Probably a question that's been asked multiple times before by others who are just starting to appreciate the characteristics, aesthetics and performance
of vintage fiberglass rods, but I'd like to know which company in the opinion of the board; outside of the custom rod builders like Peak, Claudio, etc.,
made the best fiberglass rods for small stream trout fishing (fish 8-15 inches) in the 1945-1975 time frame?
Tengas, Fenwick, and Marryat photo by Alpago |
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Who made the best fiberglass rods?
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 Pocono |
Who made the best fiberglass rods? |
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Guide
Posts: 31 (09/13/08 05:26:07) |
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corlay |
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Master Guide
Posts: 220 (09/13/08 06:21:51) |
Pocono wrote:Phillipson seems to be the (attainable) Holy Grail of rods for most on this Forum. Especially for the 2nd-half of date-range you've specified. But if you judge your criteria by sheer popularity, it's hard to deny the ubiquitous Fenwick 'Feralite', at least for the late-60's - 70's.
"From my observations I think that most of us spend too much time worrying about our tackle and too little time
learning the intimate characteristics of the fish and streams we fish most."
- Ray Bergman
Trout, New York: Knopf 1938 |
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ribs1 |
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Posts: 122 (09/13/08 09:45:10) Administrator |
My vote is Fenwick
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 jgestar |
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Posts: 2710 (09/13/08 11:17:31) ezOP |
That all depends on the characteristics a particular fisherman prefers. Action? Line weight? Cosmetics? Functional design? As a result, any answer will be
unique for that fishermen. I've played with enough glass rods to realize each company made their fly rods a little bit different. Each model was a
reflection of the likes, preferences, and budget of the rod designer. That is the same today, the fly rods still vary from maker to maker according to their
tastes.
I haven't cast enough of the legendary rods, like Winston Stalkers or early Scotts, to have a truly comprehensive opinion (but I'm trying!). That said, I tend to prefer rods made in the later portion of that time period, probably because the rods became lighter and more responsive as the technology improved (glass ferrules, better glass fiber, better binding resins, and better lamination techniques). For trout fishing, I like a 7' to 8' rod in the 4/5 weight range. I'll happily walk into a stream with a Fenwick FF805, a 7'6" Phillipson Royal Wand, or Phillipson Master MF76L. Tom |
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wb4tjh |
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Master Guide
Posts: 248 (09/13/08 12:40:24) |
There are a lot of first class older fiberglass rods out there, but I would have to pick J. Kennedy Fisher and Phillipson if limited to two. Fenwick runs a
real close third. I know Winston glass would be up there too, but I have never cast one, so I can't give an opinion on them. In new rods, I would not need
to look farther than MacFarland or Steffen.
Fine flyrods can be made from different materials, but bamboo is the Benchmark against which all the rest are compared......
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nativebrownie |
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Master Guide
Posts: 305 (09/13/08 18:21:32) |
This is all subjective, but if you listen to Harmon Henkin of Fly Tackle and The Complete Fly Fisherman's Catalog (Published in the 70's and he was in
the midst of the glass age), he preferred Winston ( best production rod), Peake and Claudio and Cummings ( the best comes from smaller shops) and he did like
Scientific Anglers. Even though, he was Western in location, not once is Phillipson glass mentioned. Perhaps an oversight... He was very tough on Phillipson
cane... He owned a Peake...
If you listen to Dan Bailey's tastes, Charlie Waterman says that Dan Bailey (small stream afficionado that he was) really liked a 4 wt Winston glass... If you listen to Richard Parks of West's Best Dry Flies, then the Orvis, Scientific Anglers, Winston, Powell, and Caludio "were a quantum leap over lower categories..." I do remember Schweibert extolling the Orvis Golden Eagle, 6.5, as the glass rod he owned for delicate work ... all else was cane... There are many, many others... just interesting to know or guess at the opinions of those who were at the center of things at that time... To my mind, Phillipson is a modern phenomenon of sorts- perhaps his rods are great or perhaps it's a mixture of our liking for him as an independent sort - he was that. The Web is very positive to Bill Phillipson - cane and glass... perhaps deservedly so... NB |
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whrlpool |
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Master Guide
Posts: 601 (09/14/08 08:27:17) |
I remember fishing once with Harmon Henke near Missoula just after his book came out. I remember him touting Winston, but I don't recall what kind of rod
he was fishing. It probably was a Winston, because that's about the time I started wanting one. Back at that time, Winston was far better known in the
west. Phillipson's stronghold was more widespread and Eastern. Basically, though, I think WB4jh has it nailed with J Kennedy Fisher. I think they perfected
fiberglass over all others, and remember that they also made the blanks for Winston, as well as affiliating with Hardy, leading to the Sceptre series.
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paveglass |
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Master Guide
Posts: 774 (09/14/08 08:33:10) |
Agree with all of the above comments regarding the higher end rod makers. But, for the money...Fenwick...particularly the FF70, FF75, and FF79 and their later
equivalents. Shakespeare had led for years but their action was more in the tip. The soft slow action most now seek for smaller water and more intimate fishing
matches the slower rods that were not advertised as "dry fly action". Browning Silaflex and Heddon had some great rods and cost a bit more at the
time.
