Fiberglass Fly Rods: The New, Old Standard

Article & Photo Credit to Jon Hill of Yellowfin Custom Fly Rods

It’s no secret that fiberglass fly rods have made a big comeback in the last 5-10 years. All of the major fly fishing companies have started bringing back fiberglass into their lineup of rods and there are a dozen of new companies that deal exclusively in fiberglass blanks and kits and full builds.

Starting in the late 1940’s, fiberglass rods started replacing bamboo because of the ease and cost of creating them. Once the new graphite rods came into style, being a lighter material and with a stiffer action, fiberglass was pushed to the side because everybody assumed the new technology was better. If you have ever fished with fiberglass, you know this isn’t always the case.

In my experience with building and fishing fiberglass fly rods in the 2-4 weight range, these are some advantages I have found:

• Slow down!
The deeper flex of fiberglass allows the rod itself to load and shoot the line with less stress and effort on your casting arm.

• Tippet
Coinciding with the deeper flex, less stress is forced upon your knots and your tippet when setting the hook and playing the fish into your net.

• Accuracy
The slower action allows for less line to be loaded in order to get an accurate cast. This is perfect when in tight spots casting 25 feet and less.

• Mending
The taper/action of the glass rod allows for a smoother, easier mending presentation of
the fly.

• Tough
Any rod will break under certain situations, but fiberglass is known to not be as brittle as some of its graphite counterparts. I’ve heard stories of people accidentally bending the tip of their fiberglass rod, instead of breaking they actually just bent it back into being straight and kept on fishing!

• Heavy
One complaint is that fiberglass is too heavy compared to fiberglass. In my experience, this is partly true but honestly not a noticeable difference. Here is a breakdown of the weight of graphite blanks compared to their fiberglass counterpart.
Graphite 9’ 5 wt. – 1.8 oz. / Fiberglass 8’ 5 wt. – 2.6 oz.
Graphite 9’ 4 wt. – 1.6 oz. / Fiberglass 7 ‘ 6” 4 wt. – 2.0 oz.
Graphite 7’ 6” 3 wt. – 1.0 oz. / Fiberglass 7’ 6” 3 wt. – 1.9 oz.

Finally, the number one reason to give fiberglass a try is that they are fun to cast and catch fish with. The play and action of a fiberglass rod make it a joy to hookset, fight and reel a fish into the net. So the next time you are hitting the creek, pick up a 3 wt fiberglass and you won’t be disappointed!

About Jon Hill & Yellowfin Custom Fly Rods

Jon is a full-time husband/father/9-5’er with a passion for fly fishing and rod building. When not working or coaching his son’s soccer teams he builds custom fly rods for his company Yellowfin Custom Fly Rods, www.yellowfinrods.com. He also writes for Southwest Fly Fishing Magazine where he gets to share his adventures of backpacking and fly fishing in the Rocky Mountains, www.jonathanfhill.com.

If you are interested in a hand-built, custom fiberglass, graphite, or euro nymphing rod for as little as $225 check out Jon's website at:https://yellowfinrods.com/ or email him at:jfred17@gmail.com