Retro

Well, I am interested in knowing whether anybody is using fiber glass fly rods anymore and what rods they are using? For the first time in 25 years, I used a fiber glass fly rod and boy, did I have a ball. 

Ken and I fished Hot Creek Ranch in early May and for much of the five days we fished it was pretty darn windy. But, Friday morning I figured it was just about perfect for me to give it a shot. It was still windy, but manageable. I was using a new Hardy 7 1/2' 4wt that I was dying to try and it was better then I remembered from the old days. I was having such a good time dry fly fishing and catching browns and 'bows to about 18" that morning. The rod seemed practically bent in two and I was putting major pressure on the rod with great results. Hot Creek is a terrific place to fish short glass rods. Lots of open spaces with not much worry about obstructions.

I started out fishing glass back in the "Stone Age" and glass rods weren't that great until Fenwick came along. Better than that were the old Scott Power-ply glass rods and the Winston glass rods. With the introduction of graphite to cut the weight down and the rise of prices in production, glass just faded into the sunset.

But fiber glass may be poised for a comeback. So with that in mind, why don't you bring out from moth balls some of those old glass rods and give them a shot again. You may be pleasantly surprised.  Just a thought!