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Post 18 Aug 2022, 12:32 • #1 
Guide
Joined: 09/06/17
Posts: 163
Location: New Hampshire
If there's one canard you hear again and again about vintage fiberglassrods it's "They're nice in shorter lengths, clunky in longer ones."

Some are, of course; I remember an old Browning 9-footer I could barely life, let alone cast back when I was a husky teenager. But over the years, collecting glass in an informal way, I've come across some longer rods that do everything you'd look for in fiberglass, relaxing to cast, sensitive, forgiving, and absolutely wonderful when you're playing a fish.

Right now, I have two favorites: a Phillipson Royal 8/12 foot 8-weight, complete with detachable butt, and a Hardy JET 9-foot 7-weight. Sure the guides could be bigger, and they are heavier than graphite, but I only fish two or three hours at a time, and even at my age, my casting arm has no trouble with them. They're my go-to rods for smallmouth, and rarely a week goes by in the season when I don't fish one or the other. Hell, I just like LOOKING at them, never mind fishing.

I notice FFR had a 9 1/2 foot Phillipson for sale recently, and I was sorely tempted. Clearly, some of the old-timers were pushing the limits with length.

Modern glass makers are venturing into longer lengths, particularly in 8-weights, but I'd like to hear from fellow addicts if they have a favorite vintage rod from the old days that's 8 1/2-foot or longer.

And, out of curiosity, does anyone know if any of the historic old firms ever tried making a 10-footer?

Thanks and good fishing!


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Post 18 Aug 2022, 13:10 • #2 
Guide
Joined: 08/11/21
Posts: 208
Location: Tucson, AZ
The only longer vintage rod I really like and fish occasionally is my 8&1/2' 6,7 Silaflex 3 pc fly rod..part of a smokin' deal at a local secondhand store with a Sage 9' 6wt Discovery that I gave my niece

Probably similar to the Phillipson Royal..but as one may note in my avatar, I like Silaflexes (pre- or post- Browning) and Phillipsons


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Post 18 Aug 2022, 13:53 • #3 
Guide
Joined: 02/06/16
Posts: 328
Location: US
Does an 8'6" 5wt Wojnicki from the '90s count? Otherwise an FF84.


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Post 18 Aug 2022, 14:00 • #4 
Master Guide
Joined: 08/23/19
Posts: 371
Location: North Central Oregon
3 longer rods that I own that I think fish and cast very well and not heavy.

8 1/2' Wallace Flycaster possibly built on a lamiglas S glass blank. Very light for its length. I absolutely enjoy it with a 6wt line.
8 1/2' Fenwick FL102-7 Yellow glass. A nice casting 7wt and not too heavy.
9' SFL 1088S 8wt Lamiglas S glass. Another very light rod for its length. Have only cast it twice but liked it, and hope to get it out for some summer run steelhead this season.


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Post 18 Aug 2022, 14:41 • #5 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 06/11/06
Posts: 2516
Location: Nature Coast Florida
My favorite is a 9'3" Lamiglas that throws a very nice 6/7 line. Rod only weighs 4.5 ozs..

Have a couple great 9' Phillipsons that throw 9/10 weight lines. These rods weigh 5 1/4 and 5 1/2 ozs..

Also, surprisingly good are a couple 9' Wonderods I've had that will cast a bunch of line. They all have had fighting butts. The only two I still have are a model No 926 and a No 1475. Comes in at 6.3 ozs.

Barry


Last edited by GRASSNGLASS on 18 Aug 2022, 16:54, edited 1 time in total.

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Post 18 Aug 2022, 14:47 • #6 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 09/18/09
Posts: 5561
Location: Relocated to the Drought Stricken West.
Three that come to mind are:
FF-84
FF-90
FF-90-3

And for an 8wt, an FF-85.

There were some good 50's era Narmco Conolons in that size.
And the Cortland FR-2000 8'6" rods (or similar vintage Crown rods)

Getting to 9' really shrinks things down.
I had a 3pc wonderrod that was a fantastic caster, but just would wear you out. The Phillipsons are nice, but are too heavy for me to fish. The FF-90 is the only vintage glass rod that I fish.


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Post 18 Aug 2022, 14:57 • #7 
Master Guide
Joined: 09/23/18
Posts: 614
Location: Eastern Wa
FF85, FF857, FF9010, FF84 and FF855 are all nice and dont feel heavy or sluggish to me. I dont feel disadvantaged at all using them over graphite.


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Post 18 Aug 2022, 16:01 • #8 
Guide
Joined: 07/22/20
Posts: 128
Location: US-CA
This begs the question what is a "long" vintage rod? Seems the consensus is anything over 8'? I have a FF837 (8'3"), is that considered long? (Edit: Re-read OP and see he set the criteria at 8' 6" and longer.)


Last edited by BrianN on 20 Aug 2022, 20:39, edited 1 time in total.

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Post 18 Aug 2022, 16:42 • #9 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 06/24/11
Posts: 1144
Location: Belgium
I haven't come across an 8'6" Fenwick I didn't like: FF84, FF86, FF856, FF857, FF858.
As far a Hardy rods go 8'6" and even 9' Fibalites and Fibalite perfections for 6wt and 7wt are fine.
Hardy made rods up to 10'6" in glass.

