Casting glass vs casting graphite

[The op]

So i like both glass and graphite,my comparison is based off a graph winston 480 biii ls and an epic 480 glass,,this is not a 'which one is better' thread.

So my attitude,thoughts and style towards casting glass vs graph is this.


Glass,,,dont force it,ask it what to do nicely and it will behave itself in a controlled manner.

Graphite,,, scream at it what you want it to do in the right manner it will do so without complaint,,often times asking you 'cmon is that all you got?

 

[Ard]

Hello op and welcome to the forum, what are you fishing for down there and in what part of AU are you located?

 

[The op]

Hello ard

Im based in melbourne.
I fish for brown and rainbow trout in the victorian streams,rivers,creeks and stillwaters.
I focus mainly on a tailrace named the goulburn,and its feeder rivers,streams and creeks.

Its terrestrial season here at the moment and i have had some excellent sessions on dryfly recently.
In approximately 1 month as the weather cools we will get some small (size 20) mayfly hatches around mid day,and i ll be there waiting,4 weight in hand,for the fish to start sipping at the tails of the pools.
In the cooler months when the insect activity is low i will be found with my 3 weight switch rod swinging streamers and wets for big angry browns in the goulburn.
As the weather starts to warm again to mild, we see march brown start hatching in stillwaters and rivers through the day,and caddis in the evening right through the night untill daybreak.
After that the weather starts to get hot and humid.On these nights i will be stalking the banks of a stillwater after dark with dragonfly nymphs crawling all over me while casting a floating dragon nymph pattern to the boils of big browns and rainbows.

That is a basic overview of where,when and how ive fished for around my 25 years of flyfishing.

If im not fishing im either tying flies or at work thinking about fishing or tying flies.

Cheers

 

[karstopo]

Nice comparison on the materials. There’s a few glass lovers here. Fiberglass seems to be getting a second look these days. In case you are interested, Tim Rajeff has a nice short video on Gink and Gasoline doing an on the water comparison of graphite and fiberglass.

Anything Australia seems very exotic to me. Do tiger snakes lurk about the trout streams there? Seems like the majority of the snakes in Australia are venomous. I’ve always wondered how that really plays out for anyone that gets out in nature like say a fly fisherman. We have a number of snakes where I live and a few are venomous. I’m mindful of them when on a walk about, but it’s not something that typically precludes me from hitting the path. Anyway, that’s something I’ve always wondered about Australia.

 

[denver1911]

Welcome. Good take on the two materials. I grew up fishing fiberglass and would never go back. Two reasons. First is weight. High-sticking (most of my trout fishing) is just a pain (literally) and lightweight equipment makes it less so. Second, I just can’t imagine trying to get 70+ feet of eight weight, 15 feet of leader, and a big crab fly out into a 15-20 mph wind with glass. Yuck. Enjoy your glass though. Just because I don’t like it does not mean it’s bad.

 

[wthorpe]

Tim Rajeff has a nice short video on Gink and Gasoline doing an on the water comparison of graphite and fiberglass.

Karstopo undersold that video; it is really interesting: Graphite VS Fiberglass With Tim Rajeff: Video | Fly Fishing | Gink and Gasoline | How to Fly Fish | Trout Fishing | Fly Tying | Fly Fishing Blog

 

[gpwhitejr]

I just can’t imagine trying to get 70+ feet of eight weight, 15 feet of leader, and a big crab fly out into a 15-20 mph wind with glass.

I have a few glass rods, including a 6 ft 3-wt that is feather-light. But I know what you mean. I sometimes use a 9 foot 9-wt Wonderod in the salt, with a Redington Behemoth (well named) reel. That is excellent strength training, for the right arm at least!

 

[Rip Tide]

I sometimes use a 9 foot 9-wt Wonderod in the salt, with a Redington Behemoth (well named) reel. That is excellent strength training, for the right arm at least!

