No place on earth is as cluttered with dams as European rivers. Slide the grip down the blank. Epic offers one in their online store and it would definitely be a good decision to get one. Best Fiberglass Fly Rods. Custom Fiberglass Fly Rods ... Black Jack Carbon Silica Fiberglass Hybrid 8 foot 6 inch 5/6 weight 5 piece built fly rod. Shop Redington's fly rod families. These anglers realize that fiberglass provides … | Browse our daily deals for even more savings! Trim off any small humps and tag ends using a razor blade. Fly rod blanks tend to naturally bend more in one direction than another. Don’t paint the finish. This is a crucial mark since you cannot sand or glue the blank past this mark. At 60-years young, like most people my age I learned to fly fish on fiberglass rods. The good thing about rod finishes is the fact that they are self-levelling. A 5-weight graphite fly rod may be a better choice for these situations. Custom built fiberglass, graphite and bamboo fly rods by Graywolf Products and Services. There, in an “Orvis owned store” you will find every fly rod they make – not perhaps the whole series, but at least an example of what you’re looking for in an action or price range, if not every rod in a series. Once you’re done with that mark the reel seat position. Ben's Fiberglass Fly Rods - Home You found us, welcome! You will not be disappointed. Explore our in-depth guides to other important fly fishing topics, and stock up on essential flies for trout fly fishing. // Words and Photos by Leonard Schoenberger, Ultimate Guide to Fiberglass Fly Rods – 2021, In Conversation with Guido Rahr, President of WSC. Advice: don’t apply to much finish. Once you’re done put the rod back in the stands. It might help you consider getting a fly rod turner and drying motor. Make sure to clean any excess glue with alcohol. •Steffen Bros $470 - Steffen's rods are made from high module S-glass, which gives you a light, strong and durable fly rod. Epic do a great job in terms of their components and explaining the whole process thoroughly in the accompanying guide book. This overview shall give you a feeling for the process of building a fly rod. Defining the spots of the guides on your fly rod blank is pretty straightforward. Some rod companies have started to reproduce these wobbly wonders with maybe nostalgia in mind. In fact, when Scott Fly Rods started in the early 70’s, graphite fly rods didn’t even exist. Do not glue the end cap of the reel seat just yet! Get the best deal for Fiberglass Fly Fishing Rods from the largest online selection at eBay.com. I have been a fly fisher for more than a decade now. Imagine six friends who want to travel to Russia in June. It works but the bobbin prevents the thread from twisting and makes wrapping a lot easier. That doesn’t mean you will be working non-stop for 48 hours. That makes alignment easier. Always waiting just for you to test drive in a parking lot of your choosing – out front or in the back. •Overall weight is heavier than graphite fly rods. The parcel arrived only a few days later. Hence consider getting one with the rod building kit as mentioned in the beginning. Otherwise you will spend quite a bit of extra time on manually drying your rod. Owning & fishing a quality custom-made fiberglass fly rod does not have to be expensive. If you think fiberglass rods are something you only find in a cheap sporting goods store for $39.95, check out these makers. Slide the reel seat up from the bottom of the butt section. But the rod building process requires some breaks for the glue to dry or the coat to soak in and dry. Renato Vitalini of V Stick Custom Fly Rods. These can be a very nice find, especially if they are still in their sock and tube. Our earliest rods grew from fiberglass roots. The part that follows is the most time consuming since you have to wrap about 8-10 guides (depending on your model). The entire process is a lot of fun and it definitely feels special to fish a rod you made yourself. Orvis’ Superfine fly ro… Fiberglass fly rods were strong, easy to mass produce, and had much of a similar action and feel to bamboo without the extra steps of working with that material. They come in all shapes and sizes. TWO STRIPPING AND SEVEN CHROME PLATED SNAKE LINE GUIDES. Most fly fishermen probably start with tying flies. ROD IS MISSING FLY KEEP BUT OVER ALL ROD IS VERY GOOD PLUS USED CONDITION. The give of the fly rod helps to protect light tippets from breaking. Fiberglass was also lower in cost and required less maintenance. PO Box 274 Livingston, Montana 59047. To finish the glueing process take the end cap and glue it onto the bottom of edge of the reel seat. Some names to watch for include Phillipson, Garcia, Browning, Fenwick, Conolon, Shakespeare, Wright & McGill, and Hottocks-Ibbotson (H&I). As mentioned before there is a complete video tutorial embedded at the end of the article. S-Glass colors include blue, orange, green, yellow, white and grey. Together with a friend I decided to use the time of quarantine to build this #4 fiberglass rod. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. 