Ten years ago I began an annual tradition to fly fish with an old friend each October to catch schoolie striped bass. My friend enjoys a slower pace of life, has an easygoing personality, and fishing with him is a welcome change from the fast-paced world of modern fly fishing. We enjoy ourselves casting in the backwaters of Barnegat Bay, reminiscing of the “good ol’ days” 45 years ago when my buddy was a brand-new Fenwick FF107. The rod is a pleasure to cast, and if I listen carefully I can almost hear the Eagles harmonizing, “I get a peaceful, easy feeling….”
Last year a Garcia Conolon 2536 fiberglass fly rod joined the party. Built in 1970 and rated for a 6-weight line, it was my favorite rod for spring stripers in Croton Bay on the Hudson River, and for 2-pound summer bluefish around the Norwalk Islands. Forty-nine years later, it’s now catching Florida snook and sea trout and occasionally shaking hands with largemouth bass in local ponds. This little beauty rekindled my interest in fiberglass fly rods.
Joe Brooks casting an early 1950s-era fiberglass rod. Note the bend deep into the grip. Today’s glass rods still load deeply, but they have improved tapers for better casting and improved fish-fighting qualities.
The resurgent interest in glass fly rods has grown considerably in the last several years, chronicled and supported by online blogs like The Fiberglass Flyrodders (fiberglassflyrodders.com) and The Fiberglass Manifesto (thefiberglassmanifesto.blogspot.com). Fiberglass fly rods that were relegated to the junk closet are now valuable collectibles. Old-timers in this sport will no doubt recall Berkley’s Parametric series of fly rods and other delights from Browning, Fenwick, Garcia Conolon, Heddon, Orvis, Phillipson, Wright & McGill, Shakespeare, and South Bend.
Why the renewed enthusiasm in glass? Some of it is probably based on Baby Boomers with more time to fish and a keen desire to relive cherished memories. Just for grins they pull old friends out of retirement and after a few casts fall in love again. They appreciate the action, the way a glass rod bends and loads more fully, and the extra sensitivity during the cast. Fiberglass aficionados talk of the “feel” of the rod, its smoothness, and the way the casting motion is more relaxed and enjoyable. Tim Rajeff of Echo Fly Rods explains it this way: “Casting a modern fast-action graphite rod is like driving a very cool sports car, but you have to pay extreme attention or your casting will suffer. Fiberglass rods are like driving an old Chevy; a bit more comfortable and relaxing.”
Part of the enthusiasm comes from technological improvements, improved resin formulas and advanced weaving patterns of the glass fibers that give rod designers the materials to develop fly rods with superior casting and fish-fighting performance. Advances in fiberglass composition, coupled with refreshing new thinking on rod tapers, gives today’s rods superior actions compared with glass rods of 50 years ago.
The fiberglass fly rod story began in 1944 when Dr. Arthur Howald used an Owens-Corning fiber called Plaskon to build a new tip for his broken bamboo rod. His technique became known as the Howald Process and was marketed by Shakespeare to make hollow glass rods. In 1943, Dr. C.G. Havens developed a glass fiber called Conolon, and by 1946 it was used to make tubular fiberglass rods under the name NARMCO, which eventually became Garcia Conolon.
In 1952, the rod company Fenwick was born and by the 1960s had teamed with Phil Clock and Don Green to develop the unique Feralite design, a tip-over-butt fiberglass ferrule that is used in most every fly rod to this day. In addition, Fenwick pioneered fly rods known for their light weight, incredible strength, and delightful casting qualities.
One of the most significant of the 1960s-era fiberglass fly rod catches was Mark Sosin’s 53-pound, 6-ounce world-record yellowfin tuna caught on a Fenwick FF114 rod. It was the first rod with a fish-fighting fore grip. Photo courtesy of Gail Morchower of the International Game Fish Association Library.