This fiberglass rod is a custom 10wt
Unknown blank, but very well put together with quality components
When I bought it, I was sure it was going to be my "new" favorite.
Turns out it's a bit heavy for all day false casting
Good thing it was only 20 bucks.... But that's the beauty of the vintage rods



The rod on the bottom here is a 1950's" LLBean (H-I) 8wt
Surprisingly enough you could fish this old rod all day.... and it throws a full line effortlessly
$25



This Garcia 8'6", 9/10 is kinda inbetween, swing weight wise.
Good kayak rod though. Tough as nails
$10

 

[silver creek]

Karstopo undersold that video; it is really interesting: Graphite VS Fiberglass With Tim Rajeff: Video | Fly Fishing | Gink and Gasoline | How to Fly Fish | Trout Fishing | Fly Tying | Fly Fishing Blog

I am a big fan of Tim Rajeff. However, when I break down the cast with stop motion I have reservations about how convincing the video actually is. Rather than listen to the voice over look at the stop motions and decide if the actual video is convincing without being told what is happening.

Here are 6 stop sequential motions of the cast from the video. The first is just before the cast begins and the next 5 are during the cast.

The fiberglass rod is brown and thicker so you can tell it apart from the thinner graphite rod. When you stop the motion, I think there is not much difference in the casts or the rod positions. In fact one could wonder if you were to cast two identical rods at the same time, whether this degree of difference would occur.

Note that even before the cast begins (stop motion 1) the Graphite Rod tip IS forward of the Fiberglass Rod tip, BUT then follow the rod tips down to Tim Rajeff's casting hand and you will see that the Graphite Rod is ALSO FORWARD in the CASTING HAND DURING the cast. So is this how the rods were held relative to each other - the graphite ahead of the fiberglass?

The fact that the graphite rod position in the stop motions is forward of the fiberglass rod CANNOT assumed to be due to the cast since before the cast the relative positions were similar. The rod should be of equal length but they look to be in slightly different position before and the cast; therefore, I think I have to assume this relative difference in appearance carries over to the stop motions taken during the cast.

If this offset in relative rod position is present before and during the cast, can we really say with certainty that the fly line from the graphite rod projecting slightly ahead of the fiberglass rod is NOT also due to the fact that the graphite rod and rod tip started ahead of the fiberglass rod tip?

With the stop motion, the actual relative rod and line positions are captured but the rod feel is not.

I'm not saying that Rajeff is wrong. I am saying is that without the voice over, is there much visual evidence of a difference between the fiberglass and graphite rod? I think this is one of those times you actually have to cast the two rods and that the video is not that convincing to me.

The YouTube video is also below so you can play it yourself. MUTE the video, fast forward to 1:48 and just look at the cast. What do you all think?

YouTube

 

[The op]

Nice comparison on the materials. There’s a few glass lovers here. Fiberglass seems to be getting a second look these days. In case you are interested, Tim Rajeff has a nice short video on Gink and Gasoline doing an on the water comparison of graphite and fiberglass.

Anything Australia seems very exotic to me. Do tiger snakes lurk about the trout streams there? Seems like the majority of the snakes in Australia are venomous. I’ve always wondered how that really plays out for anyone that gets out in nature like say a fly fisherman. We have a number of snakes where I live and a few are venomous. I’m mindful of them when on a walk about, but it’s not something that typically precludes me from hitting the path. Anyway, that’s something I’ve always wondered about Australia.

Yes karstopo,,there are tiger snakes at alot of our streams.
Ive had them swim past me on may occassions.
I expect to see atleast 1 today as i walk the stream.

Apart from snakes i could roll off probably 10 more deadly creatures that i could possibly encounter today.

How it plays out for an adventurous flyfisherman is this.
Be alert,watch where you step,take a first aid kit and phone.

There is an advantage though.

There a fish rich rivers and streams where a sane person wouldnt dare go.

Im heading to one of them after i finish my coffee.

