that feeling like you have been there and done that in your fly fishing journey. You are past the stage where it’s all about catching as many fish as you can. At this point in your fly fishing journey doesn’t it feel good to just take a break, find a rock or log to sit on, under a willow tree and just enjoy everything? Sitting there with the afternoon breeze in your face, listening as the water gently caresses the rocks in a small riffle. Watching as a lazy afternoon Mayfly hatch comes off. Maybe you are sight casting a #16 Parachute Adams to that big Brown lazing under the overhanging branches in that secret back eddy only you know about. Can it get any better than that? You bet it can. You have reached that special place in your journey where a quality fiberglass fly rod can fill a gap in your fly fishing adventure. I am not saying fiberglass rods are the be all and end all when it comes to fly fishing, but they will fill the gap between graphite and bamboo. And fill it extremely well. Not everyone can afford a £1,000 plus for a bamboo or graphite rod. Enter fiberglass. Why fiberglass? Well in the rest of this article I will try and explain fiberglass as I see it.
I started my fishing journey in the late '60s with a hand me down old Fenwick fiberglass spinning rod. Being fiberglass of the late '50s to '60s it had as much feel as an engine hoist. Well, youngsters that’s pretty close to how the first generation fiberglass fly rods felt. Basically they were to get the fly on the water without the expense or maintenance of bamboo. I mean shoot, this was a new technology!! Fiberglass stood the test of time until BAM graphite came busting onto the scene. Graphite was lighter, faster and they could just do more with it. Then much like bamboo with the advent of fiberglass, when graphite came out, fiberglass fell out of favor. It was the ugly duckling of the fly fishing world.
Fast forward to the present day. Graphite has reigned supreme for many years. But, in reigning for years it has, in my personal opinion, been taken to the extreme. They have become so light, and fragile that if it takes a smack with a bead head fly it’s a good bet that eventually it will fail at what I’ll can the bruise. Yes, they can cut through the wind and lay out casts longer than you probably ever really need. But, in going so high tech they have lost their soul. Oh no! He’s gone 1960’s hippie on us. Nope, no flowers in this old boy’s hair. When I say soul, I am referring to the feel you get with fiberglass and bamboo. When you listen to what the rod is telling you, you can feel every little nuance. It will tell you when you when it has reached full extension on your back cast. But beware, fiberglass will not listen or conform to you. You must give into the rod. It will tell you how it wants to be cast. Rush it and it’s all over, you will end up with a jumbled mess of a cast. Listen to the rod and you will be rewarded with a cast of a lifetime.
So why is the “New Technology” fiberglass so much different than first generation fiberglass? Why should I make fiberglass part of my inventory? Because new fiberglass ain’t your Grand Daddy’s glass. I won’t bore you will all the technical jargon about S-glass or E-glass superiority and all that. Let’s just say it's lighter, stronger and sooooo much more sensitive than the first generation fiberglass. Next to bamboo I would be willing to bet that fiberglass rods are the tough guys on the block.
Aside from the attributes mentioned above, fiberglass rods are budget friendly. Compared to bamboo and your high-dollar graphite, you can pick up a top shelf fiberglass rod for few hundred dollars less. Sorry, I speak in Yankee dollars.
Now, with the fiberglass renaissance you aren’t really going to find an abundance of factory rods in your fly shop’s rod rack. Yet! Although late breaking news is that Orvis and Reddington are apparently bringing out their fiberglass line. My opinion on getting a great fiberglass rod: Find a custom rod builder and let them build you a one off custom. Trust me, a custom fiberglass rod will: 1) Be cheaper than your high end graphite, 2) It will fill the gap in your rod quiver and 3) Give you a rod designed to fit your personality. Give fiberglass, custom or factory, a go and I truly believe you will be more than pleasantly surprised.
Visit Peter's website for more info on fiberglass rods.