Graphite Rod Aesthetics

[sweetandsalt]

Once upon a time fly rods were built of split, aged bamboo. They glowed a golden, natural material hue, some pale others flamed darker. Wrapped in silk and hand varnished, wood or cork and nickel silver reel seats seemed a natural accompaniment and the best bespoke of high, hand craftsmanship. While great and hand built cane rods continue to be made, most of us fish with plastic rods. While fine hand craftsmanship continues to be of importance, the inherent appeal of natural materials is absent. What should graphite rods look like?

There are three fundamental aesthetic approaches. One is to embody the look of old school cane in the abstract. Paint the carbon blank a natural color, fashion the cork grip in a traditional shape and select handsome hardwood spacers and gleaming nickel silver hardware. Winston comes immediately to mind, a company with roots in bamboo fly rods, some still in production. Their actions too harken to the smooth deeper loading of cane as well.

Then there is form-follows-function. Think the lightly sanded spiral tape scarred and matt natural graphite color of Scott or many G.Loomis blanks. Lighter weight, more rigid and inert machined aluminum reels seats supplant antique nickel silver and, dating back to GLX in the 90's, woven carbon seat spacers replaced heavier hardwood. These rods revel in letting plastic be plastic and their more technical tapers contribute to this as well.

The third and probably dominant style involves painting the sanded blank some color ranging from black to blue to red; subdued to brash. Use aluminum hardware with an emphasis on low weight and smooth function but without harkening to traditional style along with shaping the cork emphasizing ergonomics and tip the hat to the classics with a nice wooden spacer. Color might be chosen to distinguish one series from another. Sage would be archetypical of this look like a modern not a bamboo rod.

Rod makers following all of these avenues are able if willing to execute good thread wraps with tipping or inlays and flat none-overlapping epoxy work...or a more commercial, one coat type job. Personally, I think all could do a little better in this department with the exception of a couple like T&T or Shimano-Loomis's Asquith. Most but for the thickest, most globular epoxy ones are acceptable though.

In the final analysis, it is how the rod performs while angling that is most crucial and this is more the province of the material science and creative taper design which is at the heart of the rod and more fundamental than external appearance. Nevertheless aesthetics are important to many of us and I believe somehow reflect the philosophy of a rod company along with their emphasis on performance characteristics.

What are your opinions on this matter?

 

[troutbum_74]

S&S

I enjoy the look of Scott rods myself. Especially the rods of the G Series, whether original or this latest version. There are Sage rods that have caught my eye, particularly the Dart and X models. Nothing too bashful of G Loomis rods. Love my NRX. The prettiest rod I own is a C. Barclay Synthesis Series 68. A fiberglass brookie rod that is 6’ 8” and a 3 weight. Handmade to precise specifications of Chris Barclay himself. I am so enamored that an 82 Synthesis will be ordered this spring. Gorgeous yellow blanks and hand polished hardware, just spectacular. It fishes damn well too!


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[taylorreels]

As a reel and rod designer I have a few thoughts…

Early in our operation I came to a realization that is was going to be extremely difficult to win the hearts of those from a more “classic age” in fly fishing. The people that grew up with split cane and clicker reels were a market that was going to be difficult penetrate. With that in mind we decided to focus on a modern, bold style, with a bit of a younger appeal. Bold colors, new materials, and a median price point became our focus. I do think there is something for everyone in the world of fly fishing. My personal preference doesn’t really care for the old school style. It not that it is bad or wrong, I just don’t have the attachment or nostalgia because of my age (mid-thirties). I hope that our current marketing strategy builds a brand loyalty that grows with us though the years…. Who knows maybe what we are doing now will one day be viewed as “old school”.

I do think performance matters significantly more than aesthetics. I would rather fish a top performing product than my personal style preferences. Performance matters most…. but a touch of color wouldn’t hurt either.

 

[Lewis Chessman]

I guess an interesting example of your 'bamboo in abstract' category is the Bruce and Walker 'Hexagraph' series which adopted bamboo's hexagonal shape, an '80s liaison between B&W and EC Powell, apparently.
They were pretty pricey on release and often bought by wealthy English gentlemen who would, in their posh accent, pronounce it, ''Hexa-graaaaf'', with a flat 'a'. I've only just realised that the 'graph' is 'graff' as in 'graphite', with an open 'a'. Ha! That's only taken me 30 years!

