Last year, during the Carp Redux of 2011, I rediscovered the sheer beauty of glass rods. After initially fishing glass rods early in the fly fishing life, I slowly migrated to the faster and lighter graphite rods. Now however, I have rekindled a love affair with sweet and slow glass.
Currently I have only one decent glass rod that was purchased from a pawn shop. There are several more in the mini-fly fishing museum located in the spare bedroom, but all of the lot are in very poor condition.
Here lately, I've been thinking about venturing into the world of building custom glass rods. Most certainly I have no need for another expensive habit that would keep me from tucking money back for those days of so called retirement, but I'm afraid the mystery of building a glass rod is going to be too much for me to bear.
So as I usually do, when in need of wise and sage advice, I turn to my friend and fellow carpster by fly Charlie. Charlie has an affection for glass rods and it turns out he has some building knowledge.
In the initial dispatch to Charlie I ask for just basic information on what it would take to build a glass rod. His return dispatch or dispatches were rather detailed dissertations - chocked full of overwhelming information that led to this pea-brain going into overload.
However, I read his dispatches several times over a got a good basis of what all is involved in building one's own glass rod.
However, I read his dispatches several times over a got a good basis of what all is involved in building one's own glass rod.
Then, I countered Charlie's words with a dispatch of my own with the subject being glass rod building suppliers. In my email to Charlie I threw out names like Steffan Brothers, Strubble, Lemke Concepts, and Hopkins and Holloway.
Soon, Charlie would dispatch me again and through his words I learn of E glass, Lamiglass, McFarland, Fenwick, and Tom Morgan.
Now... I have even more to consider. I feel like I'm back to square one.
One good glass rod is probably all I will ever want to build... unless it's addictive like the rest of the fly fishing world. In building one good rod that I can take great pride in, I figure it's going to take several attempts, which no doubt will lead to building more and more and soon I'll be on the brink of bankruptcy.
But, I'll have some nice glass rods at least.
