Friday 1 February 2013

Glass Is Not Dead! A Craftsmans Journey

If I mention the word fibreglass among many Australian anglers (especially spin fisherman) their thoughts instantly flood to visions of that crappy rod they once owned that flopped like a noodle and couldn't give the lure the feel or movement they wanted.
When I heard that glass was the new thing in town I dismissed it as a fad, why would anyone want one of those crappy things when we have graphite? That is lighter and gives more feel and sensitivity? And many more ramblings rolling around in my head.

In my curiosity as to why anyone would want to fish glass rods again I came across the following blog http://thefiberglassmanifesto.com , dismissing it again at first, but something in my mind must have clicked with something on the page, something that festered in my soul.

My curiosity with glass grew as did my desire to make my own fly rod and reel, I read up on why other people like glass the main pro's being:
Soft delicate presentations (perfect for spooky fish in clear shallow water).
That slow action in the casting stroke, you know throw it back eat a snickers bar and then slowly move the glass back forward as the line rolls out in a nice loop.
And the final thing, the noodle it turns into when you hook a fish!

Most people think a rod has to be stiff to stop a fish which is not true, the soft noodle u shape the rod will often turn into acts as shock absorber spreading the weight the entire length of the rod.

So then I bit the bullet, I ordered a book and materials pack on reelsmithing, and a CTS quartz 4 weight 7'6" 3 piece blank from Peter & Tony from HardCoreElement and my glass journey began.

First I made the reel, half my journey with that was buying tools and imperial sized drill bits and taps which were a NIGHTMARE to find in Australia! But once that battle off finding tools and bits was done the rest flowed pretty easily.

Then came the rod, I spent hours on the mud hole website just watching rod building videos over and over again, it all seemed a little daunting but once I broke it down into methodical steps and only took it a step at a time before I knew it I had the epoxy on and the rod in the roller I made from a BBQ rotisserie from buntings warehouse.

And of course the product testing stage came, and I was off to the small creek near my house in search of carp. And boy oh boy it was everything I had hoped for!

Enjoy the pictures
Ben






















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