Anyway, the Hexagraphs, I've been told, were powerful but overly-heavy rods and not much fun for the day unless you were built like an ox. When I informed an old beat gillie that my guest was going to fish his Hexagraph tomorrow he rolled his eyes, looked to one of the great, rough-hewn tree trunks holding up his hut's veranda and said, ''He'd be as well putting rings on one o' them!"

I can't recall just who, but at least one company used to make a graphite rod actually painted to mimic cane ..... Shakey? Berkely?

There must be a place for the once ubiquitous Fuji reel seat in your list, s&s, but I'm not sure where? I respect their functionality but not their looks, especially after a few years use when fine scratches accumulate and they go a mottled grey. While more latterly seen as a cheap choice of seat they were once to be found on some better builds. Perhaps more custom than trade, though?

Where, I wonder, would you place the Orvis un-sanded, varnished graphite rods? Perhaps a subset of the Form-follows-function sanded, slate rods, but also a distinguishing brand style.

My own preference is unvarnished matt slate or, if varnished, a translucent coat which allows you to see the sanded wraps below, giving a bit of depth and pattern. Good cork is becoming more important to me these days. It looks better longer and feels better too. After all, this is the one point of contact we have with the rod. Well worth an extra $10 on any build and a shame for companies to skimp on. I don't like flash from the hardware (a functional & an aesthetic choice) so shy away from shiny and I'm a sucker for a bit of burl on the insert so avoid 'peekaboo' reel seats preferring open 'old style' simplicity where I can see the beauty of the wood.
Finally, I prefer the look of a drop-ring keeper over the 'U' shape but I don't think they're as practical, just prettier.

While I agree with you about over-epoxying being unsightly I do wonder whether this affects the rod action much, if at all, given modern epoxy's plasticity compared to that of varnish? I'm not talking 'rugby balls' here, but I've only just looked at a Winston BII on line and thought, "bit too much on there''.

I'm getting far too fussy in my prime.

 

[sweetandsalt]

As word gets out, many will learn that Taylor's new Truth rods fit into the "plastic is beautiful" group two in my post. Down below in Rods I wrote about their 9'/#4 which combines advanced material technology and fabrication in concert with excellent components and build. I could have added Truth to the small group of commercial rods with perfect flat, none-overlapping epoxy finish...so I am now.

 

[rsagebrush]

Less if best for me, although that can be and is a great presentation if done right. Still some of those old bamboo's with all the signature wraps and intermediates are quite elegant and they held the rod together well too.

 

[trout trekker]

The five things that I won't miss when they finally fade from the retail fly fishing landscape are felt, cork rings, snake guides, rod socks & barbs.

Rod aesthetics,

Graphite reel seat inserts: Prefer them colorful and high gloss, but have many that are not.

Wood inserts: Like them with deeply contrasting grains and satin finished, more than high gloss. The surfaces seem to hold up better.

Reel seat hardware: Prefer more of a titanium to polished aluminum surface or even gloss black, rather than nickel silver.

Wraps: Keep my wraps to a primary color that blends in with the blank and a very thin trim band of a complimentary non-metallic thread.

Blanks: This is were I deviate from the conservative path, I admire blanks that bring some color to the game. High gloss, jewel like Burgundy to Ruby, Sapphire, deep Emerald, even an Onyx. Yet I fish several that have your basic muted charcoal finish.

Graphics: Keep them on the small size, understated and non-script. If I have three rods of the same series ( and I do ), I don't want to have to a decipher some guys messy script in order to tell one from the other.

Rod cases: I'm over aluminum tubes threaded caps and separate rod socks. Give me a cordura covered pvc tube with separate sleeves for each rod piece and a zippered cap.

A rod that's just to easy for me to talk myself out of buying, even though it's sort of a steal. The Aetos, absolutely love the blank color and finish and its a capable stick, but everything else about that build says " Meh " to me, so no sale. On the other hand, I wasn't head over heals about the blank on the Jet and even though it would cost more than the Aetos, even when discontinued, to quell my curiosity about the rod, the build quality made it to hard to pass up.

Dave

 

[spm]

Good thought-provoking question.

I love a fine split bamboo rod; the way it looks, the way it feels in my hand, the way it flexes. In my mind, I am the stubborn, traditionalist, nothing-else-will-do but custom cane fisherman. But then, I gravitate to natural materials in most things.

