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glass vs graphite
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glass vs graphite
“Many were increasingly of the opinion that they’d all made a big mistake in coming down from the trees in the first place." Douglas Adams
I have become enamored with casting a fiberglass fly rod. Not the old rustic nostalgic kind, but the newer versions. I recently got a CTS quartz 8'9" 8 wt and love how it feels. It got me thinking.
I like the slower action of the fiberglass because I can really feel the weight of the rod/line in the stroke which helps with my timing. Reminds me of golf and feeling the weight of the head in the swing. I don't find I have to wait or throw it easy, in fact, it's the opposite. Can I correctly state graphite fly rods bend less than their fiberglass counterpart? If so, when you combine less bend, or at least less bend in the middle section, with faster recoil of graphite, it would seem timing is more sensitive with a graphite rod than a fiberglass rod. I know that goes against the overall consensus, but, isn't that the reason manufactures went to putting bricks on the end of their lines to slow the action of modern rods slightly and provide more weight for feel? Is it possible, that in some cases, tho certainly not all, that a fly fisherman would be better off with a glass rod than a graphite?
Just curious.....
Thanks
Phil
I have become enamored with casting a fiberglass fly rod. Not the old rustic nostalgic kind, but the newer versions. I recently got a CTS quartz 8'9" 8 wt and love how it feels. It got me thinking.
I like the slower action of the fiberglass because I can really feel the weight of the rod/line in the stroke which helps with my timing. Reminds me of golf and feeling the weight of the head in the swing. I don't find I have to wait or throw it easy, in fact, it's the opposite. Can I correctly state graphite fly rods bend less than their fiberglass counterpart? If so, when you combine less bend, or at least less bend in the middle section, with faster recoil of graphite, it would seem timing is more sensitive with a graphite rod than a fiberglass rod. I know that goes against the overall consensus, but, isn't that the reason manufactures went to putting bricks on the end of their lines to slow the action of modern rods slightly and provide more weight for feel? Is it possible, that in some cases, tho certainly not all, that a fly fisherman would be better off with a glass rod than a graphite?
Just curious.....
Thanks
Phil
- Paul Arden
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Re: glass vs graphite
Hi Phil,
Carbon rods got stiffer and stiffer, however the original carbon rods were like fibreglass but a much better version. Winston still make soft carbon rods I believe.
Cheers, Paul
Carbon rods got stiffer and stiffer, however the original carbon rods were like fibreglass but a much better version. Winston still make soft carbon rods I believe.
Cheers, Paul
- Lasse Karlsson
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Re: glass vs graphite
Just going to leave these here...
Rodmaterial says nothing about a rods action or stiffness, recovery rate is marketing BS. A heavier line doesn't change a rods action or stiffness. Minds do play tricks on people, especially fishermen minds.
Cheers
Lasse
Rodmaterial says nothing about a rods action or stiffness, recovery rate is marketing BS. A heavier line doesn't change a rods action or stiffness. Minds do play tricks on people, especially fishermen minds.
Cheers
Lasse
Your friendly neighbourhood flyslinger
Flycasting, so simple that instructors need to make it complicated since 1685
Got a Q++ at casting school, wearing shorts
Flycasting, so simple that instructors need to make it complicated since 1685
Got a Q++ at casting school, wearing shorts
Re: glass vs graphite
I have an Orvis Supafine graphite that is bendy as a bendy thing.
“Any intelligent fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent. It takes a touch of genius — and a lot of courage — to move in the opposite direction.” — Ernst F. Schumacher
https://www.sexyloops.com/index.php/ps/ ... f-coaching
https://www.sexyloops.com/index.php/ps/ ... f-coaching
Re: glass vs graphite
I love my (many) glass rods but I’m not going to give up the carbon fibre ones. Horses for courses.
PS - as a geologist, I strongly object to the implication that graphite has any place in a fly rod. It’s a truly amazing mineral, but it’s not noted for its tensile strength. Carbon fibre, on the other hand, is a very useful isomer of carbon in a structural setting.
PS - as a geologist, I strongly object to the implication that graphite has any place in a fly rod. It’s a truly amazing mineral, but it’s not noted for its tensile strength. Carbon fibre, on the other hand, is a very useful isomer of carbon in a structural setting.
FFi CCI
Re: glass vs graphite
You are of course correct Graeme, I’ve fallen into an Americanism which is criminal because I used to work for the company that first produced carbon fibre. I just checked on Tik Tok and it said don’t tell a geologist that rocks are dumb
Regards
Vince
Regards
Vince
“Any intelligent fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent. It takes a touch of genius — and a lot of courage — to move in the opposite direction.” — Ernst F. Schumacher
https://www.sexyloops.com/index.php/ps/ ... f-coaching
https://www.sexyloops.com/index.php/ps/ ... f-coaching
- Paul Arden
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Re: glass vs graphite
You’ll be casting Spey rods next!
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Re: glass vs graphite
Graeme,
Thanks! I love to irritate some of my friends... like yelling "trout set" when they miss all their fish. Now I'm going to correct them with "carbon fiber" every time they say "graphite".
I expect years of entertainment from that one.
Thanks! I love to irritate some of my friends... like yelling "trout set" when they miss all their fish. Now I'm going to correct them with "carbon fiber" every time they say "graphite".
I expect years of entertainment from that one.
With appreciation and apologies to Ray Charles…
“If it wasn’t for AI, we wouldn’t have no I at all.”
“If it wasn’t for AI, we wouldn’t have no I at all.”
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Re: glass vs graphite
I stand corrected Graeme, thank you. My father was a geologist and had an impressive mineral and crystal collection but his true love was Mexican agates. Here are a couple examples. ThanksGraeme H wrote: ↑Sat Mar 23, 2024 8:51 am I love my (many) glass rods but I’m not going to give up the carbon fibre ones. Horses for courses.
PS - as a geologist, I strongly object to the implication that graphite has any place in a fly rod. It’s a truly amazing mineral, but it’s not noted for its tensile strength. Carbon fibre, on the other hand, is a very useful isomer of carbon in a structural setting.
Phil