(You can read Part I here, and Part II here)

Today I take a look at a few of the larger companies building glass, though I use the term “larger” in a relative sense. Thomas and Thomas are hardly rod building’s equivalent of a multinational, and the other companies mentioned won’t dent the list of the biggest fly rod manufacturers.

So be it; smaller companies are supposed to serve niches better than bigger ones, and in this case, it appears to be true. Off we go.

Thomas & Thomas Heirloom

Designed by rod-building legend Tom Dorsey to replicate some of his favorite bamboo actions, the T&T Heirlooms are wonderfully progressive fiberglass fly rods.

(photo courtesy T&T)

I’ve cast a pair of T&T Heirlooms, and found the 7.5′ 3wt and the 8′ 5wt to be absolutely smooth casters – free of hinges and other odd behaviors. The 8′ 5wt is stronger, but still not clubby. No less a glass rod expert than Rich Margiotta thinks the T&T rods might be the best glass rods ever produced, and it’s hard to argue. (Update: He recently told me he likes the 8′ 4wt best of all, and who am I to argue?)

Rich builds, fishes and sells glass and bamboo fly rods more frequently than Paris Hilton makes headlines, so when he says he’s “found my 7.5′ 3wt,” you sit up and take notice.

The Heirlooms embody the concept of a “progressive” rod – they get stronger as more line flows past the tip, but fish at short ranges without any qualms.

In addition to being nice casters, they’re also pretty: the elegant green/olive blanks are finished like you’d expect a T&T would be – with pricey reel seats and elegantly colored wraps. Their prices match their appearance — at $662, they’re among the most expensive fiberglass rods produced.

Those who can live without the high-end hardware can always buy a $310 Heirloom blank and build their own, and they’ll still enjoy the rod’s greatest strength — its smooth, wholly-fishable action.

In the Heirlooms, rod-designing legend Dorsey has created an enviably fishable line of fly rods, though they’re currently only available in 7.5′ and 8′ lengths, and from 3wts to 5wts.

Frankly, I’ve been eying the 8′ 4wt, and wish they’d get around to building an 8.5′ 5wt, which I probably wouldn’t be able to resist. In truth, the price of the Heirloom rods remains the biggest barrier to acceptance in the fiberglass rod world, which is really too bad.

Most of the cost of a modern fly rod isn’t materials, it’s labor, and one look at the Heirlooms makes it clear a lot labor went into their construction.

I spoke to Dorsey about the Heirlooms while at the retailer trade show in Denver; he’s a remarkably knowledgeable individual – one far more interested in a taper’s fishability than its commercial viability.

Even though the Heirlooms aren’t destined for wild commercial success, it’s nice to know that Tom Dorsey is willing to sell a rod line just because he likes the way they cast.

Link to Thomas and Thomas Heirloom fly rods

Diamondback Diamondglass Fly Rods

Diamondgalss fly rods made a splash on the market when they were introduced several years ago, though Diamondback’s purchase by Cortland and subsequent closing of the Vermont factory has stamped the rod line’s future as uncertain.

My own oft-fished 8.5′ 4wt Diamondglass: it’s already been discontinued.

As of now, Cortland still carries the rods, but has discontinued two of the line’s best tapers: the very bamboo-ish 8′ 5wt 3-pc, and the absolutely superb 8.5′ 4wt 3-pc – which might be one of the best technical/spring creek rods available.

I also own the 7′ 3wt 3-pc rod, and this despite the fact I almost never fish rods shorter than 8′.

I’m glad I already own all three of the 3-piece Diamondglass fly rods; I won’t have to scour the Internet for them after they’re gone and desperate fly fishers have driven the prices up. I like the 8.5′ 4wt enough that I have a blank tucked away in case the future isn’t bright for my factory rod.

If the three-piece Diamondglass rods replicate a certain bamboo-ish action, the 2-pc Diamondglass rods feel faster and stiffer. I’ve cast the 8′ 4wt and it’s a nice rod, but the 7.5′ 3wt is widely regarded as a 4wt, and the 7′ 4wt seems oddly fast for a small stream.

Or course, some people prefer fast rods for small streams (something about shooting tight loops under bankside cover), and who am I to say they’re wrong?

The Diamondglass rods are affordable by today’s standards; list prices hover around the $300 mark for a factory rod, and the the blanks are a little more than half that. The factory rods aren’t particularly gorgeous; the blanks are a smooth, gloss black, and the wraps and reel seats are functional, but not stunning.

They’re great for fishing, but won’t win a lot of beauty contests. I think that’s fine; I’m cheap, and trout aren’t much impressed by engraving or three-color tipping.

It’s possible certain Diamondglass models will someday become the Sage Lightlines of the fiberglass world – a discontinued line of rods that command high prices on the secondhand market because nothing better’s come along.

I believe the Diamondglass rods aren’t being produced any more, so if you want, better to get it sooner rather than later.