Of the above my favourite is the Hardy Fibalite Perfection 8'6" 6wt. I think if I spent more time with my FF86-3 I might like that just as much. It has to be said that there's a fair bit of variance (sometimes related to vintage but not only) in these rods so best to try before you buy.


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Post 18 Aug 2022, 21:18 • #10 
Guide
Joined: 07/07/19
Posts: 221
Location: US-WI
8-1/2’ 4wt 3pc Diamondglass. The earlier black one, not the later blue one.
S-glass, light, delicate, yet has surprising power in the butt if you need it.


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Post 18 Aug 2022, 22:13 • #11 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 06/09/05
Posts: 2524
Location: US-CO
I have only two vintage glass rods rods longer than 8 1/2 ft that serve me well.

1. Shakespeare FY-A510 which fishes well as an 8/9 weight. (This is the one I reach for when I need a big rod).

2. Fenwick (Woodstream) FL-7 (same as Fenwick FF-837) which is a 7 wt. I have it instead of an FF-807 for the bit of extra reach but it is not the powerhouse that the Shakespeare is.


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Post 18 Aug 2022, 23:52 • #12 
Guide
Joined: 07/22/20
Posts: 128
Location: US-CA
paveglass wrote:
I have only two vintage glass rods rods longer than 8 1/2 ft that serve me well……

2. Fenwick (Woodstream) FL-7 (same as Fenwick FF-837)
Isn’t the FL-7 shorter than 8 1/2 ft (~8’ 3”)?


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Post 19 Aug 2022, 07:07 • #13 
Piscator
Joined: 08/10/05
Posts: 19078
Location: downtown Bulverde, Texas
Since this asked vintage rod and not glass rod, 8-1/2' Thomas Special (light ferrule) and 8-1/2' Heddon 1-3/4F, both 4/5 weights.


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Post 19 Aug 2022, 07:27 • #14 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 06/16/05
Posts: 2537
Location: Georgia
TytLynz2U2 wrote:
8-1/2’ 4wt 3pc Diamondglass. The earlier black one, not the later blue one.
S-glass, light, delicate, yet has surprising power in the butt if you need it.

I really like the Diamondglass 864, but don’t consider it “vintage”. Although I realize there’s not a formal definition, I tend to think of the early 1980s as the dividing zone (not clear enough to be a line); before then, glass dominated the market for 30 years or more, but then gave way to graphite - big time, with very few new glass rods being sold by a few legacy makers like Scott, but most completely nhaving abandoned glass from their lineups. After that, I tend to think that introductions of new glass models like the Scott F2 or Diamondglass series were attempts to offer alternatives to graphite dominance in the hopes of developing a niche big enough to be noticeable in the profit analysis.

For vintage, my “E” FF85 6/7 weight is a good river rod, and one session with the FF858 indicates it’s a good bass bugging rod. But still, I have more vintage favorites at 8’.


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Post 19 Aug 2022, 08:11 • #15 
Guide
Joined: 07/07/19
Posts: 221
Location: US-WI
Upstream,
Fair enough. Many collector folks (including me) consider “vintage” to mean at least 20 years old and “antique” to mean at least 100 years old. I think I bought my Dglass around 2001. So I am definitely cutting it close with that one…


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Post 19 Aug 2022, 08:27 • #16 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 04/20/07
Posts: 8920
Location: US-ME
Contemporary advertising copy aside, fiberglass is still fiberglass. I'll go a step further and say the best makers of the era were better equipped and experienced to explore the technical limits of length and line weight than small-volume makers today, who do well to produce rods that can stand with the best of the heyday. The length and line weight limits that most anglers will find comfortable are about the same as ever.

In mid line weights, any Fisher based 5, 6, or 7 weight 8 1/2 to 9 feet. Most distinctive would be the Leon Chandler: viewtopic.php?f=8&t=40246&p=141953&hilit=Leon+Chandler+%27glass+factory#p141953


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Post 19 Aug 2022, 08:39 • #17 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 11/06/17
Posts: 2498
Location: South of Joplin
:like

FR2000 9', FR2000 8'6", FF85, St Croix 9' Double Built, Phillipson 8'6" Deluxe, my mentor had a 9' Wonderod that I envied.
I liked more of them that I can't recall at the moment, but these were all more useful than pleasant to use. That extra length is needed in many situations, and in many other situations the more pleasant to use 7'6" versions of the same rods or the 6'6" versions are nicer/less tiresome for longer sessions.
The only two reasons not to like longer fiberglass rods are that short rods are just less apt to hit a tree and the fact that we have carbon fiber rods available that are lighter in the hand. Before graphite became available we all had wonderful long rods in 'glass or cane that weighed what they weighed (less than a pint, in most cases) and we didn't worry about it. I used 9' 'glass almost exclusively from the '70s until the mid '90s, because that length 8wt could do it all, I needed only one rod.


