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Post 19 Jan 2021, 18:10 • #476 
New Member
Joined: 01/15/21
Posts: 11
Hey guys,
I’m Sam from Kentucky and new to fly fishing. I got started because I found my Dads old Shakespeare Fiber Glass rod and reel, which led me to a cheap graphite outfit which in turn led me to an Eagle claw featherlight. I’m in love with fly fishing and it seems I prefer the feel of fiberglass, and it also seems that I have found the place to learn more about this whole trip!

Thanks
Sam from KY


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Post 20 Jan 2021, 08:37 • #477 
Master Guide
Joined: 08/03/14
Posts: 945
Location: central AR
Welcome Sam, yes indeed you came to the right place to learn about fiberglass.

Tim


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Post 20 Jan 2021, 18:17 • #478 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 02/12/16
Posts: 4093
Location: USA-CO
Sam, welcome aboard!

Charlie


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Post 21 Jan 2021, 20:48 • #479 
New Member
Joined: 01/15/21
Posts: 11
Thanks for the welcomes guys. I got the eagle claw and okuma out on my lunch break today, missed a couple of fish and landed none, but I really enjoyed casting the new rig!
Thanks
Sam from KY


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Post 26 Jan 2021, 10:06 • #480 
New Member
Joined: 01/21/21
Posts: 4
Hello everybody,

I grew up fishing glass and bamboo fly rods - OK, I fish everything from catfish to bluefin tuna - and learned rod building from John and Jean Harrington. John was the inventor of fiberglass fishing rods back in 1945. He kept busy making Harnell (and later Harrington ) rod blanks. His' second wife, Jean, did almost all the wrapping and was a patient teacher. I'd often see James "Doc Ski" Labanowski in the shop, and he taught me a lot of finer points as well.
Much of my youth was spent "distance running" - which more often than not involved hiding tackle, food, and camping gear so I could fish the Sespe and Agua Blanca rivers in the Los Padres Forrest of Southern California.
I studied engineering in college, and would put the math and testing to bending moments of tapered tubular rods, and eventually worked out a blank for distance casting competition. I caught over 100,000 trout on a fly. Most of these on a single pattern - a brown and black wasp , a wet fly pattern that had two brown hackle tips for wings.
I'm learning bamboo rood making as well. I'm filing my own planing dies and will get the grinder built next. I hope to make a composite of glass, graphite, and bamboo that optimizes the properties of each.


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Post 04 Feb 2021, 14:19 • #481 
New Member
Joined: 01/29/21
Posts: 9
Hi everyone, I recently found this board and have been really impressed by, and appreciative of, all the information. Here’s a little bit of my back story:

I have been away from fly fishing for about 20 years. Back in the day, I used to do a fair bit of fly fishing (primarily for trout), tied flies, and made some rods for personal use. I attribute my drift away from fly fishing to a move to the desert southwest (away from easily accessible fly fishing waters in northern California), to work, and to raising a family. Each year, as life happened, fly fishing slipped further and further off the radar. Recently, however, my interest in fly fishing has been renewed.

As to how I got here: Over the years, I have developed a bit of an affinity for “old stuff;” not just any “old stuff,” but “old stuff” that is well made and functional, that performs on par or better than new stuff, and that is a good value. While I am not devoid of nostalgia and sentiment, I tend toward the practical. I don't collect anything for the sake of collecting and I am happy to use good new stuff where performance and value favor it. I have 100+ year old hand planes in the garage along with modern Veritas hand planes, and vintage straight-razors that are in the shaving line-up along with modern razors. However, back in the days when fly fishing was one of two things always on my mind (pretty much pre-internet), my knowledge was limited to what I saw in fly shops and magazines; reels such as Martins and Pfluegers and fiberglass rods were not on the radar. In any event, my mindset back then was a little different, and I likely would have coveted the new and shiny anyway.

Having had my interest in fly fishing renewed, I started looking for a couple older reels to pair with rods I had on hand. As my first fly reel, a Daiwa SF 706 (which I still have), instilled a fondness for click pawl reels, my search veered in that direction. In researching various reels I kept finding myself back on this site.

I am sure you can guess what happened next: some older reels started arriving. Favorites of the bunch so far are the SA Concept 1 456s (big surprise! It is basically the Daiwa SF 706), Daiwa 730, and Martin MC56.

Of course, once reels significantly outnumbered rods, balance had to be restored to the universe. To that end, I finally got around to finishing a 7½ foot 4 weight IM6 graphite rod that had been sitting in the rod wrapper for nearly 20 years. I also started reading about vintage fiberglass rods on this site. This led me to dip my toe into vintage rod waters. A Narmco Conolon F88 recently arrived and I have two more vintage glass rods on the way - an Actionrod 1580 and a Cortland PRF-2000 (my first fly rod, which I still have, was a Cortland GRF 1000).

