Tim Rajeff on "Overlining Underlining Fly Rods" (+playlist)

Fiberglass Fly Rods

You are looking at a tournament legal, Bass fly rod.  This is the "Floater Bum" made for
the Japanese market by Fenwick   It is a six foot, ten inch long, 3 piece 7 wt  fiberglass fly rod.
Big bass flies, like the Dahlberg Diver, can be cast with ease.
 

Unfortunately, there is no hook holder; so I added one.  While it is a seven weight fly rod,
it is still fun to catch bluegill and other panfish with this rod.

Note the black rubber band like hook holder above the handle.

This rod I consider to be a steal.  I only paid twenty dollars for it.

It is a 3 piece, seven foot, six inch, 4/5 weight fiberglass fly rod.

For the money it is a great fly rod.  I remember taking this rod with me when I went to
to the Passaic River for carp.  It was Mulberry time and carp were feasting on berries
as they fell from the tree.  I fished a purple deer hair fly. 

There was a Northern Pike lurking in the background too.  Do pike like berries?

I plopped my fly near a feeding carp.  It sucked in the "berry" and made an 180 degree turn
in the river.  My rod began to turn with the fish.  In an effort to slow the carps acceleration,
I turned away from the fish.  The rod bowed  until it resembled the letter "C".

Fiberglass rods are almost indestructible.  I was not able to slow or turn the fish.
Once the carp reached an underwater obstruction, it was able to break me off.  But the rod
held.

This is a fiberglass rod too.  I got this bargain on e-bay for less than $16.00, brand new!
The rod is just as sturdy as my other "glass" fly rods.   I like to use light weight fly rods and
this 3/4 weight seven foot, 6 inch three piece is ideal for the places I fish.

Rod makers will designate their rods with line weight recommendations but don't be afraid
to try lines that are a weight or two above or below the rod makers recommendation.
I like to fish my rods by "underlining" or "overlining" them. 

From left to right: The Floater Bum.  Green fly rod, Yellow fly rod.

Carp Back

Japanese Fiberglass Flyrods

Japanese Fiberglass Flyrods

Some very fine fiberglass rods are now produced in Japan and Asia.  Like the US made glass rods, the rod makers chose fiberglass for it's performance.  If anything, there are even more choices than in the US.  These fiberglass rod lines are available via Japanese tackle stores or Yahoo Japan (the Japanese equivalent of eBay).  Currently, none have US importers.  But if you got here, then you are an Internet junkie and something as mundane as international purchasing and shipping isn't going to stop you.  I'll add websites and additional information as I can.

Tom's Fractured Guide to Japanese Websites:  You should absolutely make use of Google Translation or Alta Vista Translation to get a rough idea what you are seeing.  But some important website functions don't translate, particularly navigation buttons. And translating each and every Yahoo auction gets tedious.  So here are a few things I look for when surfing Japanese sites or Yahoo Japan.  Watch for the characters フライ  ロッド which represent "fly rod" or フライ  リール which indicates "fly reel".  With respect to fly rods, look for グラス as this indicates "glass".  Don't be put off if the translator program indicates this means "grass", the characters バンブー indicate a bamboo rod (often translated as Van Buu).  Also watch for カーボン, indicating carbon fiber or for グラファ which indicates graphite (note the first two symbols are the same as for glass!).  ロッドケース indicates a rod case. The characters ピース in conjunction with a number is the number of rod sections.  The characters 新品 usually indicate brand new, but sometimes have a meaning similar to "new old stock", whereas ビンテージ will indicate "vintage".

The translation engines are helpful, but sometimes they will cough up some very peculiar phrases.  For instance, the characters 仕舞寸法 will often translate into rather strange "Informal-Noh-dance (mask) size", but in reality this refers to the length of the rod packed in it's case.  The characters 自重 get translated to "prudence", but often indicate weight, or line weight.  Used item descriptions on Yahoo Japan often translate to "from Medival times" meaning an older item.  Used items descriptions may include the word "crack", but the meaning here is closer to scrapes or scratches in the finish or other indications of use and handling.

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Tiemco Fiberglass Fly Rods:  Tiemco has held a licensing agreements with Fenwick and Orvis for years.  Recently, Tiemco has produced a couple of different lines of Fenwick rods exclusively for the Japanese market, including a cool looking HMG line.  In addition, they produce other fiberglass fly rods with their own model names.