Link to the Diamondglass Web page here

Scott Fiberglass fly rods

Scott’s fiberglass rods (note — they’re the F2 series now, so what follows may not be current) are available in four shorter tapers; they range from a 6′ 1wt to a 7.6′ 4wt (the linear progression in length and line weight suggest they’re using a single taper to cover all the models).

Like all Scott rods, they’re cleanly and sleekly finished, and the retail price of $525 falls nearer the upper end of the fiberglass fly rod spectrum than the lower end.

In truth, I don’t know a lot about the Scott fiberglass fly rods; I rarely fish rods below 8′ and the longest F series rod tops out at 7’6”. I cast one several years ago and it clearly fell on the faster end of the fiberglass fly rod spectrum.

Scott’s fiberglass fly rods are not stiff or dead, and they’re a great fit for faster-rod fans and graphite rod users looking for a small stream rod.

Link to the Scott Fiberglass Fly Rods

Lamiglas

The Lamiglas “honey” rods are available only as blanks, and I’m my own prejudice is rearing its ugly head; while some think the 7.5′ 4wt “honey” Lamiglas achieves absolute perfection in a fly rod, the Lami’s I’ve cast have felt a bit on the clunky, slow-tipped side.

Manic rod builder Rich Margiotta tends to agree with me, though he draws the “clunky” line somewhere above the 7′ 3wt rod, which he thinks is pretty nice.

He makes a good point about the Lamiglas rods; they’re available in six-piece (and higher) formats, but the more ferrules they get, the clunkier they cast.

In other words – unlike the more expensive glass rods – extra ferrules seem to have a big impact on the Lamiglas fiberglass rods.

Still, they’re attractively pricely, nicely colored, and fun to build, and available in everything from a 6.5′ 3wt to an 8′ 5wt.

They’ve provided an affordable entry point into modern fiberglass rods for more than one angler. If you’re a real slow rod fan, then the Lamiglas honey blanks might be your idea of fly fishing heaven. If so, you can save a lot of money.

Link to the Lamiglas glass rod Web page

The One Resource You Need To Start Spending Money

Yes, there are a few other glass rods out there – including several highly rated fiberglass fly rods available only in Japan (but which can be shipped to the USA relatively quickly).

Rather than belabor the details here, I’m going to give you the link to the single best source of information about fiberglass fly rods on the Internet: The Fiberglass Fly Rod Board.

Like any message board, you learn to take some of the opinions with a grain of salt, but it’s one of the most civil boards out there, and nothing else like it exists in the fiberglass fly rod universe.

The Fiberglass Fly Rod Board

Links to most (if not all) of the glass rod manufacturers

The Future

There have been a spate of new fiberglass fly rods available the last few years — and the growth in the independent builders like McFarland and Steffen is gratifying.

Still, the almost-sure-to-occur demise of the Diamondglass line forces me to wonder if we’re seeing a small-but-healthy niche establishing itself, or if we haven’t simply witnessed a temporary revival of the modern fiberglass rod.

Still, my take is that the modern glass fly rod is here to stay; the independents always do better in niches than the bigger companies, who presumably have bigger fish to fry and more impressive bottom lines to pursue.

See you on the river (glass fly rod in hand), Tom Chandler.

(If you missed them, you can read the rest of our Wholly Biased Look a Fiberglass Fly Rods: Part I here, and Part II here)

A Diamondglass sitting on a Big Wood River ice shelf during an Idaho winter

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If I described the number of fiberglass fly rod makers as “large” or even “booming,” I’d be a liar.

There are a handful of small companies building glass, and a few larger companies dipping their toe in the technology, though by and large the bigger companies haven’t fared well at fiberglass.

For example, the original Winston fiberglass fly rods (typically built on the vaunted Fisher blanks) were quite good, but the reissued Winston “Stalker” rods were universally derided as pale shadows of the originals (Winston no longer lists fiberglass fly rods on their Web site).

Scott rods offers four fiberglass rods, though an Undergrounder noticed their own reps didn’t seem to know it.

In fact, look closely, and you’ll uncover a recurring theme; the larger rod companies pigeonhole fiberglass as a material suited only to very short rods, yet those buying fiberglass fly rods are using them for everyday fly fishing on all kinds of trout water.

Which is where small, independent rod builders enter the picture.

Today, I’m going to cover three independent fiberglass rod builders, and handle the bigger rod companies and other manufacturers in the next installment. Off we go…

Steffen Brothers

Though he’s not well known to the general fly fishing public, Mark Steffen has been rolling exceptional fiberglass and graphite fly rod blanks in his one-man operation for years.

His smooth-casting, medium-actioned fiberglass rods offer a decidedly retro look; the opaque, maroon brown, unsanded blanks appeal to some (like me), but are unlikely to win many beauty contests.

Steffen’s handwriting isn’t much, but his fiberglass rods cast beautifully.

