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bulldog1935 · Posted: Wed Jan 08, 2020 8:37 pm Post subject: Old Glass Rods

As a kid, I began fishing fiberglass rods.
Heddon light spinning, a really great Berkley TriSport inshore rod that I also wore out a Mitchell 300 in 4 years catching fall smacks from the jetties.
9' Shakespeare WondeRod was my first fly rod (that one an example of lousy glass because of its length), Fenglas Lunkerstick bass rod, then a 7-1/2' Orvis Fullflex A fly rod (Great glass).

My first graphite rods were in the mid-80s, Browning Hi-Power inshore casting rod, Powell Silver Creek Fly rod, Sage inshore fly, and Fisher stuck as my last-love 9' graphite.
It was about 20 years ago began tinkering with old cane, and also found perfect niches for old glass fly rods. The thing is, the cost of a new graphite rod and disc drag reel then would buy an arsenal of the old stuff - and of course now you can find new glass rods that cost as much as the best graphite. What goes around comes around.

In the 70s, when glass was at its pinnacle, the shorter glass rods made then were as high-tech in every way as the latest longer graphite rods are today.
9' just happens to be where graphite works best in fly rods, and it was no accident the really great glass fly rods of the past are 6' to 8'.

There are fly rod configurations where e-glass works better than any other MOC, and you can build glass rod configurations that absolutely won't work in graphite, or even in cane.
Only 50 years later are new glass rods finding this niche again, they're being made by equally dedicated rod designers, but to get modern glass rods that compare in performance to the venerable rods I'll show below, you have to spend $600 (or patiently snipe the venerable rod on ebay). People have also tried to get this feel by going to ultra-light-line rods for all fishing situations.

My rod choice hierarchy is fairly simple. Just for the weight advantage, I go to graphite for 9' rods and heavy line weights, and it's the only MOC that makes sense there. Wading or standing on a deck and sight-fishing is the perfect use of 9' graphite rods.
I just like to use 8' to 8-1/2' cane rods for coldwater trout, but the mid modulus of both cane and S-glass also happen to work best in this length range.
Glass has an advantage getting a cast out quickly, and 7-1/2' to 8' glass sitting in a kayak will get you to 60' or 70' from the leader in 3 strokes. But it also has the ability to fish in close to the boat right now without any fumbling.
In contrast, it takes 4 or 5 strokes with a graphite rod just to get past the leader - not a problem when you're wading or sight-fishing standing on deck and have a working length of line staged past the rod tip to start your cast.
The other place glass really shines are those shorter rods for tight overhung creeks, and lengths where graphite or even cane doesn't work - 6' to 7'.

But wanted to show some cool old rods - rods to keep your eyes peeled for because they work so well and you may find them inexpensively.
Both of these are 6'6", rated for 6-wt, will fish a 5-wt line or 100-grain shooting head wonderfully, and fit in the tightest spaces.
The darker rod is a Phillipson Royal Wand RWF66C, the yellow-color a Phillipson Fly Fox FF66C.

Recently added the Fly Fox for an unopposed ebay bid of $120. Perfect rods for hill country warmwater.
Both rods date to about '69-70, and represent Bill Phillipson's first hands-on fiberglass sleeve ferrules, and just before his failing health caused him to sell his business to 3M.

Also keep your eyes peeled for 7' Phillipson rods, which are equally wonderful - they were also marked for and sold by Orvis and LL Bean.

Joe Kennedy Fisher supplied rod blanks to Hardy, Winston, Scott, Thomas & Thomas, even early glass to Sage,
and those wonderful Scientific Anglers System rods - if you find a SA System 5, 6, or 7, DO NOT PASS GO
And if you find a System 4, buy it to re-sell.

in the late 60s, Joe Fisher built a rod factory in California and shipped it to Hardy, to replace all the blanks he was shipping from Mound House, NV to Alnwick, UK.

Here's a 1960 8' Harnell 652, 6/7-wt, which is my go-rod for dock fishing the lights at night.
In general, the old 8' glass rods are 7-wts, and will fish the salt very well.