I agree with Tom, the rods I look for and like most were generally made late in the prime of the glass era (early 70s) when, the sportsmen had moved down to a 6 wt from an 8 wt as the normal, all-around rod, the materials represented the state of the art for fiberglass, the tapers were right, and glass ferrules, spigot ferrules, uplocking reel seats, and other innovations were just being implemented. Donny |
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nativebrownie |
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Master Guide
Posts: 306 (09/14/08 09:15:26) |
whrpool,
Excellent... fishing with Harmon - sounds great.... I admit that I like his books - greatly. In Fly Tackle he goes on and on about his Young Para 15 (if you read on and on, that was his only rod. But he talks of a Peake 8 footer, 4 piece for a 6 that Mr. Peake adapted for him - a rod in the butt section - that was a real favorite also... In any event, how did you happen to fish with Harmon? Missoula then... all seems nice. I was on the Housey (Connecticutt) with a FF756 in my hand... NB |
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Mojorizing |
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Master Guide
Posts: 280 (09/14/08 09:51:58) |
Tom Morgan has his favorites, I have mine. I own a Chevy too. I love my Chev. Best built truck in the universe too.
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nativebrownie |
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Master Guide
Posts: 307 (09/14/08 09:59:57) |
Donny,
Agreed... Fenwick put remarkable quality on the table. Fenwick was a "given" on the streams in the 70's. I could barely afford two rods then - a beloved FF705 and a FF806. That FF705 matched with a Berkley Hardy clone and "life was set and easy..." Agreed on the rods that you mention. Would add the FF84... wish i had known of that rod back then for larger eastern trout rivers. Miraculous against today's best... NB |
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NevadaK |
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Master Guide
Posts: 256 (09/14/08 14:06:41) |
I learned fly fishing in the 70's from my best friends father who in his part time was a casting instructor of some local repute. I remember he fished with
Orvis and his sons fished with Fenwick. Both were out of my reach financially so he sent me to Meijer (a kind of midwestern W-mart) where I could get a better
rod for half the price. It was a Berkley Parametric. I used it for twenty years until I broke it on the shore of the pond in Antrim Park in Columbus Ohio. It
was a hell of a rod. I don't know if there is a definitive answer to the best rod question. My guess is that in the mid and late 70's the fiberglass
rod has reached a level of maturity where any serious manufacturer was capable of producing a truly exceptional rod. Fenwick seemed to be able to do it in a
comparatively affordable manner.
K |
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bulldog1935 |
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Posts: 3602 (09/14/08 18:18:15) Administrator |
Bill Phillipson.
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yuhina |
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Master Guide
Posts: 1032 (09/14/08 21:02:21) |
*cough* Little... Yuhina... *cough*
Just let you know I live in a very small world with a different ruler... : ) I know I love my "little yuhina"... @@ (just joking around...good thread gentlemen!) |
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Laramie Spinner |
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Guide
Posts: 161 (09/15/08 14:24:46) |
Since Claudios and Peaks were not mass-produced they should be evaluated in a category apart. The unidirectional late Sixties-early Seventies sleeve-ferruled
Phillipsons get my vote. The late-Sixties see-through Fenwicks are grand, but their post-modernist, hodge-podge decorative elements make no sense to me.
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nativebrownie |
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Master Guide
Posts: 308 (09/15/08 14:41:42) |
Actually, i believe that that "sleeve type" ferrule was known for breakage problems. No expert here, but I believe that the stress point was where
the sleeve ended and that area had to be watched. I wish I could remember the good source for that info...
NB |
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Laramie Spinner |
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Guide
Posts: 162 (09/15/08 15:08:39) |
Phillipson had that worked out. If you examine his version of the glass ferrule you will notice that the sleeve tapers where stress would be concentrated by an
abrupt transition to the blank diameter, much like his nickle silver ferrules. And, other manufacturers supported the mouth of the female with thread wrapping;
in 1969, Phillipson's sleeve ferrules were issued with a metal reinforcing ring at their open ends. The words "Phillipson" and
"breakage" seem to be mutually exclusive. I've fished my glass-ferruled Phillipsons hard and have yet to even crack a ferrule winding seal, which
is evidence of uninterrupted flexure at the ferrule. Great design.
Last Edited By: Laramie Spinner
09/15/08 15:12:50.
Edited 1 times.
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nativebrownie |
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Master Guide
Posts: 309 (09/15/08 18:42:03) |
Perhaps, but the problem with the sleeve ferrule design is where the sleeve meets the glass blank. As I said, that problem was out there for builders to
consider and it mattered as an issue for rod builders in general. If I remember right, some builders were troubled as to how to wrap that area (those that
did) without the wraps showing that stress over time. There were other sleeve ferrule seigns over the years - it was a problem to be dealt with ... Again, no
certainties here...
NB |
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Colston Newton |
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Master Guide
Posts: 145 (09/16/08 18:23:38) |
I've had Fenwicks and Phillipsons from the early 70s. I still have the Phillipsons.
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fisherofsmallstreams |
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Guide
Posts: 125 (09/17/08 07:45:07) |
Fenwick. Blue collar rods made as nicely and with actions as sweet as anything out there imho. Dollar for dollar the best around.
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GRASSNGLASS |
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Guide
Posts: 198 (09/17/08 11:32:02) |
6'3" through 7'6" Para/Metrics----longer then that Orvis Golden Eagles (blanks cooked by Phillipson)
Barry |
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- Welcome, Messages, Claves, News, and FAQs
- Fishing with Fiberglass Fly Rods
- Glass Tech
- Collecting Fiberglass Fly Rods
- What's New on the Market
- Rod Pictures
- Classic Fly Reels
- Another Spin on Glass
- Rod Building & Tackle Tinkering
- The Tying Bench
- Fiberglass Fly Rods For Sale
- Fiberglass Fly Rods Wanted
- Fiberglass Flyrodders Wiki