All my prior experience is with graphite, although I do prefer a more moderate action rod. I want to love that Conolon, but the jury is out. On one hand, it is in pretty good shape and in fishable condition. It casts a WF6 (the heaviest line I currently have) fairly well and I like the action, but it would likely do better with something heavier. On the other hand, it is VERY tip heavy and unbalanced with the reels I have on hand (the WF6 is on a Ross Cimarron). Not very comfortable or enjoyable to cast. I need to find a boat anchor of a reel or some other way to counterbalance the tip weight or it will spend much more time on the wall than on the water. I am hopeful the other two, which are shorter, will be more enjoyable to cast with the reels I have on hand.

Anyway, huge thanks to this board for the information and for being a part in rekindling my interest in all things fly fishing.


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Post 05 Feb 2021, 19:00 • #482 
New Member
Joined: 01/29/21
Posts: 1
Hello from Southern MN! First post, here.

I’ve been fly fishing off and on for about thirty-eight years. First fly rod was a Berkley Buccaneer, about 8’ 6”, in a 6/7 weight.

I put a Martin 65 on that baby, and lined it with an Ace Hardware (IIRC) weight forward line. I knew from reading magazines that weight-forward lines were for distance, double taper for delicacy, and level lines were primarily used with live bait! Oh, the horrors that image would bring present to some of today’s purists!

I’m mostly a bass/panfish guy, as that’s mostly what’s available here. I’m not a “trout guy,” but I’ve caught/released lots of trout out in WY/MT, fishing being incidental to other reasons for visiting. I educated the dumb ones, anyway... :P


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Post 11 Feb 2021, 00:18 • #483 
New Member
Joined: 02/09/21
Posts: 2
Hi all.
My name is Alex and I am brand new to this forum. I live in Lakewood California but am originally from Old Bridge NJ.
So I’ll get right to it. I was given this rod with absolutely no info about it. I can only find one marking on it but I’ll include several pix.
It’s 8’6” 2 piece rod and was trying to find out anything you can tell me about it.
Thanks to all.


[Fixed the photos. Tom]


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Post 11 Feb 2021, 12:11 • #484 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 02/12/16
Posts: 4093
Location: USA-CO
Welcome, Topwater38 and AlexT006! Enjoy the board with all the great stories and expertise here.


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Post 11 Feb 2021, 18:24 • #485 
Administrator
Joined: 01/10/06
Posts: 7811
Location: Holly Springs, NC
AlexT006 wrote:
Hi all.
My name is Alex and I am brand new to this forum. I live in Lakewood California but am originally from Old Bridge NJ.
So I’ll get right to it. I was given this rod with absolutely no info about it. I can only find one marking on it but I’ll include several pix.
It’s 8’6” 2 piece rod and was trying to find out anything you can tell me about it. Thanks to all.

Welcome to the Forum!

My best guess from your photos is a Montague rod from long ago, as that tradename was purchased by True Temper in the 50s. The model number fits more with Horrocks-Ibbotson (50s into the 60s). Both companies made rods from brown fiberglass. You may wish to try it with 6 or 7 weight lines and see which feels best to you.


Tom


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Post 25 Feb 2021, 17:11 • #486 
New Member
Joined: 02/09/21
Posts: 2
Thanks I’ll try that. I also heard where you can hang pennies from the tip and determine the wt and flex.


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Post 25 Feb 2021, 20:08 • #487 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 01/26/07
Posts: 1385
Location: Ada, Oklahoma
Alex,
I believe that rod is a Horrocks-Ibbotson. They had several rods in the 1200 series, including Woodsman, Ranger, and Special series. I could not find anything on a model 1212, but I did find a picture of a 1221 Ranger series, with that tobacco glass color and identical wraps to the one in your picture.

Larry


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Post 04 Mar 2021, 12:12 • #488 
Guide
Joined: 08/19/16
Posts: 314
Location: Brazil
AlexT006 wrote:
Thanks I’ll try that. I also heard where you can hang pennies from the tip and determine the wt and flex.


If you try this you may (or may not) like it.
https://www.common-cents.info/CCS_basic_Layout_1.pdf


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Post 07 Mar 2021, 11:07 • #489 
New Member
Joined: 03/05/21
Posts: 24
Location: New Mexico
Hello people,

New to the forum. I'm retired in New Mexico and have been fly fishing for about twenty years now. I enjoy fishing with classic fly rods but only have a couple of glass rods at the moment. I'm looking forward to learning more about the history and trends with fiberglass rods from everyone on the forum.


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Post 07 Mar 2021, 12:41 • #490 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 01/26/07
Posts: 1385
Location: Ada, Oklahoma
Welcome aboard. You should be able to learn all you want and more from this board.

Larry


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Post 07 Mar 2021, 21:02 • #491 
New Member
Joined: 03/05/21
Posts: 24
Location: New Mexico
Thank you, Larry!


