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Post 02 Nov 2013, 08:42 • #1 
Guide
Joined: 10/02/12
Posts: 114
Location: Missouri Ozarks
Hello, I have been looking at different new glass rods lately and the new Red Truck glass rod looks pretty nice. But I know nothing about the rod and was wondering if any of you have used, casted,etc. reviews on this rod. It looks really nice but need more info.Thanks


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Post 02 Nov 2013, 11:59 • #2 
Master Guide
Joined: 09/02/12
Posts: 829
Location: Upstate NY
I not tried it.Cameron might have a loaner you could try before you buy?


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Post 08 Nov 2013, 20:45 • #3 
New Member
Joined: 11/08/13
Posts: 9
Location: 24120 Arnold Dr. Sonoma, CA 95476
Mikee

First post! For those reading this we at Leland and Red Truck created an account for many reasons ... Yes, to answer specific product questions, but also to interact, and learn. Any questions can be PM'd or you can call us anytime.

Feel free to give us a call to discuss trying out the rod. We have a buy and try program. Simply pay in full and we'll send you a new rod. If it's not everything you hoped and dreamed after a casting or fishing session then send it back on your dime and we'll issue a refund. Cameron has fished this rod but currently doesn't have any on the loaner program. We'll be getting a Leland Glass 476-6 in his hands shortly.

Cameron's review: http://thefiberglassmanifesto.blogspot.. .. glass.html


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Post 08 Nov 2013, 21:01 • #4 
Master Guide
Joined: 05/01/10
Posts: 364
Location: Pleasant Plains, Il
Welcome Leland,
Great company, I appreciate the way you guys handle business. You guys don't even act annoyed when I call with long winded questions, and today, that's saying something. Keep up the good work over there. I'm yet to try your new glass offering but I will get around to it soon enough. Good luck on your new glass venture!

Jason


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Post 08 Nov 2013, 21:13 • #5 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 07/05/10
Posts: 5229
Location: Mid Hudson Valley of New York
Welcome Leland! Always curious to try new glass. I like the looks of yours!


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Post 08 Nov 2013, 22:41 • #6 
Guide
Joined: 10/02/12
Posts: 114
Location: Missouri Ozarks
Thanks Leland-Red Truck for your response. I would also like to say Welcome to the forum. Its great to have you here! I would like to know if this rod is consider a full flex slow action or is it considered med/fast action? I love the color and like the grip.
Thanks,
Mikee


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Post 09 Nov 2013, 13:04 • #7 
New Member
Joined: 11/08/13
Posts: 9
Location: 24120 Arnold Dr. Sonoma, CA 95476
Thanks for the kind welcoming.

In the discussion of rod action so popular today we've found that sometimes its best to compare action to another well known rod. Everyone seems to have a different interpretation to what's fast what's slow. In this case lets use the Scott F2. If the F2 is deep flexing medium action/recovery then the RT Glass is medium-fast leaning towards fast in comparison. We designed the rod to be a bit more versatile and a natural progression for those wanting to try glass who are accustomed to graphite. Not necessarily the other way around. I always took glass or bamboo as a fun backup option when the fishing was really good but with this rod I feel no disadvantage and its hard to go to graphite. Keeping in mind were fishing 4wt size flies on 4wt water. We use this on our small to medium Sierra freestone streams like the North Fork Yuba.

To clarify some other questions. This rod is made of S-glass. The red truck is 3 pieces, tube cap has the brews-key bottle opener and we offer spare tips for $40. The grip is a modified slender full wells. Recently finished is the Leland 6pc. It's a bit slower due to the ferrule connection weight, no brewskey, and finished with the finest components. The grip is optimized for our teaching style. The ferrule plugs are simply there to celebrate the history of the sport, they slow you down and yes there is a pouch in the rod sick.


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Post 09 Nov 2013, 17:47 • #8 
Master Guide
Joined: 05/17/11
Posts: 997
Location: US-NC
May I ask who manufactures the blanks and who finishes them?


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Post 09 Nov 2013, 18:43 • #9 
New Member
Joined: 11/08/13
Posts: 9
Location: 24120 Arnold Dr. Sonoma, CA 95476
We've been working with a rod builder in South Korea. I hope you can tell by the unique aesthetic and feel of our rods that we aren't simply slapping a label on our product. For more information about the construction and design feel free to call and speak with Burke. He's our rod & reel designer.