29284. Start glueing the reel seat with a mix of the 15 minute epoxy. Then let it dry overnight placing the rod in the stands or a rod dryer if you have one. Bean Lamiglas-Built Fiberglass Fly Rod. Fiberglass is the perfect material to build fly rods that are extremely tough, durable and fuller flexing than Carbon fibre. Before starting the rod building process I had never heard of the term “spining”. Our s-glass fiberglass blanks range in size from a 6ft 2wt up to a 7'6ft 4wt and come in 3 or 4 piece sections. Wakeman Fly Fishing Starter Set- 8 lb Fiberglass Rod, Travel Bag, 12 Dry Flies and Box (Aluminum Reel) $23.99$23.99 $27.98 shipping Eagle Claw, Featherlight Fly … Instead hold your brush on an already wetted section and let the threads draw in the liquid. The SuperGLASS fiberglass fly rod by NIRVANA On The Fly is a beautifully designed medium/fast action S-Glass fly rod with a beautiful agate guide. Sale price $499 Regular price $599. It’s a small decorative ring meant to cover any gap between the bore in the grip and the blank. The largest guide is attached closest to the grip. Also, I want to let you know what I wish I had known before building my first own fly rod. You can also share tasks and in the end it just makes more fun. It is an amazing two handed rod to fish for hucho hucho. Fiberglass fly rods were first made by wrapping impregnated fiberglass cloth over a wooden core then wrapping the rod in cellophane. I got in touch with Carl McNeil of Epic Fly Rods in New Zealand. Like most fly fishers from my generation however, I moved on to graphite fly rods when they crashed the party. Doing so together with a friend definitely made it easier. It makes the wrapping process a lot easier – believe me. In my eyes the first thing you should do when you open the fly rod building kit is to read the guide book all the way to the end. Hand-made, with a full flex, slow-action and medium recovery you can present a variety of flies perfectly in your small streams. – Set up your wrapping stand in a nicely lit place with some space. This fly rod is well balanced, giving you casting accuracy and less arm fatigue. The bottom of the reel seat should be level with the bottom of the fly rod blank. Leave your rod to dry for at least 12 hours and at least 24 hours before you cast it! A landing net is a crucial item for fly fishermen and women. Durable, with solid design features and good action make this rod a good choice for chasing trout in small mountain streams, while still offering the ability to cover ground with your cast and holding on to fighting fish. L.L. For further research into fiberglass flyrods I recommend the Fiberglass Flyrodders web forum. $189.95. His technique became known as the Howald Process and was marketed by Shakespeare to make hollow glass rods. Quickly move on to the next guide. This rod is available in 1- to 8-weights, but really you should be looking at these for 5-weight and below.$250 may be a bit steep, so keep an eye out for it on sale. Bamboo fly rods are ideal for the most subtle and delicate of presentations, and for anglers who enjoy the rod's slow and very flexible action. If you didn’t wrap too tightly that should not be a problem. The spine results from the manufacturing process of fiberglass fly rods. We'll give you an overview of what's out there and what to look for. Also don’t forget to wrap the ferules in the end. Lay the blank on a tabletop, take the guide spacing chart found in the booklet and mark your fly rod blanks accordingly with the provided marker. We spoke with the World Fish Migration Foundation about removing these obstacles. They have been on the map for decades and what began in 1974 with Glenn Struble, and continued with Jeffery Pentecost, is now in new hands with Steven Van Winkle (who you may know from Shopkeeper Fly Rods) and his partner, John Smith. This means you don’t have to get it perfect and will still get a great result. Would I build another fly rod? 5 wt fly rods are notoriously the most versatile weight rod, making the NRX+ a great option for a first-time rod purchase as well. We offer both S-Glass and E-Glass fiberglass fly rod blanks and each come in a variety of colors. There is a growing interest in the fiberglass rod and even the large manufacturers are beginning to pay attention. It was then backed to bond the layers. We offer a broad selection of fly rod blanks, including SAGE, TFO, Arctos, Mystic and our very popular fiberglass blanks. •Orvis SuperFine Glass $429 - Orvis is back in the fiberglass market with these Made in Vermont rods. Most fly fishermen and women will fish for trout at some point. Building my first fly rod was a lot of fun. The guide book that comes with your Epic rod building kit explains each of these steps in every little detail – so don’t worry. 5wt Moonlit Lunar S-GLASS Fiberglass Fly Rod w/case (new model) Regular price $199.99 Sale price $179.99 Sale View. At Livingston Rod we are a boutique manufacturer of Made in Montana Graphite and Fiberglass Fly Rods, hand built, one at a time. It is available from 2- to 8-weight. Sale JP Ross Custom Fly Rods & Co. 7" JP ROSS Western Grip, Counter Bore for Black Jack Reel Seat. Simply rotate it by 180 degrees every few minutes. Of course, there are some disadvantages to fiberglass fly rods to consider before purchasing one. Livingston Rod Company. The guide book describes this entire process very well. Their rods had always been some of my favorites and one day, browsing their online store, I discovered their rod building kits. Often fly rod blanks have more than one spining option. •Fiberglass is a slower material by its very nature. 