Fiberglass rods punched the bamboo market in the eye, and within a decade bamboo slipped from favor except with diehard traditionalists. Glass fly rods were easy to mass produce, could be tapered to any action desired, weighed less than bamboo, and were inexpensive. The worm turned in the 1970s as graphite (aka carbon fiber) rods became the popular kid on the block. Graphite fly rods were lighter than fiberglass and had crisper actions. Although carbon fiber is still king of the hill, many fly anglers today are taking a new look at fiberglass.
Fiberglass was developed in the 1930s as an electrical insulation material, hence the name E-Glass. In later years, S-Glass was developed for military structural use, hence the name. It’s widely used for helicopter blades and military aircraft. Stronger than the original E-glass and a tad lighter, S-glass is about 15 percent stiffer.
Fiberglass fibers are woven into sheets and impregnated with resin, wrapped onto a tapered steel mandrel, wrapped in cellophane tape and then heat-cured. Early weaves had as many fibers running crosswise as ran lengthwise–perfect for surfboards, boats, and canoes, but gosh-awful heavy and slow in fly rods. Manufacturers now employ proprietary custom weaves and some place most glass fibers running longitudinally and fewer running around the blank. Called unidirectional S-2 glass, this material boasts exceptional strength, significantly lighter weight and superior faster recovery speeds.
The renewed interest in fiberglass has not gone unnoticed by premier rod manufacturers. Scott, Thomas & Thomas, and Winston have reintroduced favorite fiberglass glass freshwater rods, and there are many reasonably priced glass rods on the market such as the Cabela CGR, the Echo River Glass, the Eagle Claw Featherweight, the Fenwick Fenglass, and the Orvis Superfine.
Tim Rajeff, design guru and casting champion at Echo Fly Fishing, realized saltwater anglers wanted to share the fun, too.
Tim is pushing the fiberglass envelop to new limits with Echo’s 8-foot Bad Ass Glass (B.A.G.) Quickshot, a superb series of glass rods designed for making quick casts to tarpon, bonefish, snook and reds. The B.A.G. boasts plenty of power to throw big flies and box in the ring with gorilla-size striped bass, bluefish, and school tuna. There are five rods in the series rated for 6- to 10-weight lines. They’re great choices when casting from kayaks or in tight spots like canals, creeks, docks and around bridges, and for relaxed blind casting in salt marshes, coastal rivers and grass flats. The two “muscle” rods in the series, the 9- and 10-weights, are capable of some extreme offshore tuna heavy lifting, or for turning tarpon and for surf fly fishing.
Moonlit Fly Fishing recently introduced a classy, nicely priced new-age glass collection in their Lunar S-Glass series. In addition to its freshwater models, the Lunar-S Glass includes 6-, 7-, and 8-weight beauties that are excellent for back-bay, mangrove, and flats fishing. They have that special old-glass feel, but with a bit faster action, quick tip recovery, and a smooth progressive taper.
For some fly fishers, carbon’s stiffness and fast recovery hides the “feel” of the rod during the casting motions. Old glass rods like traditional Fenwicks and state-of-the-art Echo Quickshots load all the way down to the grip. It’s this flex that is so enjoyable to experience along with reduced angler fatigue. My longtime friend Armand Courchaine of the Rhody Flyrodders commented: “Fly casters experience less physical problems with glass. In over 65 years of fly fishing, I’ve seen a lot, and people who fished with glass in the old days had fewer problems with back, shoulder, and elbow pains.”
Fishing an old-time fiberglass fly rod is a delightful way to have some fun with schoolie stripers in a coastal salt marsh.
Don Avondolio of the Saltwater Fly Anglers of Delaware fondly remembers another advantage of fiberglass fly rods. “Although heavier than graphite, my fiberglass Shakespeare Wonderod cast well and fought fish with less stress on the angler.” In this age of carbon rods it’s easy to forget that you’re supposed to feel the line tugging at the end of the back cast, and that the rod is supposed to do the casting and fish-fighting–not the angler.
Some fiberglass fans are hot-rodding their old glass sticks. Rick Ferrin of Long Island found a new appreciation for fiberglass after a trout fishing trip, and he decided to rebuild a glass rod for stripers and weakfish. “I stripped an old Fenwick FF909 down to the blank, applied a clear epoxy finish, replaced the old reel seat with an REC Components up-locking reel seat, added a 2-inch butt extension and a set of Recoil titanium stripping and snake guides. It looks great and casts like a dream.”
