I bought an awesome fiberglass rod from Andy (See the Fiberglass Rod Group) and I am about to order a new graphite rod too!
Andy is fantastic to work with and is the real deal. You can see he does a ton of stuff from repair and restoration to custom rod building. Even does the bamboo thing.
If you are in the market for a new rod you should give Andy a shot. He has been doing this stuff for a very long time and is a pleasure to work with and speak to. His prices are just great! I will only buy from Andy from now on.
here is my rod builder. www.bigdadyrods.com my randy emerich is a great guy to work with. he wont ster you wrong and his prices are reasonable. i have a 8 1/2 hybrid fly/spinng rod from him and i just won another rod from him a 8 ft 3 or 6 wt fly rod. and i am all ready having him make me a 5 ft 3 wt ultra light fly rod. you can see most of his work on www.bluegilltalk.com
Old Yankee Rod Smithing
Andy Manchester
PO Box #252
North Branford, Connecticut 06471
203-435-7948
andymannyankee@yahoo.com http://andymanyankee.u.yuku.com/
I purchased this high quality fiberglass rod from Andy and I absolutely love it. The rod is a short, one piece 6'1", 4/5 weight. Gray in color with dark gray double wrapped guides.
This rod is built to last. and the action is perfect for gills. The short length makes it east to fish in a canoe, float tube or kayak.
I know what you are thinking....FIBERGLASS? Yep! Quality fiberglass is hard to beat. Far more durable than graphite and incredibly light. Fiberglass has a different feel than graphite, slower I guess.....but just very nice.
I paid only $100 for this rod! It was $20 to ship with insurance and arrived to me in 3 days. Shipped in a 6' PVC tube and a 6' rod sock. No fancy packaging or rod tube, but who cares.
Andy is great to work with and really knows his stuff. He also specializes in Rod Evaluation and Renovation, Ferrule Resetting and Replacement, Custom Fiberglass Rods and Graphite Rods and lastly he specializes in Bamboo Fly Rod Restoration.
Great guy, great company, great products, great prices, great service....he builds stuff to last for generations.