Cheers

 

[The op]

Nice comparison on the materials. There’s a few glass lovers here. Fiberglass seems to be getting a second look these days. In case you are interested, Tim Rajeff has a nice short video on Gink and Gasoline doing an on the water comparison of graphite and fiberglass.

Anything Australia seems very exotic to me. Do tiger snakes lurk about the trout streams there? Seems like the majority of the snakes in Australia are venomous. I’ve always wondered how that really plays out for anyone that gets out in nature like say a fly fisherman. We have a number of snakes where I live and a few are venomous. I’m mindful of them when on a walk about, but it’s not something that typically precludes me from hitting the path. Anyway, that’s something I’ve always wondered about Australia.

Yes karstopo,,there are tiger snakes at alot of our streams.
Ive had them swim past me on may occassions.
I expect to see atleast 1 today as i walk the stream.

Apart from snakes i could roll off probably 10 more deadly creatures that i could possibly encounter today.

How it plays out for an adventurous flyfisherman is this.
Be alert,watch where you step,take a first aid kit and phone.

There is an advantage though.

There a fish rich rivers and streams where a sane person wouldnt dare go.

Im heading to one of them after i finish my coffee.

Cheers

 

[The op]

Welcome. Good take on the two materials. I grew up fishing fiberglass and would never go back. Two reasons. First is weight. High-sticking (most of my trout fishing) is just a pain (literally) and lightweight equipment makes it less so. Second, I just can’t imagine trying to get 70+ feet of eight weight, 15 feet of leader, and a big crab fly out into a 15-20 mph wind with glass. Yuck. Enjoy your glass though. Just because I don’t like it does not mean it’s bad.

I agree with your post.

Personally i wouldnt use a heavy glass rod with a 15ft leader and a crab fly in windy
conditions on a saltwater flat,while i could,it wouldnt be fun,,

I like both materials.
But right now for me its creek and stream time terrestrials,,10 to 15ft accurate casts are the norm.

So right now and for the next 2 months,fiberglass will be superior.

When time comes for the mayfly where i ll need to put my dry accurately infont of a moving brown at anywhere between 15 to 80 ft,,,my asquith will be superior

 

[The op]

This fiberglass rod is a custom 10wt
Unknown blank, but very well put together with quality components
When I bought it, I was sure it was going to be my "new" favorite.
Turns out it's a bit heavy for all day false casting
Good thing it was only 20 bucks.... But that's the beauty of the vintage rods

View attachment 15376

The rod on the bottom here is a 1950's" LLBean (H-I) 8wt
Surprisingly enough you could fish this old rod all day.... and it throws a full line effortlessly
$25

View attachment 15378

This Garcia 8'6", 9/10 is kinda inbetween, swing weight wise.
Good kayak rod though. Tough as nails
$10
View attachment 15382

Id try a commando skagit on that 10 weight of yours.

It may just turn that frown upside down.

New glass is much different to the old day.

Alot of people comment on how light mine are when they first pick them up

 

[huronfly]

"Glass,,,dont force it,ask it what to do nicely and it will behave itself in a controlled manner.

Graphite,,, scream at it what you want it to do in the right manner it will do so without complaint,,often times asking you 'cmon is that all you got?"

I think that's pretty accurate!

I use glass almost exclusively for my trout fishing. I'm normally fishing tiny creeks with lots of cover so these little glass rods really shine in those situations. I also use a glass spey rod for much of my steelheading, it can feel heavy after a day of casting so I opt for graphite normally if I am swinging for long periods of time. I don't find graphite and glass too difficult to switch between really, but I also despise super fast action rods.

 

[huronfly]

double post

 

[redietz]

"Glass,,,dont force it,ask it what to do nicely and it will behave itself in a controlled manner.

Graphite,,, scream at it what you want it to do in the right manner it will do so without complaint,,often times asking you 'cmon is that all you got?"

I think that's pretty accurate!

