fiberglass vs graphite

[bob o]

well i got my new bassin mag in the mail the other day and mike ike's has column this month is about why he uses fiberglass for all of his treble hooked baits top water, crankbaits, rattletraps, stickbaits anything with a treble hook he uses fiberglass. this got me thinking about what i use, i use a fiberglass rod for hard stickbaits and as the artical states it really fires the baits out there a long way and i do use a sweeping hook set just as ike does, but for crankbaits i still use graphite rods with florocarbon line it works great for me so far so why change. maybe the pro's have better reacation times for there hooksets than i do (ike claims the slower action of the fiberglass is his reason for using the fiberglass rods)now i'm not going to run out and make all new fiberglass rods for fishing my treble hooked baits (yet) i just wanted to know how many of you guys fish with fiberglass rod and why (same reason i would guess) they are heavy and will wear you out, well me any way.

[djkimmel]

I used to for quite a long time, but about 8 years ago I sold most of my fiberglass rods and switched over the various actions of graphite. KVD says he doubts any angler can set the hook fast enough to get the lure away from a bass when a bass wants the lure. Seems like he'd know what he's talking about?

[bob o]

but if you look at KVD's crankbait rod it looks like fiberglass to me. very long and the butt section is very big in diameter. i think the biggest advanatge there getting is casting distance. since these guys have to put food on the table by fishing as a pro angler they must cover more water with every cast even if it's an extra 20ft per cast

[Genie]

I thought the original use of fiberglass was to help reduce the hooks being pulled out of the mouth.  The fiberglass keeps more constant pressure (not as quick to load as graphite) thus not pulling out the hooks.

I too have switched to a more forgiving graphite for my teble rods and don't have any problems losing fish because of the rod - just mood of fish ... getting all the bait, front hook, back hook, etc.

[djkimmel]

He may have switched. Next time I see him, I'll try to have it on my list of 'Hey Kevin' questions. From pictures I've seen over the past few years, he may be switching back and forth depending on the application - lure size, fishing location.

I know using the right tool is critical and he is pretty good at that of course. I believe he was using fiberglass for the bigger crankbaits and maybe graphite for small lures, which may cast small lures better, and in weeds. But we do change over time and it was quite a while ago that he made the comments about graphite rods for crankbaits.

Of course, the reality of what we do throughout the day to catch a bunch of bass often does not exactly match articles and TV shows. Sometimes a lot goes on during the course of a day that is never shared for various reasons.

[djkimmel]

I thought the original use of fiberglass was to help reduce the hooks being pulled out of the mouth.  The fiberglass keeps more constant pressure (not as quick to load as graphite) thus not pulling out the hooks.

I too have switched to a more forgiving graphite for my teble rods and don't have any problems losing fish because of the rod - just mood of fish ... getting all the bait, front hook, back hook, etc.

Ask 10 anglers about anything and you'll get at least 8 different explanations!

[bob o]

Ask 10 anglers about anything and you'll get at least 8 different explanations!

or 60 anglers will read your post and only one will respond. hahahahaha

[djkimmel]

Yeah... but the other ones are sitting around in small groups debating it anyway!

[bob o]

and i did look up some fiberglass rod blanks and there down right cheap $50 will get a top of the line lamaglass blank and batson has rainshadow blanks even cheaper. hmmmmm

[Genie]

I have a finished Fenwick I don't use anymore.

[thedude]

glass will help keep fish pinned on trebles- absolutely.
they have a slower recovery time and a sort of elastic effect. My primary crank bait rod is an s-glass seeker and i love it. have plans to slowly replace several other rods as well.


KVD rods are a composite of glass and graphite i believe. I'm not a huge fan of composite.

Bob - don't go spending money on the batson SPG blanks. Yes they are cheap but you won't be happy with the actions. The lamiglass fiberglass bass blanks are sweet as is the seeker BC-706S. (S-glass). Batson came out with some new glass this year i think also.  Most glass is "E-glass" which is kind of like the "IM6" of fiberglass. Not bad, but not the best. S-glass is a higher quality glass that has lighter weight and better sensitivity - some of the newer skeet reese rods are S-glass.

If you can find them, browning in mid to early 90s made a nice glass crankin stick as did Daiwa... wish i had a few!

Dan -
ask 10 bass guys there opionion - you'll actually get 12 answers.

[MadWags]

I no longer have an opinion. My wife took it away from me.

[Mike S.]

Wow.  I have never even thought about what my rods are made of, or when to use glass rods or not.  I need to get with it here.

[djkimmel]

One of my first crankbait rods was a Browning fiberglass rod... but that was a few years before the 90s. Like maybe the 70s... I lost a lot of bass on it because it had little feel and was way too soft. A common problem with many rods made for crankin' back then. Things have gone much more high tech. Thank goodness.

Wags, lets say I let you borrow some of my opinion for a few minutes (you have to give it back - I don't want any problems with anyone's wife), what Grandt rods would you recommend for bass cranking applications?

[MadWags]

Grandt makes several rods specific to cranking in both graphite and e-glass.

I use the
All American 7' Crank for traps and the 7'6" medium All American for traps and medium cranks
E- Glass 7' medium for cranking the lake 12'-15' or medium heavy for deep deep crankin

Now hurry and take back your opinion before my wife finds it and we both end up tight lipped.

[bob o]

One of my first crankbait rods was a Browning fiberglass rod... but that was a few years before the 90s. Like maybe the 70s... I lost a lot of bass on it because it had little feel and was way too soft. A common problem with many rods made for crankin' back then. Things have gone much more high tech. Thank goodness.

djk i'm sure the line we use today is a big help keeping the fish on the hook not to mention the hooks themseves less stretch and sharper hooks help make the fiberglass rod a better choice these days.

[VinceR]

I use fiberglass for crankbaits and buzzbaits. I have 2 American Rodsmiths' David Fritts Model Cranking Rods, a 7'6" Medium for big, deep divers, and a 7'0" Medium/Heavy for smaller cranks and lipless type baits. I use a 7' Med. original Bass Pro Crankin Power Pro (these were made with E-glass) for buzzbaits.

I've been using glass for cranks since the late 80's, starting with the original Browning E-glass models. David Fritts made these popular, and they later had his signature.

I've tried switching back to graphite, but I really like the feel of glass.

[Waterfoul]

Martin and I both have a new KVD crankbait rod.  We both agree... great rods!  I don't throw cranks that much, and not really for the reasons a lot of people think, I just can't crank them in for long before my wrist and left shoulder are toast (tendonitis issues).  Add to that the fact that they just don't catch fish and I just don't throw them a lot.  No really, when I have thrown them this year I have lost very few fish and think the rod offers very good sensitivity.

[play for keeps]

the kvd rod gives me enough backbone to clear my crank of weeds, even my deep cranks. and i still get a really long cast like a glass rod, before i used a diawa light and tough glass rod but i felt it didnt have enough backbone and enought hook setting power.

[djkimmel]

Really some of the 70s and early 80s crankbait rods could be bent in a circle. Too soft. Most are way better now.

As much as I love the Grandt C10 for spinnerbaits I think it be a pretty good crankbait rod too. I'll be checking out the action of the Grandt crankbait rods this winter at Novi.