Fibreglass Owners and Users.

[Hannay]

Seeing as I do most of my travelling by bicycle I have a couple that I can strap to the frame safe in the knowledge that I won't damage them. Wouldn't trust myself strapping cane to a bike frame!

[Vole]

Yes, the Lane and Smith rods for legering, a home-built Shakey for the sliding float, the Sundridge for carp, the Chevin for chub; the Auger, Anon Shaw and a couple of others were inherited, and are kept for sentimental reasons.
I picked up the North Western blanks cheaply, they're a pair of fast-taper 1 1/4 lb light carp jobs in (then) fashionable black; I really ought to set the pair up and do a spot of two-rod carping, I suppose!

[Plot36]

I have a few glass fly rods. These include a 7 foot 4wt Hardy JET that Watermole kindly sent my way and an 8ft 5wt T&T Heirloom that I picked up for a very reasonable sum from a fly forum. The JET is a great rod for small streams and jungle conditions where I might be nervous about taking my split cane rods and the T&T is a sublime rod - casts like a dream and a great fun to fish with. There's quite a resurgence in the use of glass for fly fishing - particularly in the US.

The JET on the Upper Honddu


The T&T accounted for one of my best wild brown trout last year

[Gateleaner]

I use North Western SS5's and SS6's for my Carp and Pike fishing.
Shakespeare Alpha for Float fishing. When this rod came out in the 70's John Wilson reviewed it as a superb Tench rod.
I also use the Alpha Carp for floater fishing.
I also built a Fibatube quiver tip rod for Chub and Roach.
Also own a pair of Terry Eustace Big Pike rods. Rare as rocking horse sh.t as Terry himself told me when I met him at Redmire a few years back. According to him there is no carbon rod that can chuck a whole Herring into the horizon like one of these. Indestructible.
My gravel pit days are over as all my piking these days is on rivers within a rod length or so.

These rods I built/purchased in the late 70's/early 80's. Still going strong and I love them. What is more traditional than the gear you used in your youth?

re Carbon I have had some nightmare breakages but I do rate the early John Wilson's Avon and Specialist rods.

[Nigel Rainton]

I have 2 x Bruce and Walker Carp, 2 x Bruce and Walker Avon and a Bruce and Walker CTM 12, all of which have served me well for many years, I would not swap them for anything. They take a lot of abuse and cover all my fishing needs. I used the CTM 12 for pike fishing (when I was young and didn't have anything else) and I've used the carp rods for Bass fishing in Corwall. Flopy glass stops a fish in its tracks, just like cane.

[Maggot's Dad]

Good afternoon all,

I still have but use only occasionally now, my ABU Feralite Mark 6 Zoom, 13" All England, Match Tip (... gasp, phew..!) coupled with my battle weary ABU 44X, both from new in the glorious days of ABU proper! The rod is still in very good condition (with original bag and tube) but the reel paintwork suffered, at my hands, from such heavy use in my days of Matchfishing. I still watch these rods emerge for sale and wince when they go for rediculously low prices, do these people not know?
A superb glass rod which, providing they are treated with some care, will never let you down. Mine was responsible for "the undoing" of a 14lb Pike during a Match, at range on a river, on 3lb mainline, with 1 1/4lb hooklength, 18 hook and two maggots. I will admit that the pike did give me the "run around" to some degree but also having the benefit of the 44X's amazing clutch, gave me one of the most memorable scraps of my life!
Okay they really do look a bit of a fistful because of the tube diameter (initially very close to the diameter of the handle!) but I have had carbon wand users exclaim of their lightness! Much lighter than they were expecting!
"
Anyway I still LOVE mine and you can't buy it! "Ner ner de ner ner!"

[GazTheAngler]

I have a Shakespeare Alpha match like Gateleaner's which i used for all my float fishing from 2009 when i went trad after finding it in my dad's loft. i haven't used it this season as i've been using my Sealy floatcaster.

Gaz

[GazTheAngler]

Bah,

not about fibre glasss, but i saw a cane rod in a local charity shop today. Had a quick look but it appeared to be a sea rod, two piece quite short, had a cork handle and moveable rod bands but the tip wasn't much thinner than my little finger.

Gaz

[JohnL]

I have various fibreglass rods, some I use, some I don't and ought to get rid of. My main feeder rod is glass, It just doesn't seem right chucking feeders with cane. I've just discovered a Milbro Enterprise 14 1/2' match in the attic, surprisingly stiff and light - it's available if anyone wants to make me an offer.

[JohnL]

There is an interesting bunch of "vintage" glass rods on ebay at the moment http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/3-Old-Glass-r ... 337f5d73cd . I rather like the Rodrill, almost a Fred Taylor Roach copy (I must resist).