In reality, read checkbook, I fish the "Plastic" rods referred to by S&S. Graphite and occasionally, glass. I fish mainly Orvis rods which, I suppose, fall within the middle-of-the-road quality range. Aesthetically, not ugly, but most would probably say more function than beauty. The older ones were mainly grey, un-sanded blanks with assorted wrappings and hardware, depending on the era and model. The one newer and higher end rod I own, a Helios2, is definitely prettier with the dark blue blank and black wrapping. Still, it isn't up to the Winston level of beauty.

Not sure if I'm answering the question or just rambling, at this point. So, I'll summarize: I love bamboo, but fish graphite and while I appreciate beauty, function tends to win out.

Thanks,
steve

 

[Rip Tide]

Plastic rods may be fine tools, but they have no soul..

 

[cooutlaw]

S&S, A Quandary of thought and an observation inducing topic for sure.

My thoughts steer more toward the evolution aspect in a why, when, reflection. My early geographic history engaged my relationship with Morgan and the early "Green" team members, spending many a late day after guiding sipping adult beverages and conquering the world of fly fishing's dilemmas with historic and insightful chat and visions for the future. The level of respect for the sport, and the work ethic focused on superior craftsmanship abounded, and, was really viewed as a "normal" practice back then. From this, my appreciation for the people and their works made me a loyal green devotee and collector for that period and majority of my life since. However, I need to point out, that my respect and loyalty was toward the specific people, specific model rods, and not always just the brand. I've found similar solace and admiration for several other makers along the way as well. For me, a rod must be an experience, an emotional connection, to become anything more than a tool, and the older I get the more I desire to spend my precious time on the water having that experience and not just the act of fishing, with highly successful production being a very distant secondary consideration.

In roughly 1988-1989 I purchased the new to market Sage RPL.....the rod was pretty, nice craftsmanship and solid hardware and cork, but it wasn't jewelry, as I was accustomed to. Still, by todays standards, it was a much more polished finish focused on competing with the standard cosmetics of that day. It was a "fast" rod back then, and in my mind, that era, mid-late 1980's was the turning point of when manufacturers began to compete for improved technology and new design vs strictly cosmetic and classic appeal.

With this, my mind begins to think of form, performance, function vs cosmetics- and I'm sure like so many we logically will take a rod that's performance exceeds our expectations over pretty. Putting lipstick on a pig comes to mind. Nevertheless, I still yearn for the days that fly rod building was an art form, with a focus on producing not only beautifully crafted rods, but rods that fished amazingly well - and....my mind still questions why we cant have those days back and why they went away in the first place....cannot a manufacturer produce an amazing technology, groundbreaking, rod of epic performance....and then finish the rods to the highest standards? Answer, they could....but... would that put them into a boutique niche of rods with a price point alienating the mass of average anglers? Certainly not some place a larger production rod maker wants to be in market.

I suspect we mostly have always gotten what we paid for....whether that be cosmetics or performance or any combination thereof, and, have also settled for the standard menu offering on occasion, in a compromise of sorts, to get a portion of the characteristics we seek. I think each manufacturer has worked hard to establish themselves within the space with a particular, recognizable, signature of sorts, and worked equally as hard to maintain a loyal following, who expect a certain "type" of product from them, and they continue to deliver that to their following while trying to remain current and garner new adoptees of their brands. One can only assume that competition is fierce and each year or two another new development must come to market to keep leapfrogging against one another, jockeying for market position with the latest and greatest.....and somehow the "total package" aspect never rears it's head as part of that go to market strategy.

To that, if the masses continue to show acceptance of the products by supporting purchases, it would be unrealistic to believe the manufacturers will ever go the extra mile if they don't need to. If they can sell more water than they can produce, there is no reason for them to freeze it and sell ice. Many makers have simply carved their place with a level of acceptance deemed ok by their following and, honestly, if its not broke, don't fix it, appears to be the new standard of today's business culture. Some innovation aside, I doubt we will see rod quality improve, as it pertains to finish, anytime in the foreseeable future.