406-570-3446 Email. Get your Epic Fly Rod Kit: simply click here. Each is individually made and finished. This makes for a better glueing surface. Another aspect that would have helped us before starting to build the rod would have been a rough time frame. If not, you should definitely consider spending an extra $10 – $30 to get one. Due to other projects it took me a few months and a global crisis to find the time to finally start building the rod. Sold Out Sale View. The Epic Fly Rod Building Kit is also a great present for any fly fisherman. Wrap three pieces of masking tape around the grip. Some people question the process of spining all together. The one other need to check out fiberglass fly rods is Orvis, specifically an Orvis owned and operated store, and in some cases an authorized Orvis dealer. In order to find the spine in your fly rod blanks you hold the blank at a 45 degree angle with one hand near the tip and press down and rotate at the same time with the fingers of your other hand (see picture above). Be sure to check out our page on buying used fly rods. Fiberglass fly rods provide the fly angler with great versatility and durability. Without a doubt there are a lot of fine fiberglass fly rods to chose from these days. Mark the place where the top of the grip finishes. Although I knew I could never even come close to Renato’s craftsmanship I was intrigued to try building my own rod. Take the bobbin (if you followed our advice to get one) and attach the white silk thread. Free shipping . Consider choosing a place where you can build the rod for at least 48 hours. While it is true that fiberglass fly rods hit their peak between 1950 and 1970, they are making a comeback and they could just become your best fly rod for spring creeks and small streams. 14 Mar 2014, 13:21. jgestar. In a year of lockdowns across Europe planning a week ahead is rather difficult. Free shipping . Once your guides have dried overnight they should all look nice and clear. Fiberglass is an excellent choice if you are looking for superior rod flex, soft tip, and excellent accuracy. Once you’re done with wrapping the guides you have to align them. 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. Vintage Herter's RB6JO 7' 0" 2 Piece Fiberglass Fly Fishing Rod or Spinning Rod. | Free shipping on many items! It might enable you to use it once again. Rod blanks are the beginning of your custom rod building journey. If you like spring creeks, and small streams then fiberglass fly rods are worth looking into. A drying motor makes this process a lot easier. •Scott F Series $695 - Available in 2- to 4- weights, the Scott F Series has been an incredible fly rod for adventurous fly fishers. 8 1/2' 7wt. Steel mandrels are still used today to make both fiberglass and graphite fly rods. Graphite fly rods were lighter in overall weight than fiberglass. Carl quickly offered to send me one of their kits to give it a try. Burled hardwood rod seat, and diamond alignment markers make this rod appealing and functional. They became the most popular and desirable rod material, but slowly disappeared in the 70s with the introduction of graphite rods. $29 Moonlit Fly Fishing. The G. Loomis NRX+ is the best 5-weight fly rod (as you’ll see later in this list) but it’s also the best rod overall. The short to medium casting range used on these waters is where you will catch most trout, anyways. They have a medium-fast action that can help create some distance on larger streams, after you have dialed in your casting. Fiberglass fly rods have seen a revival in recent years. Rotate the rod to apply the finish and let it be pulled off the brush instead of painting it on. FIBERGLASS FLY ROD IN TRIANGLE TUBE AND PLAID GREEN BAG, 8FT, TWO SECTION, CORK HANDLE, 6 WEIGHT LINE. •Like bamboo, fiberglass rods are best used in the shorter lengths (under 8-feet). The last step is the alignment of the reel seat with the Epic logo above the grip. Steel mandrels are still used today to make both fiberglass and graphite fly rods. This is especially helpful for beginning casters. 4wt Moonlit Lunar S-GLASS Fiberglass Fly Rod w/case. Continue by applying epoxy from above the reel seat all the way to the upper mark that indicates the end of the grip. Depending on the model you chose the reel seat might feature a logo as well. As a last step of the wrapping we are creating a winding check just above the grip. •2- to 4-weight fiberglass rods are a great choice for small spring creek and stream fly fishing where a stealthy approach and presentation is a must. A throwback to vintage glass rods, this setup brings a modern, efficient feel to a classic era of rod making. FLY FISHING IN ITS PUREST FORM The Red Truck Fiberglass Outfit embodies fly fishing in its purest form. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. Advice: clean the brush after the glueing. These are common at garage sales and flea markets. You need to shim the blank with masking tape up to this point in order to ensure a snug fit of the grip. 0. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. This is a TWO piece 8'6" Fiberglass Fly Rod Rod is in GREAT fishing shape.and possibly unfished.Comes with a nice sock.Rod will be shipped in a PVC tube.I will combine shipping to save you money.Shipping Cost will be $20.00 in USA.GOOD LUCK! To ensure a good fit place the reel seat and the grip on the blank. Do not get any epoxy in the bore. NICE Vintage Fenwick HMG GFF 908-2 9' 2 Piece Fly Fishing Rod … We put our name on the map in those early years creating high performance, multi piece glass fly rods for anglers venturing into the mountains to catch wild trout in cool crystalline waters. In the '50s, fiberglass fly rods still did not compare well to bamboo when it came to performance and action. Thin the equal parts by 1/3. The drop in demand for fiberglass rods soon led to large companies dropping production. Fiberglass Fly Fishing Rods (Glass Rods) Fiberglass fly rods are back in swing and the new glass is even better than ever. Other useful things to consider getting/preparing before starting the rod building process: – A tape measure (to find the right spots for the guides), – A razor blade or very sharp fine bladed craft knife (for cleaning up the wraps). Mate the grip into the reel seat to ensure a snug fit. It is a slightly thicker section in the tube wall of the fly rod blanks. You always have a second opinion. The more mass-produced models can often be had for a song. It easily beats out all other 5 weights on the market in 2020. This section is a bit stiffer and hence presents a greater resistance to bending. It will also hinder the finish from fully penetrating the thread. Some of the best on the market are fishpond nets. They come in line weights 2 to 7, and have numerous grip and hardware customizations. At the time, glass rods were the relative newcomer, having bumped bamboo from the mountaintop roughly a generation earlier. Around the Web. At Get Bent Fly Shop we offer a wide range of fiberglass fly rod blanks. Learn More. It is made from S2 fiberglass, and has hard chrome stripping guides and a silver reel seat. • Echo Glass $249 - This hand-made(and painted) rod is available in weights 2 to 5. Prepare the wrapping of the guides by cutting a number of small pieces of masking tape about 5mm wide. This is a TWO piece 8'6" Fiberglass Fly Rod Rod is in GREAT fishing shape.and possibly unfished.Comes with a nice sock.Rod will be shipped in a PVC tube.I will combine shipping to save you money.Shipping Cost will be $20.00 in USA.GOOD LUCK! Fiberglass was developed during World War Two to be used in aircraft applications. They seemed perfect for someone with absolutely no experience in rod building. You will see the thread absorb the finish. Location. New rod designs made in the last few decades are now being used to make improvement to the fiberglass rod. It is a slightly thicker section in the tube wall of the fly rod blanks. Before applying the second coating there is most often some tidying up to do. Do not thin this coat! That is not to say you can’t find a nice fiberglass rod over eight feet, but the shorter lengths is where they really shine. Fiberglass rods were invented in the 1940s to replace metal and bamboo rods. Once you get to the glued section rotate the grip while slowly sliding it onto the reel seat. Fiberglass Fly Rods The resurgence in fiberglass fly rods is a direct result of many anglers rejecting the whiplash action of graphite for the smoother casting feedback action of fiberglass rods. This section is a bit stiffer and hence presents a greater resistance to bending. You now need to manually rotate it for at least two hours. These glass rods have a medium to slow action and are great for roll casting, close-in fishing, and tippet protection. Once you found your spine mark it with the marker that comes with the rod building kit. 6' 6wt. May 18, 2015 - Fiberglass Fly Rods. Make sure to leave enough room for the epoxy. •Graphite is a better choice for longer rods used for lakes and larger streams where you may encounter wind. Rather than give you a detailed how-to (there is an excellent guide book that comes with the Epic rod building kit and a great video tutorial) I want to explain what we learned from building a rod for the first time. Fiberglass rods could be mass produced using less skilled workers. These short rods are really a joy to fish with from panfish on a dry fly to tiny mountain stream natives, that is the sole purpose for me making this style of rod, they excel on narrow brush covered streams were casting is difficult with a longer rod, still in open areas the 2/3 wt rods will cast 40+ ft with the 3wt and even farther with the 5/6wt depending on experience level. It also prevents water from soaking in between the blank and the grip. Some claim that a good fiberglass rod is better than a mediocre bamboo rod, making them a lot of fun.