Vintage Glass Rods

[jacob]

Hey all,

I have two old glass rods that were my grandfathers -

I never met him as he died before I was born- it is a shame because we would have been very close, and I am sure we would have spent countless days in the wild together. He was an avid hunter and fly angler, and I was given some of his old gear by my uncle when I grew up enough to truly appreciate the sentimental value.

When I got these two fly rods from my uncle (who taught me how to fish, in and out, on spinning gear), I began dabbling and screwing around learning the ropes. When it comes down to it, I really owe it to my late grandfather that I began fly fishing, with my uncle having already instilled a love for fishing and the outdoors through many years of camping and spin fishing.

Anyway...

One is a Montague by True Temper model# 1028, with a really light and small metal reel. (rod I learned to fly fish on) 7'6". I used to fish it with a 5 weight line, but was never sure if it was matched properly. Hell when I got my redington CT 3 weight, I could cast like a mother":!@!@$%^ though!!!

The other is a Gladding South Bend "White Knight" model# 1-428-286, 8 1/2" ft, with an automatic reel.

Both glass 2 piece rods.

I have never been able to find any specific information on either of these rods - I don't necessarily plan on fishing them (although I learned on the True Temper, I consider them retired rods, that serve to remind me of my fly fishing roots.) But I would love to know what the heck these things were designed for, i.e. lineweights, action, etc...

I was wondering if anybody on the forum could shed some light on these two mysterious rods. I've searched high and low on the internet and can't come up with definitive answers. I more or less just want to know out of curiosity - I don't care about the "value" of them, I know they are cheaper cost effective rods of the time - they are of utmost value to me because of their story and how I ended up with them, even if the price tag is 20-45 bucks.

Just generally, what the heck they actually are, just in case I wanna throw a line with them someday on my grandpops birthday or death day as a tribute and "thank you." I know he would a appreciate it, and probably had a few good laughs looking down on me learning the ropes.

Anyway, thanks! I can take some pictures if it would help.

 

[bikerfish]

I couldn't find anything specific in my sources for either rod, those companies literally made hundreds of models of rods. I have rods from both of those manufacturers that I still fish today, so my advice would be to cast them with a bunch of different lines, find the ones that work best for you, and fish them on occasion to honor your grandfather.
you can try asking the folks over at the fiberglass forum, they are a good bunch of guys and somebody over there may have some info on them.

http://fiberglassflyrodders.com/forum/

 

[jacob]

Awesome thanks bikerfish

 

[JeffK]

I'll bite. Both of those are moderate priced rods from the fiberglass era known to many as "blue collar" rods. Most rods of the period were about a 6 wt - people liked to feel the rod bend down to the handle and the technology of the day didn't really support much lighter rods. 5 wt was considered light weight fishing. Many people prefer a 5 wt on the shorter rods, especially with faster fishing styles of today.

8' more or less was the sweet spot with old glass; longer rods could be heavy with the older glass rods.

Some people love the slower, more relaxing casting with fiberglass rods and there is a fan base for them. Plus, you can buy them cheaply. Others prefer the faster current generation of graphite rods. Try them with 5 or 6 wts and fish the way you like. Plus you have the nostalgia factor for fishing your grandfather's rod, which is a cool thing.

Automatic rods are another blast from the past. Once used by many people, they are mostly forgotten. They are good for small to moderate streams where you use the spring to bring in slack line. You don't pull the fish in with the spring, but strip the line in by hand and use the spring to bring in the slack line. You have a winding knob to wind the spring to tighten it and a release button (not the lever to let line in) to unwind the spring. Procedure is to string up the rod and pull the leader connection just past the rod tip. Then use the spring release button to release the spring tension so the spring is unwound with the leader just beyond he rod tip. This is to prevent the leader knot from zipping into the tip where it can tangle and break the tip. Now when you pull out line you wind the spring and can bring it back by pressing the lever. At the end of the day you can wind the spring so the line goes all the way in. Release the spring tension for storage. Have fun, you will get a lot of comments when fishing an old automatic reel.

 

[Tups]

Jacob: I have a copy of the May/June 1972 "Fly Fisherman" magazine. On page 32 is a chart prepared by Scientific Anglers Inc. titled: "Fly Line Recommendations for 1972 Model Fly Rods."

The chart lists your 8'6" Gladding South Bend model 1-428-286 as an AFTMA 6 weight rod.

The chart lists only one 7'6" True Temper, which has a model# 1255B, also an AFTMA 6 weight rod.

Scientific Anglers recommends a floating line in either DT-6-F or WF-6-F, your choice.

For more info, send a self-addressed, stamped envelope to Scientific Anglers, PO Box 2007, Midland Michigan 48640.

 

[jacob]

Thanks tups!

 

[shakey]

1. Vintage glass rods are often 6wts,but you can often use them as 5/6/7. of course,if it is heavier than a 7 wt,you could have fun with steel/salmon/salt.

I have seen bikerfish catch steel on a true temper like it was second nature.

2. Fish them. Just make sure the wraps have varnish and use them .

3. I love an automatic reel for warm water fish .

 

[JakesLeakyWaders]

I'm a big fan of glass rods. I've got some newer ones and a few I've found at flea markets or online. In fact I just bought another fiberglass rod. I might post about it.