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Post 09 Nov 2013, 19:27 • #10 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 12/29/10
Posts: 1048
Location: Osage Orange Range, North Texas, US
Quote:
We've been working with a rod builder in South Korea.

Thank you for your candor. That quality is certainly most welcome.

Here's hoping the 'glass enterprise is so prosperous that you'll want to offer many more models across a range of actions.






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Post 10 Nov 2013, 19:48 • #11 
Sport
Joined: 09/04/13
Posts: 48
Location: Denver, Colorado
Pretty cool to have the companies participate in the forum for questions.


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Post 10 Nov 2013, 23:59 • #12 
Guide
Joined: 06/01/12
Posts: 343
Location: East TN
Good move coming here to answer questions and being candid doing so. That's enough to motivate me to try out the rods.


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Post 11 Nov 2013, 06:49 • #13 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 07/22/11
Posts: 1720
Location: US-TX
Yes, kudos to Leland for the one on one. Wish more would follow this model and this forum is the obvious place to present fiberglass.


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Post 11 Nov 2013, 08:52 • #14 
Guide
Joined: 10/02/12
Posts: 114
Location: Missouri Ozarks
I agree, I am glad I started this post! Nothing like one on one with the company to ask questions about there products :)


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Post 17 Nov 2013, 10:37 • #15 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 12/26/09
Posts: 1106
Location: Richmond, TX
Like others have posted, it is great to have a fly fishing company with fiberglass fly rods join FFR, post information, and answer questions thoughtfully and candidly. I hope you will continue to do so, including getting on the "What's New on the Market" forum to post product announcements.

I have one of your Class Series Fly Reels (Drift) that I got on a trade-up sale, and it is one of the finest reels I own, especially the aesthetics.

Andrew.


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Post 02 Feb 2014, 21:09 • #16 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 09/18/09
Posts: 5561
Location: Relocated to the Drought Stricken West.
Has anyone handled these rods yet?


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Post 03 Feb 2014, 01:06 • #17 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 11/25/09
Posts: 2319
Thanks for the response and just checked out that 6pc. The components and rod tube are very impressive.

Dusty


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Post 04 May 2015, 13:50 • #18 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 02/19/08
Posts: 1218
Location: Branson, Missouri
These Leland and Red Trucks guys are the bees knees !!

Pretty nice stuff too.. this here Leland Classic is a looker : Image


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Post 05 May 2015, 17:58 • #19 
Master Guide
Joined: 02/11/12
Posts: 716
Location: New Hampshire
Nice reel!


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Post 05 May 2015, 22:19 • #20 
Guide
Joined: 04/25/15
Posts: 152
Location: Oahu, Hawaii
Glad to see Leland RT on here. I picked up a wonderful second hand Steffen Brothers from them and have been having a blast with it! Awesome service, good people.


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Post 09 Mar 2017, 09:44 • #21 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 11/24/14
Posts: 1896
Location: US-NC
carlz wrote:
Has anyone handled these rods yet?


Well, it's been over 3 years since he asked the above question, but I've fished the rod a few times recently and so I thought I'd respond. I decided to bump this old thread rather than start a new one so that those who may be interested in the rod can read the manufacturer's comments above.

For starters, the rod currently lists at $295 and in addition to being available through Leland I recall that Cameron put up a post on his blog about two weeks ago that they can now be purchased through his site/store.

Bottom line, I've been quite impressed with the rod. In terms of casting, it's got a nice smooth, progressive feel with quick tip recovery. Leland mentioned above that the rod was designed for graphite guys who wanted to try out glass and so if you like really slow glass then this may not be the rod for you. It doesn't really feel stiff to me--and it bends nicely with a fish on--but I did test cast it next to my Steffen 8' 3/4 and the Steffen felt like it loaded deeper into the blank. Anyway, the rod feels light in the hand, loads well even with just a bit of line out and I found it very pleasant to cast. I've fished it with dries and with a moderate nymph rig and it cast both nicely. I haven't tried it with streamers, but I think it would handle smaller ones fine. Bottom line, I think this is a pretty versatile rod that could serve as an all-around 4 wt (more on that below).

Above I focused on the performance, but a bit about the build (photos below). It has spigot ferrules and an uplocking seat. The blank is a translucent gold or dark amber and the wraps are a burgundy/maroon. The cork quality is pretty good for the price point. It's really a sharp looking build in my view. The one thing I'm not nuts about is the grip, which is a bit of an odd shape. I never thought it was uncomfortable, but it was different enough to my other grips that I definitely was aware of it when casting. But now I've kind of gotten used to it. I guess my bottom line on the grip is that it wouldn't be my choice if ordering a custom rod, but I don't view it as a reason not to buy the rod if you're otherwise interested.

