We live in a fast world. A high paced habitat. We're stuck in hurried traffic on the way to work, we rush to meet quotas and deadlines, and we rarely slow down for anything anymore. Everything is centered on "how much can I get and how fast?" This is true even with fly fishing. The market is primarily dominated by "fast-action" graphite rods designed to cast a mile. And don't get me wrong, now, they're awesome. They've got a job and they do it well, sending fly line out to considerably long distances and punching through the wind, when necessary. However, they don't have the smooth finesse of fiberglass. They can't lay a dry fly down like a feather the way a full-flex, slow, classic glass rod can. Can a glass rod win a distance casting competition? Probably not. But that's not what they're intended for. They were/are made for FISHING at normal fishing distances, which are usually under 40 feet away. And in this fast world we live in today, sometimes it's nice to slow down, anyway. It's nice when you can drink your coffee on the porch while watching the sun rise instead of trying to choke it down in your car on the way to the office. That's how I feel about fiberglass as opposed to graphite.
Fiberglass rods are great for for many reasons. First off, they're unmatched for up-close precision, sensitive feel, and delicate presentations. And if for no other reason at all, they're fun! A nice taper made of glass is simply a pleasure to cast! You can feel them load deep into the butt section. Sometimes you can even feel the flexion all the way into cork handle! If you haven't experienced this yet, you should. Glass has a charming allure that can't be fully explained by words. It must be felt.
Another perk of glass vs. graphite is the price difference. You can get a top notch fiberglass rod from a number of great builders and manufacturers for the price of most mid-level graphite rods. For $300 and under, you can get a damn fine piece of glass. From the frugal but fabulous Cabela's CGR at $129 to the wildly raved-about Blue Halo at $279, there's a plethora of options to choose from that won't break the bank. If you want something more personalized, there's an abundance of custom builders out there who build truly beautiful works of heirloom-quality art for a very reasonable price point. Some of the builders you may want to check out are Chris Barclay, C. L. Crumbliss, Steffen, and the Southern Appalachian Rod Co., to name a few. There are many, many more out there but these are just a few that impress me.
If you haven't already, you should also check out The Fiberglass Manifesto. It's a whole blog devoted to fiberglass fly fishing and it's awesome. There's a lot of great reviews on there about various rod makers and all sorts of other glass-related goodness. Also, if you're on facebook(and of course you are), check out the Fiberglass Fly Rod Fanpage. A lot of interesting stuff gets posted there everyday by people who share a common interest in fly wishing with glass.
If you happen to be in Louisiana and you want to get into fiberglass, rod-building, or into fly fishing in general, look me up and I'll be happy to help you however I can. There are very few fly fishing resources here and I'd like to change that. I'm going to start offering all around fly fishing lessons for $25 an hour: fly casting, fly tying, rod-building, water-reading, etc. Pretty soon I'll launch a website and get it going right but in the meantime, just message me on the Southern Fly Guy Facebook page with any questions you may have. As you've probably figured out, Fly Fishing is a simple yet complicated activity all at once and it could be confusing to someone just getting into the sport.
Disclaimer: I don't claim to know everything there is to know about Fly Fishing. I don't think anyone does, truthfully. There's a lot to know and every single body of water has its own personality. To me, the constant learning is part of the fun of fly fishing. I'm still learning every time I tie on a fly, myself. However, I've been doing it for about 15 years now and I think I have something to offer to those who are new to the sport, at least. Or, perhaps I can help someone who has been fly fishing for a while but would like to learn to cast more accurately, add distance to their cast, learn to to tie their own flies, or build their own rods. I'd be happy to share what I've learned so far. So, hit me up! Let's go fishing.
I hope you enjoy my short video, Casting Glass, on YouTube. Also, Please visit my Facebook page and follow me on Instagram! @SouthernFlyGuy
Til next time, y'all!
Taylor Nauta
Southern Fly Guy
P.S.: I'd like to thank my friend, Mike Gianaccio, for filming Casting Glass. He's a savy videographer and a good fly-fisher himself. If you're into Kayak fishing, particularly in Louisiana, check out his blog, Yak N La.
#glassisnotdead #fiberglassflyrods #thefiberglassmanifesto #flyfishinginthesouth
#flyfishinglessons