Despite the nostalgic appearance, his s-glass rods are all business, and surprisingly light.

In fact, you don’t experience the real beauty of his rods until you’re on the river — they’re exceptionally smooth, light-in-the-hand casters. Comparing rods and actions is an inexact science at best, but my feeling is that the Steffen rods play in the same range (action-wise) as the vaunted Granger and Phillipson bamboo tapers.

They’re soft enough to protect light tippets and preserve a smooth, undefinable casting “feel” – yet strong enough to handle some wind, big fish, and big flies.

It’s safe to that – on a purely technical footing — his fiberglass fly rods rank with any currently being built. And at $300-$425 (depending on number of pieces), they’re a bargain compared to top-flight graphite fly rods.

His reel seats and cosmetics are straightforward and functional, and don’t be fooled by his Web site; it’s years out of date. He now offers many models not listed (including his very fishable 5wt rods).

I own and fish a pair of Steffen rods — 8′ and 8.5′ 5wts, (3pc and 4pc respectively) — and while some suggest a good 8.5′ 5wt fiberglass fly rod can’t be built, Steffen’s 8.5′ 5/6wt suggests otherwise.

In addition, his 7’9″ – 8′ 3/4wt rods are universally loved, though I haven’t fished one.

Closeup of the unsanded Steffen blank.

Steffen also rolls and build some exceptional graphite rods, but says that fiberglass fly rods are the fastest-growing part of his rod mix. Like McFarland’s rods (see below), Steffen will build a fiberglass fly rod in about as many pieces as you want — inserting internal spigot ferrules where needed.

Steffen doesn’t build vanity fly rods, but he does build fiberglass fly rods that fish very well.

McFarland Fly Rods

Mike McFarland’s glass fly rods are well known among fiberglass flyrodders — both for their smooth actions and gorgeous appearance. Where Steffen’s rods are (relatively speaking) high tech and plain looking, McFarland’s rods harken back to a more traditional action and are frankly gorgeous.

McFarland’s blanks feature a butterscotch brown color (photo McFarland Rods)

They’re still exceptional fishing tools, but McFarland uses e-glass (a slightly lower modulus fiberglass), puts a lot of effort into refining the appearance of his rods, and admits to preferring less-aggressive traditional tapers.

Available in multiple trim levels and in everything from 2-pc to ultra-portable 8-piece formats, McFarland’s glass rods (the Spruce Creek Series) cover a wide range of actions: progressive, dry fly, and parabolic.

For the real diehard old farts, McFarland even offers fly rods with nickel silver ferrules, an “accessory” which heaps many of the maintenance issues associated with bamboo rods onto fiberglass (I’m passing on that one).

Like Steffen, McFarland is often willing to build you a rod that’s not in his catalog, offering fly fishers a truly “custom” rod – a trait far more reminiscent of bamboo rods than today’s mass-produced graphite.

McFarland dresses his rods with some serious bling (photo McFarland Rods)

He offers fly rods in 7′ to 8’9″ lengths, and from 3 to 7 weights, making him the only builder dabbling in longer, heavier line weight glass rods — a space in the market often reserved for graphite.

The consensus is that McFarland’s rods are a teensy bit slower than Steffen’s efforts due to the slightly lower modulus material, though his stiff-butted dry fly rods won’t necessarily feel that way.

I’d suggest they offer a strong appeal to traditionalists and bamboo fanatics, but in truth, things are just plain pretty, and very smooth.

TL Johnson Rods

Terry Johnson’s new fly rod company (TL Johnson fly rods, natch) is focused on its several lines of graphite fly rods, but Johnson clearly has a soft spot in his heart for glass rods.

His glass models are subtly different from the others; at their core lies a helix of graphite fiber which is surrounded by fiberglass, and as a result, his line of fiberglass rods fish a little “faster” than most glass.

The metallic olive TL Johnson glass rod (photo courtesy TL Johnson)

When I spoke to Johnson at the retailer show in Denver, he said he wanted his rods to bridge the gap between bamboo and graphite, and a quick test of one of his rods suggested he’s he’s done so.

Currently, Johnson offers glass rods from 7′ to 8′ in length, in 4wt and 5wt models. His Web site lists only 2-pc models – a stumbling block if you’re looking for a travel rod.

His glass rods are cleanly built and finished, and — like most of the rod builders mentioned here – less expensive than a lot of the graphite rods on the market.

The rods I handled at the show were pretty – an olive color with nicely coordinated wraps – and I’d suggest their relatively sleek, modern appearance will appeal to those familiar with modern graphite rods.

Next Time…

I’ll cover some of the bigger fiberglass fly rod providers, including the much-loved (and high-priced) Thomas & Thomas Heirloom rods, and one of the best values in fiberglass — provided you can find one — the Diamondglass rods.

See you on the river, Tom Chandler.

(This is Part II: Read Part I here, and Part III here)

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