Bottom line, todays fly fisherman is not so ingrained in the nostalgic aspects, the history, the culture of the past, and is willing to accept a different experience than was once part of the intrigue of fly fishing, manufacturers have proven this to be true, and have adjusted their production to this target demographic and are positioning themselves to those new demands of their consumers. What was beautiful and elegant in the 50's,60's,70's,80's etc, is not embraced as such today....every decade had its new "modern", "current", "relevant" everything, fly fishing included....today we are seeing what that new "current" looks like in 2018, just another chapter in the book. My last thought is I doubt the fish care what generation we are in, and I'm pretty sure they don't care what we are casting with....fishermen on the other hand.......IMO. YMMV. Outlaw out.

 

[troutbum_74]

The older Sage rods are very nice. Classical looking. IMHO


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[Redrock]

I’m not sure I totally agree that graphite has no soul. I own a first generation Winston 8’6” five weight. It is a thing of beauty and has always rewarded me when I am on my casting game.

Some rods I cast well no matter my mood — a hard flick with a tight loop when I’m tense or a whimsical stack cast on a day when I’m just playing with the trout during a hatch.

The Winston has a rhythm sweet spot. It is easy to overpower. It demands that you take your time. It is stubborn. Try as I may, I cannot make it drive tacks. It will however lay out 50-60 feet of a dt line as pretty as you will ever see, if you are willing to feel the rhythm. Pay attention, point the rod and the fly settles as if it were magic. For me this is akin to the soul of a bamboo rod.

 

[ixoye]

I think splitcane rods are the most beautiful, when it comes to graphite, I like Scott, Winston and T&T.

 

[deceiverbob]

Plastic rods may be fine tools, but they have no soul..

Your beloved glass rods are plastic too. In fact one naval architect referred to fiberglass as "frozen snot".

 

[tcorfey]

In my opinion you can't beat the aesthetics of a nice Bamboo rod or a rod that you built/finished yourself regardless of the material used.

However, I have some nice graphite production rods and I prefer them to have a subdued color maybe in dark blue, brown, grey or green and a wood spacer on the reel seat, kind of like the way I would prefer a car interior to have leather upholstery and wood trim pieces.

Regards,

Tim C.

 

[Ard]

Thank you for taking the time to write such a well thought out post Richard. Here in the depths of winter is when we need posts like this the very most. Discussion among the membership is great and I just wanted to say so.

Me? I like them all, I have some fancy and some plain and I agree that it's the way they preform over the way they look. I have a 15 foot seven weight Winston with a curly maple reel seat and that deep Winston blank finish that comes in well in both categories form & function I'd say. The Sage One 13 1/2' no glitz at all, same for the X rod 14, my old Far & Fine...……….. You know what they look like. I have a little of everything I think

 

[dr d]

hi,


if i want marriage of top-notch in graphite i take my stickman p3 9,6 #3 or hardy zephrus 10f#3.


if i want the same in splitcane i prefer my custom brunner amabile 2000 7f#3-4.

b.t.w. the tapers seem not unlike...


nice x mas


thomas

 

[sweetandsalt]

Thank you, Ard, it is proving to be a thought provoking thread.

We all seem to appropriately agree that performance for our individual preferred habitats trumps finish and style.

Lewis, Thanks for pointing out the 'graph' in Hexograph, I did not pick up on that either. Wasn't Daiwa of GB involved with that rod series too? Heavy and dense indeed, they had zero impact on this side of the pond. And, yes, that Fuji plastic with pressed aluminum seat was really unattractive. Original, post Shakespeare Orvis rods were at the leading edge until the beginning of the 80's and their "Superfine" grip style lives on with a series named after it. Their maroon wraps were actually very well finished by today's standards (though their glued on sleeve ferrules were awful), something Orvis has preserved into their contemporary upper tier rods but gets little credit for what with snow board style white labeling attracting more attention. And I totally agree with you about the epoxy finish on current Winston's. So many hold Winston up as an aesthetic standard yet their epoxy work is among the worst in the industry. Even if one 'likes' the glossy, bulbus, barbules over their thread wraps all they are functionally doing is adding weight to blanks every one is striving to reduce the mass of. Nothing like their rods back in the Morgan/Brakett days of yore.

trout trekker, Many good points, I too preferer Cordura covered non-round PVC over screw-top aluminum. However, I do appreciate a well sewn rod sleeve as it is my habit to put two to ten rods in a single PVC travel tube ensconced in their individual sleeves. Individual tubes of aluminum or whatever remain home for storage.

spm, I like natural materials too. I detest fake anything...those laminated floors made to 'look' like wood, argh! "Aluminum" electronics trim that is really plastic, please! Composite board-walk 'lumber' with wood grain may hold up to salt, weather and sun better and haver no splinters, fine, just loose the 'wood grain'.