Currently Available Tiemco Rods

Fenwick Yellow Glass Series II - there are 11 models in the product line.  The rods have yellow blanks, spigot ferrules, and elegant hardware.  The rods range from 3 weight to 7 weight.  FF663-2J, "Little Giant", a 6½ foot, 2 piece, 3 weight, Grip C (new rod and grip style for 2008); FF694-2J, "Grateful Rod "(?!), a 6'9", 2 piece, 4 weight, Grip C (new rod and grip style for 2008); FF633-3J, "Glass Midge", a 6'3", 3 piece, 3 weight, Grip A; FF733-3J, "Triple Apple", a 7'3", 3 piece, 3 weight, Grip A; FF694-3J, "De-Liar", a 6'9", 3 piece, 4 weight, Grip A; FF765-3J, "Indian Summer", a 7½ foot, 3 piece, 5 weight, Grip A; FF6117-3J, "Floater Bum", a 6'11", 3 piece, 7 weight, Grip B; FF663-5J, "Shangri-La", a 6'3", 5 piece, 3 weight, Grip A; FF703-5J, "Little Yellow", a 7 foot, 5 piece, 3 weight, Grip A; FF734-5J, "Continental Tourer", a 7'3", 5 piece, 4 weight, Grip A;  FF795-5J, "FF79.5", a 7'9", 5 piece, 5 weight, Grip A.  These rods are available through the Blue Dun Fly shop in Toyko.


Euflex Glassmaster - two small stream glass rods.  Not cheap.  The rods have black blanks, spigot ferrules, and cork grips with sliding rings.  There are only two models; NTF 604-3, "Dwarf", a 6 foot, 3 piece, 4 weight; NTF 733-3, "Midge Midge", a 7'3", 3 piece, 3 weight.

Euflex Bushmaster - a long running series of short glass rods.  Still not cheap.  The rods have black blanks, spigot ferrules, and cork grips with cap and ring cork reelseats.  Currently here are three models; BM 553-4, a 5'5", 4 piece, 3 weight; BM 6113-4, a 6'11", 4 piece, 3 weight; BM 654-4, a 6'5", 4 piece, 4 weight.  Previous models show up on Yahoo Japan; BM663; BM634; BM694; BM593-3; and BM664-3.

Euflex Excursion - two more small glass rods, although these may have some graphite mixed in.  Still not cheap.  The rods have black blanks, spigot ferrules, and cork grips with sliding rings.  There are only two models; 734-4, a 7'3", 4 piece, 4 weight; 795-4, a 7'9", 4 piece, 5 weight.

Discontinued Tiemco Models

Fenwick Classic Glass - these rods were produced around 2000.  These are very retro looking Fenwicks with brown blanks, classic Fenwick cork grips, and the bakery twine butt wrap.  But the reelseats are bright hardware, skeleton down locking, with walnut inserts.  Fenwick never marketed 4 weight glass fly rods in the US. It's too bad, because these are smooth and soft rods, but very capable casting machines once you slow down your casting stroke. If Fenwick had included these 4 weights with the Fenglass rods marketed in the US in about 2000, the whole line would have sold much better.   There were three Classic Glass models: FF764-2J, a 7½ foot, 2 piece, 4 weight; FF804-2J, an 8 foot, 2 piece, 4 weight, and FF756-4J, a 7½ foot, 4 piece, 6 weight.

Fenwick Yellow Glass (Series I) - these rods occasionally show up on Yahoo Japan.  They are similar to the current Series II rods, but have the classic Fenwick bakery twine butt wrap and classic Feralite ferrules. Some rods have white wraps with black tipping, others dark red with white bands.  One rod in the line that makes glass rod fans drool is the FF1106-3J, "Doublehand", an 11 foot, 3 piece, 6 weight, designed with a Spey style grip.  Other rods are the FF666-3J, a 6'6", 3 piece, 6 weight with a tiny fighting butt, FF694-5J, a 6'9", 5 piece, 4 weight and FF733-3J, a 7'3", 3 piece, 3 weight.

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Norie: makes four lines of glass rods, the Flex Taylor, Sleeve, Amberstar, and the Orifice (no kidding) one model of which is built on a stunning clear white blank (try THAT graphite makers!).  The rods range from 5 to 8'6" and 2/3 weight to 7 weight.

Takeda: these rods are made as a sideline by a bamboo shop.  The aestethics are elegant. The rods are a 6'6" and 7'3", both for 3 weight.  The prices - if you have to ask you don't want to know.

North Country Angler: a line of two piece and three piece "Paraglass" fly rods. The rods are a 6'6", 7'0", and 7'6" all for 3 weight.

Studio Thin Line: for the fiberglass fanatic, these rods are eye candy.  The pattern of fiberglass in the rod blank is so strong, it became a design element.  The rest of the rod's cosmetics are equally strong.  Expensive, but wow...

Quiet Loop: this is a recently discontinued line of glass rods.  The rods range from 6'6" to 8 feet and 2/3 weight to 5 weight.
VF662, VF702, VF703, VF763, VF704, VF764, VF804, VF805  - in length and weight (VF 702 = 7'0" 2-wt);  these are all two-piece rods with tipover ferrules. The VF805 has a downlocking reel seat, and the other models have sliding bands.
Here is a link to a photogenic collection: http://blog.livedoor.jp/keytaccata/archives/50959063.html
The manufacturer (Anglers Republic / Old Beech) also made a Spirit Loop line of blended graphite and S-glass rods, and currently makes a line of tournament casting graphite rods.

