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Don't you just hate it when you run into one of those people who knows
absolutely everything? A person who thinks they can lay stuff on that you will accept
as fact? You know, the self-proclaimed expert ... who is an instant authority on all
the important stuff?
Well, it happened again. We've been around the block a time or two - and
neither of us claim to be expert. There are some things we can do quite well. But,
fortunately for us, not being experts we can still questions so called "facts," and
maybe even learn a thing or three.
The lecture we got was on fly rods. Well, not exactly - it was on the finishing of
fly rods. If you've been around for a while, you probably know all this stuff. But bare
with me.
The really old fly rods were made from wood. We are talking here about merry
old England and Dame Juliana. Rods were just a branch, whittled and trimmed. The
fly lines were braided horse tails.
Some where along the line, bamboo fly rods were invented. They were, (and still
are) made from finely cut and matched sections of tapered Tonkin bamboo, glued
together. A coat, or several coats of varnish were applied to protect the glue, and to
cover the thread wrappings on the guides. I suppose the varnish did seal the
bamboo and keep it from absorbing water.
How much water would a bamboo rod absorb? Don't have a clue. Then again, I
don't personally know any fisherman who would leave any fly rod soaking in water.
Well, there is one guy who lost his fly rod in the lake while landing a big rainbow.
That was not intentional, and no, he didn't get the rod back.
My first fly rod was my grandfathers. It was steel and telescopic. Frankly I don't
remember if it had a coating of something on it. It didn't rust 'tho. Gramps was
rather fussy about putting things away and the rod was wiped off before it went in its
bag.
Fiberglass rods were the next biggie. All colors, shapes, and sizes. All that I
recall had a shiny finish on them. Don't know why, except they did look neat. The
very best of the fiberglass rods were made by a small company owned by California
rod genius Russ Peak.
Now we have space-age technology in fly rods. The wonder material graphite, is
the choice-de-jour. This is where the "expert" comes in. He swore graphite rods had
to have a total epoxy finish. Not just covering the guide-wraps, the whole rod. When
I could get a word in edgewise, I asked, "Why?" Ah ha! Because graphite absorbs
water, or if you hit the rod with your fly while casting, the epoxy finish protects the
graphite from damage.
Sounds logical. But in my mind, I kept seeing the great Loomis rods. Epoxy
only on the wraps, the rod itself is unfinished. Why would Gary Loomis allow that if
the rod would be vulnerable to damage?
A friend who had been a long-time friend of Russ Peak offered to call Russ for
me. (Remember, he's the man I mentioned who made just terrific fiberglass rods ...
well, he also made graphite rods.)
Results of the call? No, you don't need to finish graphite rods. My friend had not
asked "why not" so I got on the phone.
Part of the reason I thought graphite rods don't need a finish is that I have a
graphite tennis racquet. It takes a huge amount of stress. It does not have a finish. I
don't recall seeing a finish on graphite skis or golf clubs either. Again, big stress
and they also get wet.
More phone calls.
Here is the real scoop. Graphite rods do not need a finish. Yes, the guides are
wrapped and epoxy finished. The resins used in making graphite rod blanks can
absorb moisture.
But to have the rod absorb moisture you have to boil the rod, submerged, for 48
hours. Or even more bizarre, fish it for several hours at 175 degrees F. That might
be a problem since both you and the fish would be quite well done in short order.
And the part about protecting the rod from nicks? Bull Pucky! The epoxy finish
on your rod is just like the paint job on your car. If your car gets hit, does the paint
keep the metal from denting? Even worse, to make a car dent-proof by using paint
would require so heavy a coat that the car couldn't move. That's pretty visual. Same
thing with the finish on the rod. If you hit the rod with a fly, (which travels at about
the speed of sound) you will damage the rod. Period. The fix? Learn to cast.
That is the real answer. So there, Mr. Expert.
So why do rod manufacturers put a finish on graphite rods?
Cosmetics. So it looks nice, or different or even unique.
Some rods have really deep finishes in cool colors: green,
blues, earth tones. They look nifty. Add thread wraps in
contrasting colors and you almost have a piece of art.
Does it make the rod better? Probably not. Since the rod bends and flexes, the
epoxy can crack. And chip. Yucky! If the epoxy chips around the guides, you can
have water deteriorating the guides. Not good. By the way, Loomis and perhaps
other quality minded manufacturers coat the guides on the rods before the wraps go
on. Added insurance against problems.
Here's another point, no finish also means the rod weighs less. Easier to cast.
This is similar to how some rod makers lighten a rod by using single foot rather than
double footed guides. One company told me a particular rod dropped one full weight
when the change was made to single footed guides.
There are many rods in the fly-rod world. As in everything, the more you know,
the better choices you can make. ~ The LadyFisher
If you would like to comment on this or any other article please feel free to
post your views on the FAOL Bulletin Board!
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