Rod Blank Trivia Questions

Of course, if you are serious, these are not trivial questions. These are two of the things that revolutionalized fly rod building in the later half of the 20th Century.

First, what year was the first graphite fishing rod made? What company made it?

Second, though I know the answer to the first, I do not know the answer to this one. When was the first self ferruling blank made or "commercially produced" if you wish? Again, what company?

Big atta boys to the first to get both answers, though you will have to cite a source for the second one.

BTW what other revolutionary things do you think affected the construction of fly rods over the last 50 years.

I'll bite. The first graphite rod Orvis marketed was the Far and Fine, 1972. I still have mine.

I think Fenwick, Jimmy Green, was the creator of tip- over-butt ferrules made of the same materials the rod instead of metal ferrules.

As far as revolutionary things, Russ Peak's discovery that he could alter the action of rods by creating (adding) or removing sections of the fabric wrapped on the mandril, for example leaving 'ears' of fabric in a certain area to strength a section of the rod, is what led to real design of tapers.

I always thought [url=http://www.fenwickfishing.com/about_history.php:f010a]Fenwick[/url:f010a] had the dubious honor of the first graphite fishing rod, the infamous HMG in 1973.

[url=http://www.orvis.com/intro.asp?dir_id=758&subject=1124:f010a]Orvis[/url:f010a] claims on their website 1974 as being the year of the first Orvis graphite.

If it's just "fishing rod" not "fly rod", it's Fenwick in 1973.

For the ferrule, it's Jimmy Green.

now, talk about a bunch of different makers claiming to first with a material...

when it gets right down to who was really first, with a GRAPHITE rod, I would be interested in seeing the answer to this one!! Scott, Thomas&Thomas, Orvis, Fenwick, and a few others all claim to be first...I think that Orvis was the real first but I really don't know. Their 1974 Catalog talks about the all new technology and their website goes after the first title as well...

can't wait to see who the first is, was, or could have beens...

LD

"Although several manufacturers were field-testing equipment laminated from exotic fibers, Fenwick was the first to exhibit its experimental rods in 1973. Their debut came at the annual summer conclave of the Federation of Fly Fishermen, which gathered in Sun Valley"

"Orvis started its line of carbon-fiber rods shortly after Fenwick introduced its high-modulus designs."

"He (Jimmy Green) has continued to refine his Feralite ferrules, until their present design is an unusual combination of lightness and strengh. Most ferrule connections consist of a single rod shaft cut in two or three sections and joined togather, but the Fenwick patent involves two separate rod blanks. The tip section has a hollow butt reinforced with a firmly seated guide, and the butt section has a tip reinforced with a solid glass plug." (1969)


All quotes from
Trout Tackle - Two ... by Ernest Schwiebert

You guys ARE good! Attaboys all around.

The gospel according to Sweibert says it authoratively. I can confirm Fenwick's 1973 first in graphite rods from the old testament (AJ McClane's Fishing Encyclopedia, 1974 edition). We seem to agree on Green's invention of the self ferrule with a tentative date around 1969.

As for other revolutionary ideas, I think the single footed guide is a good candidate.

LF, I would have agreed with you about the first Orvis graphite being the FnF, that's certainly the first one I remember, but I was looking up something in "Trout Tackle," and happened to stop on the part where ES was talking about the early graphite rods. He says that the first Orvis was the 8' 6wt (which I've always suspected is the FnF with the other 3 inches on the butt, anyway). Schwiebert also says that there were several rods put out before the FnF entered the line up. He could be wrong on that, but I've always found him to be pretty reliable. BTW, I just got what is supposed to be the first of the new four piece FnF's to be delivered to a dealer (someone ordered it after the show and then backed out of the deal)--what a sweetheart of a rod! I asked my dealer to see if he can get me a letter from Orvis to verify the provenance. Maybe my (future) grandkids will care--fishing never took with my daughter.
-CC

I believe the Orvis Far & fine and the 8' 6-weight we both introduced at the same time.

Yes, Fenwick's Jim Green invented the Feralite Ferrule. But the patent application was submitted in March, 1962 with the first sales later in the year.

As early as 1968 Don Green at Grizzly and Monroe Lindler at Shakespeare were experimenting with graphite fibers. Lindler built a solid graphite spinning rod prototype in 1969/1970. Don Green and Jim Green at Fenwick collaborated to develop the prototype fly rods brought to the 1973 Federation of Fly Fishermen conclave (most of the prototypes broke at the conclave). Both Shakespeare and Fenwick first marketed graphite rods (including fly rods) at the 1973 American Fishing Tackle Manufacturers Association meeting. Both firms used the name "Graflite" for their product (Shakespeare filed for the trademark first).

So, first prototype rod - Shakespeare. First prototype fly rods - Fenwick. First to market - tie.


Tom

Reference: "Fenwick" by Vic Johnson