Learned on glass

You bet I used them. I learned on glass. That was all that was available besides the high dollar bamboo. My favorite rod was a little 6 1/2' Heddon 5wt. I started on a real cheap Shakespeare that I bought at K-Mart along with a auto reel and level line. Man was that combo heavy and I hated it. I bought a low end Berkely Cherrywood that I liked and still own. The original Shakespeare got shut in a car door and it was good ridance as far as I was concerned. It was terrible I thought. I did like the Berkely however. It was much slower. If I could find a light wt glass without paying an arm and leg I would buy it. I almost bought a new Eagle Claw at a flea market and I regreted it and went back a few weeks later but the vendor had moved on. Glass will take much more abuse than the frail graphites. I still use my old Pfleuger Medalist reels and have bought some new ones in the last few years. They are just like a Timex.....They will take a lickin and keep on tickin.....

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by DAVID L EITUTIS on February 17, 2013 at 10:43am

AAAAAAAAAAAH REMEMBER THOSE EARLY DAYS WELL MYSELF RAY!!!!!!!! I personally never did own an automatic fly reel but they were all the rage at one time. WWWWWWWWay too heavy for me but I do love the old Wonderods to be sure in ultra light and fly models. Funny you should mention the Eagle Claw's cause my youngest sons favorite rod is a 5 1/2' Eagle claw fly rod. He uses it on small streams for smallmouth and swears by it . I have cast it many times and it is a marvel for how short it is........

Permalink Reply by Ray Ditzenberger on February 17, 2013 at 4:51pm

I hated that auto reel. It was a Shakespeare and the spring was waaaayyyy too stiff. I did not realize how heavy it was until I got my first Medalist. Oh what a difference. I never had any urge to use an auto again. Is the Eagle Claw a new one or old one? If it is a new one would you mind getting the number of it for me. I currently use a TFO 6' 2wt but I would like to have another glass short rod and that just might fill the bill.

I never found a glass U.L. spinning rod I liked and I have had several. None were sensitive enought to define nicking a rock or a light fish bite. They also never had enough backbone to get a good hook-set. In the mid to late 70's I found a little 5' one piece graphite that had would do all the above and cast 1/32 oz. baits well. Man I have caught a lot of fish of all kinds on that rod. mostly SMB and sunfish. I haven't used it in probably 5 years but I would not give it up for anything. I think I paid almost a $100 for it back then. Probably the best rod purchase I have ever made. I still have several Mitchells 308 and 408's for it. A couple of them have noisy gears now and I have retired them but I keep them around. I have a real old Diawa Gold Mine Mite on it right now that has never been in the water. It is over 35 years old. Not quite as old as the Mitchells though.

Permalink Reply by DAVID L EITUTIS on February 17, 2013 at 5:19pm

HEY RAY,

VERY INTERSTING discussion here and thanks much for starting it. The eagle claw is an old one but after the really old Wright & Mcgills. It is about 10 or more years old and bought it as new for my son last year. I have the guy that found it for me searching some more for another and impossible to find in like new conditon, well any condition for that matter. Well they say neccessity is the mother of invention so here's what we are doing. I buy all the old solid glass rods I can find and cut the handles off and make spinning rods for kids outta them. I refinish em totally and make em into what ever I like. ONce in a while I run across old two piece glass rods and got a couple last week and my son took em to make short fly rods outta them. They have the right action and lots of power down deep for the smallmouth he fishes for .

Can't wait to see how they turn out . I see you don't care for old glass spinning gear, and certainly it's not for everyone. I have an old Berkley Cherry wood , OLD ONE NOT NEW STUFF, THAT I REALLY CHERISH AS much as I do some of my old Wonderods. Some of the old Wonderods were soft because they were made that way for trout spinning . Others however had alot more backbone and were the SP 140 series of rods and others . GOing to post a pic tongiht of a really nice old Shakespeare Custom Shop 5 1/2 ' ultra light that I think is perfect action. It's not to soft or stiff , JUST RIGHT IN MY OPINION. ALSO going to do another Heddon UL in the same pic and it's a 1 piece were as the Shakespeare is a two piece. Hope ya like em..........

Permalink Reply by Ray Ditzenberger on February 17, 2013 at 6:37pm

I actually like glass rods. Just not the U.L. rods. I have owned a lot of glass rods over the years.......The Berkley fly rod that I have is old enough that is has a steel ferrel. It has been re-wrapped and that was many years ago. The only used I have much anymore is for the salt and on rare occassions for bass in a lake.

Eagle Claw does still make 3 or 4 decent glass rods. At least 1 heavier rod and a couple of rods they listed as 5wts. The ones I handled could well have been 3 or 4 wts. Seems to me that they were in the $30 range and the only thing that I did not care for was there were too few of guides. If I get another chance to buy one I think I will get it and add a guide or 2 and change the spacing. Be nice to have around as a backup or loaner. I don't think begginners should ever be given a graphite flyrod. They are just too fragile.

Permalink Reply by Greg McWilliams on February 17, 2013 at 12:00pm

David, I have never used an auto reel either!!!! But have collected about 7 or 8 of them 3 in the last 2 week!!!!! People bring them to me!!!!!!!!!! I am going to rig one up and give it a try!!!!!!!! But it might HURT some of the GILL I catch!!!!!!!!