Is anyone falling for fiberglass as bad as me? I find myself totally enamored with the slow stroke, comfortable cast and the beauty of some of today’s glass fish sticks. Not to mention that many of them are affordable. I guess its the “Retro” in me. You can build one of these rods for well under $100, get yourself some Red Ball hip waders, a tweed vest and fedora, and then hearken back to the days before computers, cell phones and graphite. Back to 1953 when Eisenhower was president and only one parent had to work to survive. I realize that after a day’s fishing like this, you’ll still have to come back to the reality of today, but at least for a little while you can pretend that your worries aren’t as big as today’s.
I agree, I have a love for glass as well. Won’t see me in tweed anytime soon. But Aside from that I’m with you.
Ralph
I just bought a 3 weight Echo Fiberglass rod. I wanted to get a short rod that would be be good for small, tight streams and would be fun for bluegill fishing in non-windy conditions. Glass seems to make sense for short rods in my opinion.
I could care less about the “retro” appeal of fiberglass rods. I have test cast heavier weight (5 to 7 weight) glass rods, and they seemed awfully heavy to me and the glass rods that I cast did not come close to performing as well as my graphite rods in similar weights, especially in the wind. I am sure that I will like fishing with my new glass rod, but I will not stop fishing with my graphite rods any time soon.
Nope, rarely use them, except as a novelty. Far too limited in their utility. Much prefer the all around performance of graphite. And “yes”, I do realize this might not be a popular opinion in certain quarters. Do not have much use for bamboo either, but that is another thread…
If you want to really go back in time, you could get bamboo. But, bamboo is heavy.
Do you really want to go back before air conditioning and all the other modern conviencences we have these days?
I started with a fiberglass rod and once I got a graphite rod the only thing I have done with it is to jig for crappie.
I never developed the rhythm to use a fiberglass rod well. I have a Fenwick FF605 here that belongs to a ff friend and after stringing it up and playing with it at my pond for a bit I discovered I still don’t have it. He asked me to check the rod because, like me, he never felt comfortable with it. I told him the rod was fine, it was just us.
He said he was going to list it on EBay and I suggested here also.
I bought an Orvis Super Fine fiberglass 7’6" 4-weight about a month ago, and love it. It’s perfectly suited to the stream I’ve been using it on.
I started out on fiberglass in 1963 and continued to fish it exclusively into the 1980’s (less exclusively since). The new rod just seems right in way that graphite never has, at least not on small to medium size streams.
Although my main preference is cane, I’m really glad to see glass making a come back.
What line were you using? i like my FF605 with a 4DT. quickens it up a little bit. fished mine at a state trout park about 3 weeks ago and had a blast. was throwing a size 6 rubber-legged stimulator with a zebra midge dropper. handled that big dry well. try that 605 with a few different lines before you ditch it. you may be surprised.
I tried a WF5F which I took off my Orvis and while I did not do badly with it, I just have to put too much thinking into each cast to be effective with it.
I also tried a WF3F and the rod would not load well at all. Again I think it is my difficulty in getting the timing of the rod correct to use it without a lot of concentration.
The rod belongs to a friend who drug it out of his FF closet and had the same difficulty I did. I suggested he spend some time with it and he declined saying he had a good short stream rod and seeing we have ONE trout stream nearby (if you call an hour drive nearby) he will put what time we get on the stream with the graphite rod he has (as I do - I have a 6’ 4wt Cortland which was purchased at the Cortland facility in the late 70s I believe).
Joe, what blank did you make up? I think the newer glass is different from the old Fenwicks and would be interested in trying it.
I find that on smaller waters, like the majority of trout streams streams in the Northeast, glass can really excel. I just see very little need for a hyper-fast rod. I would also say that out west, where larger waters and more winds are the norm, they lack in effectiveness. It’s a matter of using the right tool for the job.
If you search hard enough, there are blanks out there for under $30 that are getting some fairly good reviews…
As for me, the glass rod I built is one of my favorites!!!
If you talk about original fiberglass, I love my old (late 1940 s) Shakespeare Howald white glass with red glass wraps,
I’m holding out for their becoming real antiques.
Older fiberglass, Fenwick, Conolon, etc are very nice to cast. Just my opinion, the newer glass rods can approach the performance of graphite. As far as being suited to only smaller waters, I believe that flyfishers that fished big waters out west in the thirties, forties and fifties with their bamboo and glass rods did Ok. Of course, I suppose if they had graphite back then, it would have been their preferred rod. I think that the popularity of rods such as the Redington CT’s and Orvis Super fines, are because of the smoother feel that people discover as a nice departure from the fast tip rods that are so popular in graphite. They would find that, that smooth feel has always been around in glass and bamboo rods. For myself, the feedback that I get from bamboo and glass have improved my casting with graphite. Lotech, I hope you find some the heavier weight Fenwicks that are out there and try them for saltwater and also your steelhead.
Look on youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&v=ctmC2hV5Y9M&NR=1 for an interview with Russell Chatham, he will make you a believer in Fenwicks.
Bunch of junk. I don’t know why people use em, Joe… 
Way back when, I started with an old rump sprung Wright & McGill bamboo and left shortly after to do my military service and I just gave the rod away (think I paid five bucks for it). When I returned from the service I bought a brand spanking new 8’ True Temper fiberglass rod, and this rod is what I cut my eye teeth on learning how to really use a fly rod. Still have the rod and I get him out ever now and again. The rod would be equivalent to today’s 6wt action. Love the rod and I guess you’d say the action is SLOW, but I can still roll a dry fly out picture perfect with it. This was the late 50’s, and a little later on, an old timer I had fished with was giving up the art because of leg problems, and so I bought one of his fiberglass rods, another 8’ True Temper (called an “Aristocrat”) but much heavier and I’d guess it to be around a 7/8wt - used it for steelhead, using streamers. I was to move later on into graphite and this has been my present main stay. Not too far back my Dad passed away and I got his 8’ fiberglass Shakespeare “Wonder Rod” - think he bought that back in the early 50’s - and it still fishes good!
I still use the Lamiglass 4wt that my father built for me in 1972.
I had a blue Conolon beforehand but the Lamiglass was at a whole different level from what I was used to.
When graphite came along, I had no urge to switch, at least for my trout fishing.
At this point, I have a small collection of vintage glass rods from Phillipson, Fenwick, W&M, Garcia, Cortland (St Croix), Bean’s (H-I), Orvis, Heddon, Berkley… and Lamiglass
I’ll use a graphite rod if conditions call for it, but I like my glass rods most of the time.
For me, even more so than the casting stroke…setting the hook with glass has a feel unlike any graphite rod made. I prefer it.
I started with a bamboo rod, then made my own fiberglass rod back in the dark ages, then along came graphite and I easily transitioned to that and stuck with it but for one Steve Pennington bamboo fly rod. I personally prefer graphite over fiberglass. And, that is what is great about our society, we can choose what we want. 
Larry —sagefisher—
This was posted about 4 years ago. I have one of those cheap rods and I really like it for small trout streams.
TColor isn’t my favorite. Chartreuse. But…nice fiberglass blank. I think 7’-8" THREE PIECE 5 wt. Don’t quote me as going by memory but under $7 each. I think it was $6.66 apiece. I happen to prefer three piece anyway…and three piece blanks getting harder to come by.
Anywhooo…these might make excellent rods…and if not…certainly economical enough to learn how to mount reel seats, grips, winding checks, guides, tip tops. Heck, try to buy two arrows for less than that!
Just fyi for anyone wanting to give it a go and not spend a bunch of dollars to get to play with rod building.
oh…ebay…search for fiberglass rodsim