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Post 08 Mar 2021, 18:53 • #492 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 02/12/16
Posts: 4093
Location: USA-CO
Welcome, dryflynm!


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Post 09 Mar 2021, 08:18 • #493 
New Member
Joined: 03/05/21
Posts: 24
Location: New Mexico
Thank you, Tomah!


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Post 25 Apr 2021, 23:02 • #494 
New Member
Joined: 04/25/21
Posts: 4
Hello, I'm Dan. I am new to fly fishing and especially new to the glass rods. I was gifted a garcia conolon fly rod 2454. I have a couple questions 1. what wt line would I expect to use with this. 2. the reel is currently a rt handed reel. While I am rt handed I reel with my left and hold the rod with my right. Is there a way to reverse this reel? Thanks, I am looking forward eather way to using this. I am currently in the Austin TX area.



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Post 27 Apr 2021, 15:08 • #495 
Guide
Joined: 08/19/16
Posts: 314
Location: Brazil
KingDan, to begin with, welcome to the forum! The wiki just shows your rod to be an 8-footer with a "dry fly" action, but it gives no line weight or diameter. You could probably go with a 6- or 7-weight line and see how it feels to go from there. If there's a line on the reel you could try that and then work out what weight it is. If you put pictures of the rod on the "collecting fiberglass fly rods" subforum you will probably get more replies.

The reel isn't one that I recognize. You could put it on the classic fly reel subforum, where it would get more attention. Be sure to take photos that show both sides of the reel, the underside of the foot, and the insides of the reel with the spool removed so as to see the click or drag mechanism.


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Post 27 Apr 2021, 19:38 • #496 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 04/20/07
Posts: 8920
Location: US-ME
Welcome King Dan--and thanks Pampas Pete for encouraging KingDan to add posts. Both the reel and the rod (in Fishing... or Collecting...) would be of interest with more info and photos. Very likely, KingDan, they'll elicit more comment with new posts on each. Using the search function (upper right of the frame) will turn up a lot on the Conolons.


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Post 27 Apr 2021, 21:46 • #497 
New Member
Joined: 04/25/21
Posts: 4
Thanks for the replies, I'll definitely post pictures in the mentioned spot. I took it out today with the line that was on it, casting was nice, and it has good action. I really like the feel of the glass,


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Post 04 Aug 2021, 15:19 • #498 
New Member
Joined: 07/24/21
Posts: 4
The Harnell and Harrington rods are still a favorite of the older guys salmon trolling out of Bay Area harbors, I found a gorgeous mint condition Harrington a couple years before I retired, and I fished it with a Penn 2/0 Senator


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Post 18 Aug 2021, 18:25 • #499 
Guide
Joined: 08/11/21
Posts: 208
Location: Tucson, AZ
Thank-you for accepting my request to join the forum...whew, now I can be myself and profess my appreciation and love for vintage tackle, especially fiberglass, without judgement, or even mockery, from my less enlightened brethren.
From my handle, a tribute to Phillipson and Sila-flex rods, you may have guessed I value the vintage rods, which would be correct. Grew up in the Catskills..dating myself..before the advent of graphite composite rods of all kinds, and have a perverse pride in sticking with fishing the slower, more cumbersome rods and still appreciate the feel of vintage bamboo and fiberglass...though I have plenty of high quality modern gear.
I now live in the West, Southwest to be exact, and ran a flyfishing proshop for about 15 years before closing it down in 2008. We handled many of the best lines of equipment, in various price ranges, while helping folks gear up with vintage gear as well.
Today I fish mostly stillwaters for warmwater fish out of a floattube and cast flies with my fiberglass rods when the mood takes me. When I find a vintage rod at a yard sale, swapmeet (been closed with the pandemic), etc. I try to fish it..am primarily interested in functional rods we can use, rather than "wall-hangers" and, though I tend to sell the better finds to friends and old customers from my shop a few stick around to be pulled out at the right times.
I get the most excited about the discovery of a quality American-made fiberglass rod and/or a reel of a similar vintage to match up with it...and am looking forward to learning more about the old ones I love and the newer products out there.


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Post 30 Sep 2021, 11:01 • #500 
New Member
Joined: 09/27/21
Posts: 8
Thanks for the add, been a lurker here for a while. Got into fly fishing last year with the pandemic, started with an inexpensive graphite outfit off Amazon. I read 'Fly Fishing the Sam' last spring, which is a locally written guide to fly fishing the creeks and streams in the Sam Houston National Forest. In it, the author suggested a short 3wt, which lead to the Google machine, which lead to the Fiberglass Manifesto and its review of the reissued Featherlights from Eagle Claw. I picked up the 6-6 model, paired it with a Pflueger Medalist off eBay and have not looked back. Recently found my dad's old 8-6 Shakespeare Wonder Rod and paired it with a Martin reel off eBay and am going to use it for bigger streams. My dad also gifted me a TFO 8wt for salt fishing, so no glass there yet, but I am open to suggestions.


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