I have a Fenwick FF806 that I absolutely enjoy fishing, and I fish it quite often. In fact, I've fished it hard on occasion (all day, lots of casts, horsing around fish, etc.). On my last outing, I caught several decent sized bass (which it handled easily in relatively shallow water) and suddenly I wondered for the first time if I should be taking easy on this 42 year old rod! I handle the rod with respect and don't abuse it when fighting larger fish, but should I be concerned about using it like it's brand new? Big fish aren't my usual catch, but I get lucky now and then. I'd hate to ruin this wonderful old rod.

Comments anyone?

Unless it is damaged in some way, tough as heck.

I’ve never broken a glass rod while fishing. Some have survived full speed impacts with clouser deep minnows,trees, and lifting fish. Plenty of my graphite rods have broken doing ordinary casts.

1918 Thomas Special

Short answer...NOPE!

After buying a few graphite rods and having them snap too easily. That was what pushed me back to glass several decades ago. The last straw was when I hiked a full day into a wilderness area to fish...and on my first backcast with a graphite rod, I hooked a bit of vegetation and the tip broke off (probably hit by a beadhead on an earlier trip or something). That was it for me.

I have only broken one glass rod in my experience and that came during a rod/kayak/downed tree across the river moment of peril. All survived but the Cortland.

Beware of slamming car doors.

Otherwise you’ll be fine.

Two points. First, your rod was made in the mid to late 70s. By then, Fenwick had moved to epoxy resins which hold their strength and adhesion well. In general Fenwicks don't fall apart due to old age. They fail due to the inevitable accidents that happen to fly rods of all materials.

Second, so what if your FF806 was getting frailer every year? What then? Put it in a closet and never fish with it again? A 50 year old, very common rod will not gain value in a closet. An FF806 has value because you can take it fishing. Better for the rod to fail on the water than to be tossed when someone else cleans out the closet.


Tom

My friend dropped the end of a 17ft canoe on my FF857 today. It shrugged it off with nary a scratch (luckily it happened on grass). Old glass rods are tough. I would be more concerned about the guide wraps deteriorating with age and use than the fiberglass itself which seems nearly indestructible. Most rods from 60-70’s vintage have wraps in good to great shape from what I’ve seen, so even that isn’t much of an issue.

Fiberglass rods are anything but fragile...extremely durable, resulting in so many still with us in our closets and at yardsales today.

No way to prove it, but I feel I have landed some fish on glass rods I may not have landed on graphite composite, given the bending of the tip while fighting. You can definitely use smaller tippets with glass rods and still land fish.

I also believe you can apply more pressure and land fish quicker with glassrods...no worries of breaking the rod. You know when it is bent over to the max and has no more to give..and act accordingly, so it works well.

Old glass fly rods were built to be fished. Unless there is some obvious damage, keep fishing them hard and often.

I have broken three rods on fish in my life, all three were graphite. I've never felt like I was close to breaking a glass rod on a fish. Unfortunate garage accidents, however, can happen in the best of families...

my neighbor who likes to euronymph with the latest tech, saw it and said, "nice reel George Jetson !"..

Thanks all for the great feedback. I've been very comfortable using the Fenwick and must admit it feels indestructible! After reading these comments I'll just keep fishing it as I have been. The comment about Fenwick moving to epoxy resins by the time that my rod was manufactured is quite helpful, and all the comments about everyone's experiences with their own rods, and the comments on fiberglass rods in general, are equally encouraging.

Glass Fanatic's comment about a spare rod is a great comment and I'm going to do something like that - perhaps another FF806!

I have a handful of nice graphite rods and I enjoy fishing all of them. Putting this old Fenwick into the rotation really was a disrupting event, some kind of "moment" after I'd owned it for a while! I came to greatly enjoy fishing this old rod, as much as any of my others (perhaps more in some cases), yet I paid virtually nothing for it, comparatively speaking. I fish a lot of farm ponds and small lakes and have a blast dragging this rod around to these various waters. It's so much fun to fish and I've come to really value the rod despite its cost - it goes on every trip. I guess I got a bit paranoid about the possibility of abusing it!

Thanks!