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txbevo	Glass for Bass & Panfish	Lead	[-]
Registered Member Posts: 1 (01/06/09 11:15:01) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts Report Post	I am relatively new to fly fishing and have a few graphite rods. I live in the Dallas/Ft Worth area of Texas, so warm water fishing is what I get to do mostly and it is what I enjoy the most. I do a lot of fishing for panfish and bass in small local area ponds. I also like to fish in the Brazos river and Hill Country rivers in Texas for bass and panfish. I also do the winter tailrace trout fishing. I am very interested in getting into some glass. I have read a lot on this and other forums and like what I hear about glass and want to give it a try. I am looking for some recommendations on rods for the bass and panfish I am going after. I am looking for recommedations for lighter rigs (3-4) and heavier rigs (6-. Both vintage and new are welcome, though I might tend to lean toward the new. I have looked into the Sage BASS series of rods and also looked at Scott's Warm Water series. I would like something in glass that would be comparable to those offerings, but that would be a little slower in action and have more feel. I also just learned today that TFO has a glass offering in their Finesse series that is a 5/6 wt. Anyone have any experience with that? Basically I would like a good all around bass & panfish rig. Thanks!
bulldog1935		#1	[-]
Posts: 4387 (01/06/09 12:07:40) Administrator Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts Report Post	Hill Country seems to mean different things to different people. Most people from your neck of the woods immediately think of the Llano, with its Wide Open spaces. I come from the other side, rarely fish the Llano, and hill country creeks and rivers just can't get too tight for my liking. Most glass you're going to be interested in is 7' to 8', but I can think of specific spots where even that 7' rod is too long, and 6'6" rod (or 6') makes all the difference. Also, in the TX hill country, little water doesn't mean little fish I've broken off 10-lb. bass in Seco Creek and in the headwaters of the Pedernales and caught a 28" largemouth in the Sabinal above Utopia For me, it doesn't get better than Phillipson venerable glass rods. You can see my collection if you click on my profile. 5/6-wt. is where its at. I have a 3-wt. that I fish occasionally, but it has no advantages over the 5/6 weights, and would have plenty of disadvantages faced with the quarry shown above. The thing about mid-length, mid-weight glass is that even little fish feel like lunkers on them, but they still have the backbone to land real lunkers. The TFO Finesse? The 6'9" 5-wt. A friend has one and loves it. He comes from the fastest and longest graphite school, and has found the Finesse glass rod to be an advantage for catching endemic Guadalupe bass, even in wide water. Hook 'em Horns the rods are never obsolete - the marketing is. Last Edited By: bulldog1935 01/06/09 12:21:22. Edited 3 times.
mdwwhw		#2	[-]
Master Guide Posts: 369 (01/06/09 12:31:58) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts Report Post	Howdy txbevo, judging by your board name you're feeling good after last night's Fiesta Bowl. I'm located in Austin. Most-virtually all--of the vintage or venerable rods were made in line weights 5 or higher, so you would most likely need to look at a modern rod for 3-4 line wt. I haven't gone there "yet" but there are plenty of choices in that zone these days. Check out the Wiki (bottom of the FGFR front page). Tadpoles, 3-4 wt rods built by some board members on spinning blanks, are also interesting and doing a search on those will provide more information In 5, 6, and 7 wts you have many, many choices, venerable and modern, and most in the 7 to 8 ft. length and two pieces. These will handle most Texas rivers. I tend to use a Fenwick FF 755 5 wt and either a Browning Silaflex 7 wt, or a Sceptre with a 6 or 7 wt around here when I'm fishing glass. This is subject to change, I'd like a longer 5 wt and I still havent found my perfect 6 wt. I've heard good things about the TFO Finesse glass, but will note that some fish it with a 7 wt. The Sage bass rods work out to the equivalent of 8 to 10 wts. There is a lot of venerable glass in this zone and most of it is fairly inexpensive, since 8 wts aren't that popular in freshwater. If you are looking for a rod to cast bass bugs, larger poppers, and big streamers, this is one area where you have a good range of choice and fairly low prices. Mine are Shakespeare Wonderods and Garcia Conolon's. We've a number of glass folks in the DFW area and hopefully a few will chime in here and offer to let you get a feel for what they have and help you narrow down your choices. Be warned, its hard to stop with just one! Hayden "Everything's better when wet...." Steve Miller Band
beauglass		#3	[-]
Master Guide Posts: 458 (01/06/09 13:38:20) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts Report Post	txbevo, 1st off, welcome to the board. Fortunately, you've come to the right place for answers to your question. Unfortunately, you've asked it, therefore you will probably receive as many opinions as there are members of this board. Your best bet would be to make it to the Texas Glassic this spring. There will be literally hundreds of rods there for you to test drive and you're sure to find the rod you can't live without. Personally, I wouldn't be able to wait that long to find out. If you're like that, might I suggest a Fenwick FF805 or FF806. They're pretty easy to come by and won't break the bank. As far as the 6'9" TFO glass rod goes, I can tell you that it is almost as fast as graphite. I'll echo mdwwhw; as one of the several on here that fish it with a wf7, I still think of it as a rocket ship. Last Edited By: beauglass 01/06/09 13:44:25. Edited 2 times.
txbevo		#4	[-]
Registered Member Posts: 2 (01/06/09 22:39:43) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts Report Post	Thanks for the warm welcome to the board and for the replies so far. Yes, I am a died in the wool burnt orange bleeding Longhorn and I am happy with the outcome of last night's game. I do tend to think of the Llano when I think of Hill Country rivers, but I also like the Sabinal and Frio. I love the whole area and love the water there. I would also love the chance to fish the Devil's River for smallies. I do have a couple of other questions: 1)What, when and where is the Texas Glassic? 2)Where do I go about obtaining a Fenwick or other vintage glass? Anyone know of any fly shops in the DFW or Austin areas that carry glass?
