With all the can we make it faster hype of so much of the carbon markets, the glass revival was almost a revolt to sanity. Lighter weights and better tapers have made them much more agile in hand. It is also nice to see more shorter rods becoming available. An 8-0 8 wt is much nicer than an 8-9.

Maybe the could put nano resins in the mix and it would be new again

Interestingly enough, Hardy tried that with their Cirrus Glass rod series, which was advertised as using Sintrix resin from 3M. They didn’t set the world on fire and other manufacturers haven’t publicly followed suit….

The wave may be over but the material isn’t going anywhere because it is so versatile.

I saw Tom Morgan and other great minds and talents in the field mentioned in this thread, with one notable exception: Larry Kenney. Being able to directly communicate with a giant like him is truly a unique opportunity. What amature ball player can call up a hall of famer to ask mundane questions? AND get an answer?

Larry is just the glaring omission of the group of generous people involved in this revival that has made it possible in the first place. Without their knowledge and willingness to share it, I would not have a closet and garage full of fiberglass rods.

Haven’t been online for a while and just catching up. After reading this thread, I figured I would weigh in. Originally from a spinning and baiting cast background, I only recently started fly fishing. This will be my third Spring. I fish mainly at a Stillwater anglers club near Boston for stocked trout but have fished and caught sea run Browns in NH, Striped Bass from Northern border of MA to the end of the canal on the Cape. This will be my second season fishing for American Shad in the Merrimack River. And I fish for large and small mouth bass in NH and MA ponds usually from June to September. My first two rods were a used and early 90s Sage DS2 9’ 4wt and an 8.5’ 6wt LL Bean Classic. Both medium fast graphite.
My first glass rod and third fly rod was a hand me down Dual function Fenwick Spin Fly 7.5’ in what I have found to be the most common size fenwick 6wt. Despite the odd looking oversized guides, it was also my first multi piece rod. And I was really impressed with how it cast. It met all of my expectations of what a fly cast should be. A relaxed, almost slow motion delivery slowly floating to the water. Unlike my previous bait casting experience which while I still enjoy is more like shooting an arrow straight to the target.
That launched me into figuring out what this fiberglass thing was all about. Eventually I realized that the early fiberglass designers were using what they considered was the best and also least expensive material to replicate the feeling of expensive labor intensive bamboo rods.
Then the weirdness happened when casting tournaments got confused with fly fishing and everyone thought that fish somehow were always magically on the opposite side of the river or pond than the one you were on and if you couldn’t cast 100 ft you could not cast. And of course the space race and exotic light weight materials. Rocket ships inspired more bad ideas including cars in the late fifties and then fly rods. I think a few people figured out that just because you can, it isn’t necessarily a good idea.
I recently have seen an add from a company not to be named marketing the most accurate fly rod ever made. Try to imagine what that means and you will realize how ridiculous that statement is.
For several reasons, most rods these days are composite graphite and are made in South Korea. They make pretty good streamer and nymph rods that seem to appeal to a younger generation of enthusiasts. I say it’s a good idea because fishing in general needs an influx of fresh blood. And I believe eventually that they will get curious as they mature and decide to start their own glass revival the same ways it has been going on for generations in music, hot rods and other stuff. Everything old eventually becomes new. And fiberglass is one of those materials that is pretty impervious to rough handling and time. And it was a good idea originally and is still today. There have been a few bamboo revivals and I am sure there will be a couple of fiberglass ones also. I doubt there will be a boron one.