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Post 16 Jan 2022, 09:14 • #1 
Guide
Joined: 01/25/20
Posts: 120
Location: US-VA
Are bamboo rods heavier in general than fiberglass rods?

I picked up bamboo rod for first time, it was a 7’6” 5 wt, and it felt much heavier than my 8’6” fiberglass 4/5 weight. Is this typical?


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Post 16 Jan 2022, 09:50 • #2 
Piscator
Joined: 08/10/05
Posts: 19104
Location: downtown Bulverde, Texas
My 8' Thomas Light Special 4/5-wt is 4.0 oz. The weight is insignificant because of the extremely fine tips.
This is also the same weight as 9' Sage RPLX-7 Graphite III.
Hollow-built butt sections can lower cane weight dramatically.
I fish a gang of 8-1/2' for tailwater, and they push 5 ounces.
My 8' Leonard Fairy Catskill from 1915 (Line G - 3wt) is 2.7 oz.

Much heavier is inaccurate. 9' cane pushes to extreme.
But the most boat-anchor-rod I've ever handled was Shakespeare 1280-T glass, 7'9" - the tip weight is outrageous.

Tip weight is a big factor. My long inshore conventional rods (Toray graphite) are typically 5 oz, but you don't care with lightened-tip sections and titanium-frame microguides.
With these, you're casting lures continuously. If you're casting a fly rod continuously, you're doing something wrong.


Last edited by bulldog1935 on 16 Jan 2022, 09:55, edited 1 time in total.

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Post 16 Jan 2022, 09:50 • #3 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 10/18/12
Posts: 1712
Location: Bozeman, MT
It's simply "Apples & Oranges". There are so many aspects in both groups that don't relate to one another that comparisons are mute.


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Post 16 Jan 2022, 10:21 • #4 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 06/10/09
Posts: 1655
Location: US-OH
For the same length and line weight, most recent glass rods are going to be lighter than bamboo. Vintage glass varies quite a bit. Some are nearly as heavy as bamboo - early Phillipsons with nickel silver ferrules for example. Others, like Fenwick and Berkley Parametrics with glass tip-over butt ferrules are as light as much modern glass. Some cane rods are impregnated (Orvis for one) which increases the weight a bit. Others are hollow built which decreases the weight. And to complicate the comparison further, recent glass can be e-glass or s-glass (which is usually lighter). So, as the others have said, it's hard to generalize.


Last edited by tiptop on 16 Jan 2022, 10:50, edited 2 times in total.

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Post 16 Jan 2022, 10:24 • #5 
Piscator
Joined: 08/10/05
Posts: 19104
Location: downtown Bulverde, Texas
Fisher is always interesting, because he made the lightest glass rods out there.
But his IM6 graphite rods are among the heaviest, because he never trusted graphite toughness.


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Post 16 Jan 2022, 11:21 • #6 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 02/10/07
Posts: 1632
Location: The Netherlands
Massive bamboo (unless hollow built) vs fiberglass tube?
Sounds easy to guess :D


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Post 16 Jan 2022, 12:17 • #7 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 02/27/16
Posts: 2334
Location: US-IL
I expected cane to be much heavier,i bought a modern cane rod that while not light it casts light if that makes any sense.A lifetime of construction work,no fishing rod is gonna ever feel heavy to me.Some are chore to cast and some i feel are almost self casting.Just like a good bird gun or a recurve bow.They aim themselves,you just have to look at the target.Of course you have to be doing it right for this to happen.


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Post 17 Jan 2022, 09:33 • #8 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 06/24/11
Posts: 1148
Location: Belgium
Bamboo rods are somewhat heavier than glass and bamboo also has a higher modulus than glass.


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