John Harrington came out of WWII fiberglass manufacturing, and went right to work on rod mandrels. He made 45 different models of bass rods before he moved into offshore rods, ultralight to steelhead spinning rods, and fly rods. Of course most offshore fishermen know Harnell glass rods because they're indestructible, and people still seek his old rods to take offshore today.
http://www.corpusfishing.com/messageboard/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=38692
I think John Harrington just had in his mind what any rod should be in the same way Joe Fisher did.
Maybe both were lucky, but their rods sure work well.

Recently, a surprise Christmas gift, a friend sent me two really nice Harnells, a 7-1/2' 645, probably 1956,
which is really powerful 7/8-wt, and a pretty perfect kayak rod

you probably don't want to know this, but I paid $80 on ebay for the Miami-made Fin-Nor CR fly reel (just because it has the Cabela's mark). It is honestly a better reel than a $600 Abel.

and another later 652 from the H-I era, but this one with a neat bronze-painted blank.
I took it trout fishing on the Guadalupe tailwater this week, and it did everything right there, nymphing with a 6-wt Chalk Stream Special floating line, and streamers with a T-130 sinking line.

BayFly · Posted: Sun Jan 12, 2020 11:56 am Post subject:

As always, your input is considered a contribution! Smile

bulldog1935 · Posted: Mon Jan 13, 2020 8:13 am Post subject:

thanks
Here's the reel porn photos I shot of the Fin-Nor CR-67

bulldog1935 · Posted: Tue Jan 14, 2020 10:09 am Post subject:

Adding these views of the Harnell patent reel seat - this puppy is stout, formed from thick sheet.

bulldog1935 · Posted: Thu Jan 16, 2020 6:25 am Post subject:

Been having a blast with the Harnell Broz-Glas - it's a great tailwater trout rod, does everything right - mends with a wrist flick, subtle accurate casting, and even snappy nymphing.
Only got out for 3 hours yesterday morning fishing dolomite ruts, but never got snagged (except in fish mouth).
I brought it home with the same midge dropper rig, ready to go out again.

DawnPatrolVeteran · Posted: Sat Jan 25, 2020 9:24 am Post subject:

Great post!

You have a great wealth of knowledge on fly fishing. I enjoy reading your posts. I don't get on the forum as much as I am able with our three older girls in university. My boss moved from Alaska he is an avid fly fisher he told me about the Spey River in Scotland where he has fished with a Spey Rod..those look amazing to cast use. I love this type of fishing.

I planning on taking the younger ones out today. I am going to a local community lake and taking my fresh water set up to knock the rust off.

The family is taking an extended trip overseas soon and I plan on having all my set ups with me including my tying kit.

I plan on stopping by rivers and streams and lakes and hit the salt if possible. Hopefully, I can post some successful landings of new fish. Will post when I am able.
_________________
To have a right to do a thing is not at all the same as to be right in doing it. - G.K. Chesterton

bulldog1935 · Posted: Wed Feb 05, 2020 5:29 pm Post subject:

thank you.
Gratuitous fish photo, the '56 Harnell 645 and Fin-Nor CR reel.
Fishing a Teeny TS-250 sinking line from Arroyo dock, which made for a really sweet combo.
Consistent, effortless 60' casts with just a roll-pick-up and single back-cast.
17" spec - a hoot on this rod.
I could get away with this fast sinking line in the deep water of the arroyo.
I had the same 652 with neutral density (slime) line in the photo up the page, but didn't pick it up because I knew casting it would be more work than this line.

bulldog1935 · Posted: Sat Apr 25, 2020 4:44 pm Post subject:

How about a 6'6" Harnell ML spinning rod
Was happy to get this on e-bay, though I paid top dollar - just a dollar more than an equally sharp potential buyer.
The rod is marked Fispo Glass Harnell Blank.
I've since discovered Fispo is a Finland tackle purveyor who exported Harnell blanks.

The blank, reel seat and handle match the 6'6" 1-pc 440, though built as a 2-pc with staggered ferrule.
And a perfect match with my Penn 716

re-positioned to show the tip

another view on that pretty reel seat

I don't think the ferrules have ever been assembled
What looks like a loose thread is tightly varnished - other than that, the wraps are impeccable

What I thought was a scratch on the seller's photos turned out to be ferrule alignment marks