bulldog1935		#5	[-]
Posts: 4389 (01/07/09 07:23:13) Administrator Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts Report Post	Living Waters fly shop in Round Rock has the TFO Finesse. As far as the Finesse goes, it works with the rated line and there is no way to build a graphite rod in this length and line rating configuration that will work (well, mostly - it can be done with a parabolic taper, and I have a 3-pc. 6'9" Fisher 6-wt. that works, albeit quickly). So fast or not, the Finesse is a Big step in the right direction. it would work well in the Sabinal the rods are never obsolete - the marketing is. Last Edited By: bulldog1935 01/07/09 08:43:16. Edited 3 times.
galleta loco		#6	[-]
Guide Posts: 20 (01/07/09 07:59:54) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts Report Post	Not to highjack but Texas by God is beautiful,I was out there in the mid 70's and loved it.kinda got stuck in Austin yall are truely blessed. .
mdwwhw		#7	[-]
Master Guide Posts: 370 (01/07/09 08:36:56) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts Report Post	Can't argue with Beauglass recommendations. As far as getting a Fenwick, there is the large auction site or placing a want to buy add here. (Personally, I recommend the latter, I've not been disappointed in a purchase from here and I've no Fenwicks for sale at present). TFO is located in Dallas (www. templeforkflyrods.com) and there must be retail outlets as well there. I know that Sportsmans Finest in Austin carries TFO, I don't know if they routinely stock the glass Finesse (too much candy on the rod rack, I try to avoid walking by it). Pearow had a couple of his builds on the TFO blank posted for sale here not long ago and he does good work. Be prepared to expirement with different line weights compared to what you may have encountered with graphite. Fiberglass rods can typically handle a weight above and below their rated weight. Older rods, new lines, many current linemakers paying only lip service to AFTMA ratings, and your own personal preferences make things interesting. If you already have several 5 or 6 wt lines (just as an example), then I'd try to start in that zone with your glass rods. Personally, I find trying to match a rod with a line fun and enjoy the hallelujah moments, but it was frustrating when I first got into glass. "Everything's better when wet...." Steve Miller Band
beauglass		#8	[-]
Master Guide Posts: 460 (01/07/09 08:41:05) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts Report Post	txbevo, Here's the latest thread about the glassic this spring. I wasn't trying to talk you out of the TFO rod. They will definately work with the line they are rated for. It was not my intention to imply they wouldn't. Listen to what bulldog1935 has to say. He has forgotten more about fiberglass than I, surely, will ever know. Last Edited By: beauglass 01/07/09 08:46:06. Edited 2 times.
bulldog1935		#9	[-]
Posts: 4391 (01/07/09 08:48:35) Administrator Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts Report Post	http://www.grtu.org/forums/viewtopic.php?t=2316 here's a short discussion of the Finesse glass rod on a home waters board the rods are never obsolete - the marketing is.
txbevo		#10	[-]
Registered Member Posts: 3 (01/07/09 10:36:19) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts Report Post	From what I am reading, the TFO Finesse works well with anywhere from a 5-7 line. Is that correct? What is a good reel to match with the TFO Finesse that could cover that range? Will one reel work or will I need 2 separate reels? Right now I have an Orvis Battenkill LA III and a Lamson Konic 1.5. Finally, any recommendations on specific brand of lines/tapers? In reading one of the mentioned links, it seems Sharkskin was being used in conjunction with this rod.
armyflyfisher		#11	[-]
Master Guide Posts: 480 (01/07/09 11:22:18) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts Report Post	Another Texan!! (U.T. class of '84) Don't forget Craigslist when looking for vintage glass - although it, like ebay is hit or miss. I "scored" an almost mint Fenwick FF755 (7'6, 5wt) from a guy in Dallas when I was living at FT Hood in Kileen that was cleaning out a deceased relative's estate for $50.
keebranch		#12	[-]
Master Guide Posts: 711 (01/07/09 11:41:17) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts Report Post	Txbevo, Call Steven at Backwoods. The shop carries TFO, and he can help you with this. As for Sharkskin I don't think there's any particular advantage on lining this rod with it. I'd think that the H&H High Floaters or the Classic Paech are nice lines for glass. If you were to ask Ron he'd probably advise you to match this rod with Teeny t series lines. Les
Arctic Grayling		#13	[-]
Master Guide Posts: 207 (01/07/09 12:19:52) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts Report Post	I fished the six weight Ultimatel Trout Sharkskin on my Griggs rod and it was fantastic. I don't see why it would be just as good on the glass Finesse. To me one of the best features of the Sharkskin is how easily it picks up off the water. If your line is already out and a fish rises in a different spot you can get right on it.
bulldog1935		#14	[-]
Posts: 4393 (01/07/09 12:40:34) Administrator Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts Report Post	I like short-belly lines with short rods, so I fish mine with T130, BS100 sinkers, and Teeny first cast floating lines the rods are never obsolete - the marketing is.
Arctic Grayling		#15	[-]
Master Guide Posts: 208 (01/07/09 20:36:16) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts Report Post	bulldog1935 wrote: I like short-belly lines with short rods, so I fish mine with T130, BS100 sinkers, and Teeny first cast floating lines I'm so confused!!! Does this mean that if you have a big belly, you must fish a long rod??????
bulldog1935		#16	[-]
Posts: 4396 (01/07/09 21:49:55) Administrator Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts Report Post	nope the rods are never obsolete - the marketing is.

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