I recall that last year there was a thread of the best rods (new builds) available for under $300. Sadly, there aren't a whole lot of options (I think the budget ceiling was then raised to $400). But I think the Red Truck rod probably would be at the top of my list. Even though it's more than twice the cost of the new CGR, I personally didn't think the original CGR was worth $59 and so I certainly wouldn't buy a new one at $129 (I'm not trying to get the CGR fans riled up, I'm just mentioning some other lower and midpriced rods and the CGR obviously is one of the most well known). I haven't cast it, but one alternative rod that might be more attractive for some is the new Fenwick Fenglass 704, which has received pretty good reviews from others here. Depending on the day it can be found on Amazon for $170 +/- shipped, and so that's a pretty wide price difference. I have a 7' 4 wt and enjoy it, but I also think it's kind of a niche rod due to the short length, and the Red Truck at 7'6" is a better length for an every day/all around 4 wt. Even though I haven't cast the new Fenwick 704, I have handled some of the other new Fenwicks and in my view the Red Truck has a superior build quality. Anyway, as between the Red Truck and the Fenwick, I guess it depends on your fishing conditions and budget. For me the Red Truck would be the better choice, but for a rod that you might only fish occasionally then the Fenwick at $125 less may be the way to go. And I guess it''s also worth noting that at $295 you're also getting close to the price at which you could get a used custom rod such as a Barclay or a Steffen.

Anyway, I like the rod and think it's definitely worth considering if you're looking for a 4 wt and don't want to pay the cost of a custom rod or a higher priced production rod such as the Orvis SFG. A couple of pics...

Image
I've paired the rod with an Orvis Battenkill 5/6 and a Cortland Peach DT4. I tried the rod with a couple of different lines and found it to be pretty line friendly. My second choice, and it's a very close second, is the SA trout in a DT4. But based on my testing I would think that any true to weight 4 wt should be fine.

Image


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Post 09 Mar 2017, 10:11 • #22 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 02/12/16
Posts: 4093
Location: USA-CO
That's a nice-looking rod. Agree about the handle, but like you, I'm just reacting to the appearance. I'm not that sensitive to handle shape in my fishing. Thanks for showing a new product.


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Post 09 Mar 2017, 11:18 • #23 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 08/25/08
Posts: 1526
Location: Delton, MI
As attractive as it may be in other respects, I wouldn't buy that rod just because of the grip shape. It would drive me nuts. There are other shapes that would be less polarizing.


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Post 09 Mar 2017, 11:45 • #24 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 11/24/14
Posts: 1896
Location: US-NC
CrustyBugger wrote:
I wouldn't buy that rod just because of the grip shape. It would drive me nuts.


Tomah and Dave: On the grip, I guess it comes down to a degree of tolerance. I don't consider myself to be that particular when it comes to grips (I have had many different styles and have been fine with all of them except for ones that are overly fat, to me at least), but this one bothered me when I test cast the rod with some others and the first couple of times fishing. As I said above, it wasn't necessarily uncomfortable, but I was aware that it felt different, and when fishing I'd rather have my mind focused on things other than how the grip fits in my hand. But on this last outing I guess I got used it, or maybe I was concentrating enough on reading the water, looking for rises, etc. that it was just pushed to the back of my mind. Anyway, as I said in my earlier post I certainly wouldn't pick this shape for a custom rod, and if there was one thing I could change about this rod it would definitely be the grip. But to me there's enough good things about the rod to make it worth considering, especially considering the limited options for new rods at a sub-$300 price point. And I guess it would be worth checking out Leland's current return policy, but from its post above, now more than 3 years old, it has a pretty liberal return policy. I bought mine second hand (it had never been fished), but if I had bought it new and lawn cast it I may have sent it back because of the initial feelings about the grip. But after fishing it some I feel differently about the grip (not that I've become a fan). And perhaps I'm influenced by the fact that I paid well below the MSRP for mine. Anyway, I imagine some folks can get past the shape (and, who knows, maybe some really like it), while for others it's just a non-starter.


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Post 09 Mar 2017, 12:17 • #25 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 02/12/16
Posts: 4093
Location: USA-CO
WNCtroutstalker, it sounds like we're about the same regarding grip shapes. I think I'm pretty adaptable but don't want a distraction in my hand.


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