Is Gierach now fishing graphite?

[tightloops]

Looking at Bob White's cover on Gierach's new book, it seems John has moved with the times and is sporting a waist-pack and graphite rod. I haven't read the book yet, but as a die-hard Gierach fan, I'm a bit perplexed about this. Has he abandoned old school?

[adkfan]

Looking at Bob White's cover on Gierach's new book, it seems John has moved with the times and is sporting a waist-pack and graphite rod. I haven't read the book yet, but as a die-hard Gierach fan, I'm a bit perplexed about this. Has he abandoned old school?

John fishes with graphite rods when he believes it’s the best tool for the job and discusses it in a few of his books, usually pointing out how people are always surprised by it

[Fishbamboorods]

Not sure when graphite would ever be best tool for the job.

[mer]

Not sure when graphite would ever be best tool for the job.

#2 pencil

[Tommasini]

Not sure when graphite would ever be best tool for the job.

Then I guess you have never cast one.

I love bamboo rods but as far as castability, nothing equals graphite in longer lengths (8'+). When me and my friends have a lawn casting party, we cast many bamboo rods and at the end bring out graphite rods. Holy smokes! Not even close! They don't look pretty though and don't exude craftsmanship.

[adkfan]

I’m certain that he isn’t using them to haul in his muskies
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=o_GmzS7_Vbc

[samsonboi]

Not sure when graphite would ever be best tool for the job.

Then I guess you have never cast one.

I love bamboo rods but as far as castability, nothing equals graphite in longer lengths (8'+). When me and my friends have a lawn casting party, we cast many bamboo rods and at the end bring out graphite rods. Holy smokes! Not even close! They don't look pretty though and don't exude craftsmanship.

Ah, why not ask Gnome about his Torzite guides? On a good bamboo rod, he says they will almost always outcast a plastic rod.

[Webfly]

Not sure when graphite would ever be best tool for the job.

A full day of streamer fishing from a boat, graphite wins. I am still amazed at how effortless I can do it for 7 hours with my TCX 790.

Bamboo is "fun' in the salt, but getting serious about it requires graphite IMHO.

[Bud]

Not sure when graphite would ever be best tool for the job.

Just about anywhere wind and/or the need for distance are factors.

[GrsdLnr]

Not sure when graphite would ever be best tool for the job.

Two handed rods. In one of Gierach's steelhead tales he says he prefers (confesses to?) plastic for spey casting. I have to agree.

[mlarocco]

Salt water, especially when one needs to present a fly quickly at a distance. Anybody do flats fishing with bamboo?

I thought the book was entertaining. Worked in a couple of Muskie stories, some of which I think I’ve seen in print before, slightly altered. A mix of the exotic (Labrador, Wisconsin muskies) and the typical Gierach Colorado local stories. He’s altered his core character cast and Bob White appears in multiple stories .

[Brooks]

Not sure when graphite would ever be best tool for the job.

#2 pencil

Funny! It's 'Carbon fiber' guys. Not graphite. If you made a stealth fighter out of graphite, it would leave a pencil'd signature where it crashed.

And regarding Geirarch. I'll bet he has to take a shower afterwards.

[oddsnrods]

As James Hardy mentioned in his book about Hardy's and their rod making history:
'Carbon fibre (UK) - graphite in America…' my brackets.

Having a few plastic spey type double handed fly rods, I almost always reach for the bamboo ones i have made, as I find them much more pleasant to use. Having decided over the last few years that athletic distant casting spey style (for the sake of it) does not really interest me, even if I could do it that well.. preferring a more intimate approach; fishing rather than casting.

My rods are hollowed, but not to within an inch of their life, I am not attempting to replicate plastic at all, or push any boundaries of so called performance, which to me defeats the spirit of bamboo. Plastic rods require loading, bamboo has it's own mass, so casting is less acrobatic and a gentler activity. It is amazing how a D/H 10' -12' bamboo rod can cast an easy line with so little effort. The rod itself does not feel heavier at the end of a day for the most part, however I am not talking about the 'line-lifter' rods of old.

As has been said many times, it's not a case of either/or, the materials are just different.

Malcolm

[mer]

I think a lot has to do with "when does one use a carbon fiber rod". A lot of these answers seem to gravitate towards "longer length, heavier line weights". Logically one can look at that and say "For most people there is a length and weight that is too physically tiring to use all day".

But then Malcolm turns it on it's head with his "...fishing rather than casting". And that is crux of it.
Are you fishing or are you casting? Before bamboo a "light trout" rod was what, 10 or 12 ft in length? If you are casting that all day, you are wearing yourself out. But if your fly is in the water, it's not much effort on your part.

Toss in the self-loading aspect of bamboo and if you use it correctly, you don't wear yourself out (fishing vs casting).

To get back on topic, I don't really care what Geirach uses or why/when. His money, his fishing, his choice.

[adkfan]

I always thought it was pretty clear in his books(esp later on) that he uses graphite rods

[Brooks]

I've quite an embarrassing large collection of carbon-fiber spey rods. But the only spey rod I truly love is my bamboo Bob Clay Suskwa 12-footer. It is the perfect rod for the Salmon River where I live.
The longer Carbon fiber rods are arguably much more necessary on rivers like the Clearwater--there's some big water and long casts there, but I always feel like I'm eating drive-thru fast food when fishing the carbon 14-footers (and longer), compared to the tasty slow cooking of my Suskwa.

The 12-foot Bob Clay Suskwa, with a nice big hefty reel, does not wear you out at all. If anything, I get less tired fishing bamboo spey than I do, for example, fishing an 8, or 9 foot bamboo rod throwing streamers or big bugs. A nice efficient under-hand cast with a spey is quite forgiving. All day long.

But we're talking about Geirach. . . .so I'll go back to work. . . .

[Loogie]

Not sure when graphite would ever be best tool for the job.

Then I guess you have never cast one.

I love bamboo rods but as far as castability, nothing equals graphite in longer lengths (8'+). When me and my friends have a lawn casting party, we cast many bamboo rods and at the end bring out graphite rods. Holy smokes! Not even close! They don't look pretty though and don't exude craftsmanship.

Ah, why not ask Gnome about his Torzite guides? On a good bamboo rod, he says they will almost always outcast a plastic rod.

Gnome claims a 25% increase in performance. However I have yet to see scientific proof of those guides having such less drag that they increase your performance by so much. I am not inclined to believe such a claim without scientific proof.

Now a good carbon fiber rod is hard to beat when it comes to distance and accuracy. I would be willing to put my money where my mouth is when it comes to casting accurately at a finning redfish or bonefish under adverse conditions in the salt at ranges that are on the edge of performance. I would like to see anyone make such a cast with bamboo...doubt it.

[Webfly]

Carbon fiber, graphite, boron, fiberglass, kevlar, all of these can be grouped under the general label of plastics. If it bamboo it's plastic and it has it's place, just not on this forum.

I must admit I don’t fully glean the meaning of this post? If it’s bamboo it’s plastic? It seems perhaps an editing error? And what does a Titanic life ring and laughing emoji have to do with anything?

[Arctic-Grayling]

In the morning after hearing about this thread, John will laugh his ass off, then return to sipping his Venti Vanilla Decaf Soy Latte and the Lyons Recorder stock market pages.

[bamboo rodley]

Isn't having concerns about what John Gierach does or doesn't do kind of absurd in general. Maybe we could start a flyfishing tabloid. I think I saw Lefty Kreh's image in the foam on my Venti Vanilla Decaf Soy Latte this morning, which I had to make myself because all the coffee shops are still closed here.