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Post 19 Aug 2022, 08:51 • #18 
Piscator
Joined: 08/10/05
Posts: 19078
Location: downtown Bulverde, Texas
Joe Fisher's glass has a reputation for being lighter in hand than his graphite. He just never trusted graphite and over-built those rods.
Of course, one reason for his glass being lighter in hand is general shorter lengths, where glass tapers excel.
I personally can't think of a reason to choose '9 glass over Fisher 9' IM6, and could make a long list for the opposing argument.


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Post 19 Aug 2022, 08:58 • #19 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 12/05/06
Posts: 2089
Location: US-PA
I own one vintage glass rod that meets the specifications, a FF85-3 marked for and fished with a 6wt spooled on a fully pimped period correct 1494. As I own and fish a lot of bamboo at 8'6" in 5, 6 & 7 weights, the Fenwick feels light to me. :)

I also own a 9'6" 8wt Leonard bamboo and a 9'0 5wt F.E. Thomas Special but I haven't fished either in a long time.

In the non-vintage category I have a "light" 8'6" 5wt smooth blank McFarland Spruce Creek that Mike built for me way back so it's almost vintage. ;)


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Post 19 Aug 2022, 09:28 • #20 
Guide
Joined: 09/06/17
Posts: 163
Location: New Hampshire
Thanks to all--this is most interesting.

My Phillipson RF86BE comes in at 4 3/4 oz., and maybe this is the key to longer rods--weight. Anything over 5 ounces, to an arm trained on graphite, seems over-the-top, at least to me, while under 5 oz. seems to be do-able; I can fish that rod all day and my arm feels great--unless the smallmouth have been giving it a workout.
I like to cast old bass bugs I find here and there, real powder puffs, and, as the old-time bass writers used to say, the slower the rod the better for these.

Interesting to learn of a brand I never heard of: Wallace Flycaster. Also interesting to learn Hardy had a 10 1/2 foot fiberglass, I assume made by Fisher? And probably used for bank casting, which is a big thing in U.K.

I wonder if there were any vintage companies making long fiberglass rods....9 foot or longer....for trout, not bass or steelhead?

(For that matter, wonder if any contemporary glass builder is making 10-foot fiberglass rods for, say, Czech nymphing.)

Thanks again all.


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Post 19 Aug 2022, 09:47 • #21 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 10/18/12
Posts: 1712
Location: Bozeman, MT
My favorite longer vintage rod is my Russ Peak 7'9" fiberglass "Zenith" 5wt. Built in 1976. Serial #13408.


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Post 19 Aug 2022, 09:52 • #22 
Sport
Joined: 05/13/18
Posts: 69
Location: US-KS
FF856 - 5 Voyager no serial number made in late 80's


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Post 19 Aug 2022, 10:03 • #23 
Master Guide
Joined: 07/21/21
Posts: 447
Location: Florida
Bruce & Walker The Borders 10’6 “wet fly” rod, FG837 and FF85 and FF856. Oops forgot another great one … Berkeley Curt Gowdy Parametric PG40.


Last edited by Cyguy on 20 Aug 2022, 17:38, edited 1 time in total.

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Post 19 Aug 2022, 14:44 • #24 
Sport
Joined: 09/14/20
Posts: 74
Location: Wisconsin
I have five vintage Fenwick rods, FF856, FF86-5, FF85, and FF85-5. All are 8' 6" and I like them all, enough so, that I don't think I would try to purchase shorter 6 or 8 wt. rods, but I already also have a newer Fenwick, the 765-3 (7'6" 5 wt.) that I like with 5 or 6 WF lines. I actually like the longer rods better, I think.


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Post 19 Aug 2022, 16:00 • #25 
Guide
Joined: 11/15/17
Posts: 101
Location: SanDiego,California
I am mostly a saltwater guy so here are some of my normal rods I use.
So big long rods to cast big long flies to catch big long fish!
All are vintage fiberglass. WD68 note the Harnell is a 10 footer.
I know some of you are saying you got to be kidding me this guy actually fishes with these telephone poles! Well yes that is the fun of it for me, to be able to go back and fish just like the early pioneers of saltwater fly fishing did. I match the rods with the same time period reels (60’s, 70’s & some 80’s) and they actually work quite well.

Narmco Conolon Falcon 407 (1952) 8wt / 9ft
Conolon Tournament T7106 (1958) 8wt / 9ft

Fenwick FF112S (1963) 9wt / 9ft 3in / 9ft 9in with 6in fighting butt
Harnell 661R (1955) 9wt / 9ft 6in / 10ft with 6in fighting butt
SilaFlex Medallion MF90SH-2 (1958) 9wt / 9ft / SH= steelhead

Fenwick FF9310 (1972) 10wt / 9ft 2in / 9ft 8in with 6in fighting butt
Garcia Conolon 2406T Gold Series (1964) 10wt / 9ft
Browning SilaFlex 322991 (1972) 10wt / 9ft

Fenwick FF109 (1966) 11wt / 9ft
Fenwick FF114 (1965) 11wt / 9ft 3in / 3in fighting butt
Fenwick FF9012 (1972) 12wt / 9ft / S Glass


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