 Axisco:  Recognized first for their 6-pc and 10-pc. glass Pack rods in 2- and 3-wt, 6'6" to 7'6".  They also make two piece glass in 6'6" to 8'6" and line weights 3 to 5.
Here is a link to the pack rods at Blue Dun Fly Shop: http://www.bluedun.net/RodsandReels_pack_rod_english.htm
Here is a link to Axisco 2-pc. rods:  http://jm.st70.arena.ne.jp/NTT/catalogue/ROD/ANGLE/FLY/AIRRITE.GLASS.htm  (use Google to translate)

 Issac (IZCH):  glass rods, 5 models in lengths 7'9" to 9'0" in line weights 3 to 6/7, all with parabolic taper.  http://jm.st70.arena.ne.jp/NTT/catalogue/ROD/CAPS/FLY/IZ6.htm
nice photo here of the finish work
http://www.kiroworld.co.jp/fly/rod/rod_photo/glass.html


The vendor Navy Bass also lists the following makers and model names of glass rods:
Kiraku Halcyone
CAPS Kids Fly
Coatac Crescent
http://www.navybass.com/index/navybass.FROD.GLASS.htm


This article was reproduce from the Fiberglass Flyrodders site .

Two weight fly rods - Ultra light fly fishing

I've had a love affair with short ultra light fly rods for years.  Most of the time, I fish in urban parks
where there is no wading.  There are trees, bushes, and fences everywhere;  so you adjust to the environment or die.

Short fly rods became my go to fly rod when I began to fly fish;  because they can be roll cast under most tree branches.

I got the AIRRITE Stream more than six years ago.  The less than two meter length
makes it ideal for me to catch bass, bluegills and other panfish in close quarters.  The rod is from Japan
and is made from fiberglass.

It is a slow flex rod and roll casts with ease.  Yes I have caught carp with this rod.

This is one of my favorite ultra light fly rods.  It is The March Brown, nine foot, seven piece
two weight.

Normally I will fish this rod with a 5X or 6X tippet and nothing larger than a # 10 fly.

I also own a six foot, two piece,  two weight cane fly rod and a five foot, two piece
St Croix Banty, fiberglass, two weight. If you have never used rods of two weight or less you
are missing a treat!  It takes  patience but  you can land really  large fish while using ultra light fly rods.
The more you do it the easier it gets.  Use a net to help with the landing of the fish.  There is no
need to play a fish to exhaustion.

Me wearing my leg brace as I recover from a torn quadriceps muscle.

Eleven foot custom made fly rods

My six weight, eleven foot, four piece custom fly rod.  I had this rod built with a fighting butt.
Even with the lack of casting room in most urban parks; this rod is fun to fish.  I use mostly
single hand spey  casting technique to reach fish.

I purchased the blanks on e-bay and had the rod put together by a buddy in Texas.

This is the sister rod to my six weight, eleven foot rod.  It is a two weight, eleven foot, four piece
fly rod.

Yes it is carp friendly too.  I tend to overline my ultra light rods by two weights.

As long as you use a net when fishing for carp you will be able to handle the occasional
big carp when you are fishing using ultra light equipment.
 

2 weight

Guides

Ferrules

6 weight

Guides

Hook holder

The boat dock at Prospect Park

Cane for carp Fly Fishing

Three years ago I purchased a used cane fly rod on e-bay.  I wanted to use it to fish for carp.
I paid about $125.00 for the rod.  Since my investment was small, I was less cautious about
the care of the fly rod.  As a result one of the guides fell off.
  

I sent the rod out to be repaired.  A few days later I got a call from the repair shop.  They
wanted to know how much I paid for the rod.  I explained how much I paid .  The repairman
explained that my rod was worth a great deal more than what I paid.   So now I have a 3 piece
nine foot cane rod with a retail value of $800.00!  I am no longer willing to fish for anything with
this fly rod.

In an effort to protect my $800.00 trophy rod, I went back online to look for a less valuable
cane fly rod.  I won a 4 piece (2 tips) 9 foot cane fly rod.  This time I paid only $89.00
  

 The fly rod on the right is now worth $800.00 and the rod on the left is worth $89.00

But now I'm faced with the dilemma of fishing either rod because each rod appears to be in
mint condition.

The label is intact on the $89.00 rod

This rod appears to be like new.  The cork grip is soiled but that can be easily fixed.

Look at the ferrules and raps on this rod.

I've caught a few carp on this rod but that was before I knew it's true value.