The Case for Fiberglass Fly Rods
- Jason G. Freund
- May 4
- 6 min read
Those just a bit older than I am will recall the days when most fly rods were made of fiberglass and graphite was the new "miracle" material. Those even a bit older yet remember when fiberglass replaced bamboo and "glass" was the new "miracle" material. Graphite has a number of advantages over bamboo and fiberglass. Most notably, graphite is "faster" and more sensitive because carbon fibers (graphite) are lighter and stiffer than are glass or bamboo fibers. This allowed rod makers to build longer, lighter, more sensitive, and faster rods. However, as with anything, the generalities do not always hold true. Rod designers can "slow down" graphite rods with different tapers and adding different materials to the matrix. And fiberglass rods can be light and fast with different tapers and types of fiberglass and resins.
Before bamboo, there were wood rods - Perry Palin wrote a post about his building and fishing of wood rods.
Tim Rajeff and many fly anglers and casters much better than me are moving back to fiberglass and for good reasons. One of the common refrains is that "plastic rods", the pejorative many give to graphite rods, lack "soul" and sensitivity. Glass rods often require you to slow down and "become one with the rod". What I enjoy most about my fiberglass rods is that they make fishing fun. They make our average Driftless Area trout feel like a trophy. I got out for a bit today over our spring break (it'll be nearly two months in the past as you read this) and had a blast watching the Dennis Franke Glastech rod nearly double over on a 12" Brown Trout. The rod I usually fish, a Hardy Zephrus FWS 8'6" 4 wt., would bend at the top third on that same fish and I'd hardly feel it in the cork handle. The fiberglass rod gave the fight life and the fish gave in quickly as the rod absorbed much of the fight.
Fiberglass is making a bit of a comeback. Is it mostly nostalgia, the fact that fiberglass technology and materials have improved, or a mix of these and other reasons? Older fiberglass rods were made of E-glass, a material created as an electrical insulator. It is relatively low in tensile strength which means it tends to require more material to "speed up" the rod. And E-glass is relatively heavy which is why many glass rods are short since that helps keeps their weight down. Modern glass rods are generally designed with newer S or S-2 glasses which are stronger, lighter, and higher in modulus. Rod makers can add a mix of materials in different parts of the blank to change the rod's action. Today's rods are better engineered, allowing rod makers to use some of the advantages that glass provides.
What fiberglass has going for it is that it is nearly unbreakable - remember those old Ugly Stik rods? - and it allows for a softer, slower action. This gives glass rods that traditional "feel" that we associate with glass rods. And it allows glass rods to bend in ways that would make stiffer, more brittle graphite rods shatter. While many see speed as a virtue in rods - myself included, quite often - slowing down a graphite rod to where it has "soul" takes a lot of engineering or a return to older, lower modulus graphite. Fiberglass is also a less expensive material than is graphite - this allows you to "play around with" a glass rod without breaking the bank.
Fiberglass is forgiving. I mean this in a few ways - first, it is hard to break a fiberglass rod compared to a graphite rod. Second, casting is slower and more forgiving than is casting a high modulus graphite fly rod where your timing has to be just right. And glass rods are great at protecting tippets as the rod acts as one large shock absorber.
Glass is fun! This is the reason that causes me to fish glass more than any other reason. It is fun to cast a glass rod. Fiberglass rods cause you to think about what you are feeling and because of this, it is great for beginner and advanced anglers alike. I mostly fish small Driftless Area streams and our average fish is 6 to 12 inches. When you get an average size fish on the line, glass will make it feel like a larger fish. Glass up the fun factor.
Fiberglass is cheaper. Well, like most "rules", this one can be broken, but in general, glass rods are less expensive than graphite rods. I have a sub-$150 glass rod (ANT Leafcutter - they're now a little more expensive) that I really enjoy fishing but you can spend much, much more on glass rods with better materials, components, and cosmetics.
I own three fiberglass rods; a modern ANT Leafcutter (7'0" 3 wt.), a 1990's or early 2000's Lamiglas (7'6" 4 wt.), and my most recent acquisition, a Dennis Franke-built Glastech parametric rod (6'8" 3 wt.). These are all what most would think of when thinking of fiberglass trout rods - they are short rods with relatively slow actions. The Glastech rod however, weighs in at about 1.6 ounces, certainly an exception to the idea that glass rods are heavier. The ANT is the fastest of the rods, the Glastech in the middle, and the Lamiglas is a very traditional slow action. All are fun to fish under the right conditions - which is to say, when the wind is not blowing and I am fishing dry flies. They can be used for other purposes but this is where they excel, in my experiences.
The Lamiglas was the first glass rod I owned. I won it at a Trout Unlimited banquet and it is everything you think of when you think of glass rods. It is that cool honey color and is a short, slow action rod. I had cast glass rods before - I remember my dad having an old fiberglass rod in the basement - but it's the first glass rod I have regularly fished.
The Glastech rod is one that is highly sought after and another Trout Unlimited banquet prize. It certainly received a lot of attention when I posted to ask about in on the Classic Fly Fishing Tackle Anglers on Facebook. This rod is a bit quicker than the Lamiglass and breaks the "rule" that fiberglass rods are heavy as it weighs in at just 1.64 ounces. I took it out today for the first time and while the Milwaukee Leech and the wind made it a challenge, I was able to figure it out and catch plenty of trout, each of which the rod made feel larger than they were.
Lastly, the ANT Leafcutter is a fun little rod that seems on the faster end of glass fly rod actions. Do I really need three short, 3 and 4 weight glass rods? Of course not but I've found that need has little to do with fly fishing gear.
Casting and Fishing Fiberglass
Fly casting is all about timing and feel and glass rods are great at allowing you to feel what is happening. Fiberglass makes you slow down and feel how long it takes for the rod to load. Glass rods are excellent for roll casting and I often pick a fiberglass rod when I know I will be fishing tight quarters.
While many anglers are using glass rods for applications such as saltwater and warmwater / predator fishing, fiberglass rods are probably best suited to applications where short, accurate casts that land delicately are required. In other words, they are PERFECT for Driftless Area trout streams under many conditions. I find myself fishing glass when the wind is light and the chances of fishing dry flies is high. Sure, I can fish nymphs and streamers on the glass rods but dry flies are what they are built for, in my opinion.
Do you need a glass rod? Of course not but they can be a ton of fun. If, like me, you most enjoy catching trout on dry flies, there is little better than fiberglass. Glass rods are simply fun to fish and the force you to slow down and enjoy the experience. Most of the streams I fish have an abundance of smaller trout, glass rods gives them a much more interesting fight. They are not the shiny new Ferrari with a 700 horsepower engine but more like the old MGB where you feel every curve and are part of the driving experience.
Check out the links below - particularly The Fiberglass Manifesto - for more information about glass rods and reviews of them.
Ok fair enough, the Barclay (7’10” 4wt “driftless special”) is coming out this weekend— low wind and sunny skies!
Interesting that you mentioned the old MGB. I have two of them sitting in my garage. No modern Miata (the modern version of the MGB) at this house. I enjoyed the read.