A long and dear fishing pal who is an architect with an aesthetic attitude loves his Hardy Zenith. But he would not buy one with the original techie reel seat, even at a bargain price. He awaited the 2nd. version with the wood spacer and paid full retail and is happier.

outlaw, Thank you for your thoughtful essay. We may well have sipped from the same tin cup among memorabilia and deep thinking friends like Morgan, Brackett and Kustich in a back ally shop prior to heading out for an evening on the Ruby. Back then, cork rings where glued on individually and shaped on the blank. Winston Green was darker and more subtle and wraps were finished as they were on Glenn's cane rods as on Redrock's example, very unlike today's versions. When I built my own rods from blanks back in the 70's and 80's, I would get my hard-to-find bits like winding checks, ring-type hook keepers or carbaloy strippers from them. We must be of a similar vintage.

I'm not too business knowledgeable and am little impacted (consciously) by marketing but I continue to see today's top rod makers embodying creativity. But I perceive its emphasis being in the material science, fabrication processes and, foremost, in rod taper design. "Soul" is not one of my fly rod descriptive adjectives but the best of contemporary rods cast, present and manipulate line with precision, grace and charm as never before...including the spectacular works of art from Jim Payne, Everett Garrison or Pinky Gillum. (Did I dare write such a statement?) Ed Payne's Calcutta cane rods were buggy whips with small rings. His son, Jim's rods were far improved and technologically upgraded by using aged, agriculturally grown and denser Tonkin cane with lovely actions. He did not have a son but had he I speculate he would be working for a cutting edge graphite rod maker as a taper designer of brilliance...of which there are but a handful.

As you, taylorreels and others have observed, there is a growing disconnect between hand rolling excellent blanks and finishing them to a level of craftsmanship worthy of fly rods illustrious historical traditions. Though many custom makers can lavish attention to detail, they can not fabricate the heart of the rod, the blank itself. It is up to us, the critical consumer/angler to hold big makers attention via communicative contact and withholding of credit cards that we want finish work commensurate to performance standards.

 

[osseous]

At the end of the day, rods are a tool to allow me to deliver the fly- to do a job. I appreciate a pretty rod, but not as much as one that functions well. If I look critically at my latest array of Sage X rods- 3 of them- I am greatly disappointed in the finish quality offered and the aesthetic for the nearly $1000 retail price they ask. It's abhorrent, actually- and a tired look at this point. Their grip designs are terrible- too short and too thin for an adult male hand. The wood in the reel seat could hardly be more boring. Color is such a dark green they actually have to explain that no, it's not black- hold it in the light!? And it's tastefully offset with....white? This is their flagship offering? I continue to ask, why can I buy a $75 tennis racquet in a variety of grip sizes, yet I'm forced into a one-size grip on a $1000 fly rod? My thumb is considerably larger in diameter than my cork grip- and my palm hangs off the end?! "Snub nose"?! Joke's on us~

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[dennyk]

I'm very pleased with the simple looks and performance of my Scott fly rods, owning 5 of them. I like the natural "plastic" unfinished blanks, not showing scratches or minor dings as badly as some of the finished glossy blanks do. The wrappings are simple and very well crafted, which are appealing to me. The grips all fit my hands well and are comfortable, from my 3wt Flex to the 8wt Meridian and all rods in between. Guess you could say I'm a Scott fan!

Appearance wise I appreciate the classic looks of my 2 Fenwick Feralite fly rods, anyone that knows fly rods can identify them with just a glance. These rods are classified as my fun rods and cannot be replaced. I fish them in "safer" areas, I'd rather break one of my Scott rods, being warrantied then damage one of the Fenwicks.

My bamboo 6wt rod a friend made from scratch and gifted me is another rod like the Fenwicks I use in safe areas. It's a beauty and not replaceable. Nickle reel seat with a Shedua wood spacer, silk brown guide wrappings and a nickle ferrule. When fished this rod feels alive in my hands and is easy on the eyes.

Denny