I feel somewhat the opposite. With graphite, I have to do what it wants, and if I deviate even slightly, the cast will fail. I have to think about mechanics on every cast. Glass, OTOH, is completely intuitive; the only think I need to think about is where do I want the fly to go and how do I want the line to land -- the mechanics take care of themselves.

That's probably more of a reflection of my having come up on glass in 60's, rather than intrinsic in the nature of the materials themselves.

 

[The op]

I feel somewhat the opposite. With graphite, I have to do what it wants, and if I deviate even slightly, the cast will fail. I have to think about mechanics on every cast. Glass, OTOH, is completely intuitive; the only think I need to think about is where do I want the fly to go and how do I want the line to land -- the mechanics take care of themselves.

That's probably more of a reflection of my having come up on glass in 60's, rather than intrinsic in the nature of the materials themselves.

Hi redietz.

I agree with you,,your post is basically what I was getting at.

 

[ixoye]

The higher weight is the fiberglass and bamboo rods achilles heel, because of that I never use glass and bamboo rods over 7 feet.

 

[mjkirshner]

I just got into glass (other than the POS that came in the "starter kit" that I got rid of as soon as I figured out how worthless it was!) after fly fishing for about five years. I have more graphite rods than my fishing success justifies, but no fiberglass. I tried the Echo BAG, but found that it was stiff enough to feel like just a heavy graphite rod - so back it went; then I tried a Cabelas CGR 7/8 and was pleasantly surprised at how light it was and how nicely it cast. I really enjoyed the soft presentation I could get, as long as I could slow my cast down and not try to push it. I liked the CGR enough to want to have a glass rod, but found it a little bit spongy. A Blue Halo 6 turned out to be the Goldilocks glass rod: just right. I had the chance to fish the Halo for the first time today, and I pretty much agree with what The op (the OP?) posted. When I try to force the glass rod to cast like a fast graphite, it balks; slow down and go all Zen on it, and I get a really nice loop. All in all, I doubt I will have as many glass rods as I have graphite, but I have to say that the slower action is very relaxing, and a 4-wt for bluegill and small bass just might be in my future. I haven't had the chance to return the CGR 7/8 yet, so instead of returning it for a refund, I could exchange it for a 4. Or I've got an English-made Orvis Clearwater C&P reel with no rod to pair with, so maybe I can find a nice vintage glass rod on the auction site.

 

[The op]

I just got into glass (other than the POS that came in the "starter kit" that I got rid of as soon as I figured out how worthless it was!) after fly fishing for about five years. I have more graphite rods than my fishing success justifies, but no fiberglass. I tried the Echo BAG, but found that it was stiff enough to feel like just a heavy graphite rod - so back it went; then I tried a Cabelas CGR 7/8 and was pleasantly surprised at how light it was and how nicely it cast. I really enjoyed the soft presentation I could get, as long as I could slow my cast down and not try to push it. I liked the CGR enough to want to have a glass rod, but found it a little bit spongy. A Blue Halo 6 turned out to be the Goldilocks glass rod: just right. I had the chance to fish the Halo for the first time today, and I pretty much agree with what The op (the OP?) posted. When I try to force the glass rod to cast like a fast graphite, it balks; slow down and go all Zen on it, and I get a really nice loop. All in all, I doubt I will have as many glass rods as I have graphite, but I have to say that the slower action is very relaxing, and a 4-wt for bluegill and small bass just might be in my future. I haven't had the chance to return the CGR 7/8 yet, so instead of returning it for a refund, I could exchange it for a 4. Or I've got an English-made Orvis Clearwater C&P reel with no rod to pair with, so maybe I can find a nice vintage glass rod on the auction site.

I have a cgr 2 weight which has made me burst into laughter at times,fun rod to fish.

What i struggled with when i first started casting glass was teaching myself to slow down the 'wrist snap'.
I loosen up my grip ALOT,almost feels like the rod will fall out of my hands,focus on slow wrist turnover aswell as slow relaxed stroke.
Loose grip seems to help dampen the tip.