Many fly anglers who like graphite for its light weight are surprised to discover that the weight difference as compared with fiberglass is not so significant. Echo’s four-piece B.A.G. rods tip the scales at mere fractions of an ounce more than their graphite counterparts, and the 8-foot length contributes to the overall lightweight feel.
Another major advantage of fiberglass’ softer action is its ability to protect tippets from breaking. When I first got back into glass fly rods in the salt, it was primarily while kayak fishing or wading shallow flats. I quickly noticed that the softer action and extra flex of the fiberglass kept many a snook from popping off as they zipped toward dock pilings. It’s times like these when a glass rod’s combo of power and resiliency really shines.
As the 1960s unfolded, fiberglass proved it could beat big fish. Some early catches of note included Joe Brooks’ 148-1/2-pound tarpon in 1961 on a Spinmaster glass rod. The following year, Garcia Fishing Corporation’s Dick Wolff beat a 127-pound tarpon on an inexpensive Conolon glass rod while filming Flyrodding Big Tarpon with Lee Wulff. Stu Apte guided both men. Another unique offshore catch was Lee Wulff’s 148-pound striped marlin caught off Ecuador in 1967 on a 12-pound tippet (which stood as the IGFA tippet-class record until 2004).
Fiberglass fly rods like these ageless beauties from Fenwick and Garcia Conolon have become fashionable again, and new glass rods like Echo’s Bad Ass Glass (B.A.G.) Quickshot series use modern technology to achieve more strength, more line speed, and more distance with less weight.
In July of 1969, while fishing off Bermuda, noted outdoor journalist Mark Sosin boated the first Allison (yellowfin) tuna ever caught on a fly. He fished a Fenwick FF114, a potent fiberglass rod rated for an 11-weight line, to beat the 53-pound, 6-ounce fish after a 40-minute fight. Sosin’s expert rod-handling and fish-fighting skills helped prove that glass rods could withstand the enormous stress of deep-diving tuna while the rod’s relaxed action cushioned the fragile 12-pound tippet.
Today’s fly casters place enormous value on distance casting, and may wonder how a rod that feels so soft can deliver a fly a reasonable distance; however, in 1951, Joan Salvato (later Wulff) achieved an amazing 161-foot cast in a tournament. Ten years later, casting champion Johnny Diekman threw an astonishing 193-foot cast with a fiberglass fly rod. Imagine what they could have achieved with today’s advanced glass technology.
Fiberglass was still in its prime in the 1970s, when Ed Graser caught this 80-pound tarpon near Islamorada on a Fenwick FF9012.
It’s important to keep in mind that the desire for distance needs to be counterbalanced with the realities of everyday fishing. For most flats fishing and coastal saltmarsh fishing, a cast of 50 to 80 feet is just fine, and in some really tight places a 40-foot presentation is perfect. This is where fiberglass fly rods excel–perhaps better than carbon rods.
But the question isn’t really which rod – glass or carbon – is better. Just as a skilled golfer has many clubs in his bag and a mechanic many wrenches, a fly angler can play a better game with a variety of rods for specific purposes. Adding a fiberglass fly rod to your bag of tricks can be an essential game-changer for better fishing and a lot more fun.
Catch ‘em up!
Tim Rajeff designed the Echo B.A.G. Quickshot to throw big flies to big fish, and the 8-foot rod lengths are perfect for stalking grass flats, mangrove back bays, and coastal rivers and creeks.
By Pete Barrett
Bio: Pete Barrett has been fly fishing in salt water since the 1960s. He was a charter boat skipper for 30 years, and he was on The Fisherman magazine’s editorial staff from 1973 until his retirement. Pete has published over 1100 magazine articles and is the author of five popular books on angling. Pete is a Florida representative for the International Game Fish Association, and he’s currently an active member of the Atlantic Salt Water Flyrodders and the West Palm Beach Fishing Club. Pete lives in Jupiter, Florida.
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