As any reader of THE CHURCHWARDEN knows by now, I am severely biased towards bamboo. Unfortunately, I just cannot afford the stuff. I have one cane rod in hand, an old Orvis 5 weight, and another being constructed by an excellent craftsman named Gary P. Dabrowski. Two bamboo rods hardly qualify me as a serious collector and barely qualify me as an aficionado. If the day ever arrives when the necessities of life are not so necessary I will have cane in every corner of the house, but that day will probably never happen--at least not in this life--so I have to look at what I have and what I have coming, and be thankful.

Supposedly, the next best thing to bamboo is fiberglass, and I read somewhere that up to 8 feet glass is superior to graphite. The technical sense in which the latter claim stands true is a matter far beyond my comprehension. Existentially, however, the point has proven to be fairly accurate: I cast glass a bit better than graphite.

Last year I bought a 60's era fiberglass Fenwick from a guy named Poe and it turned out to be one of the best purchases I ever made. Although the Fenwick is rated as a 6 weight, it handles a 5 weight double taper beautifully, and functions quite admirably in the service of both dry fly and nymph fishing. Next, I picked up a nice 4/5 weight Lamiglas from a gentleman hawking on EBAY. This fly rod has replaced one of my Orvis graphites as part of the equipment I leave in the car at all times for all kinds emergency trout fishing.

Fiberglass appeals to me for three reasons. First and foremost, it is inherently slower than graphite, and I really enjoy a slow rod. Second, it is somewhat affordable. The Fenwick and the Lamiglas together set me back no more than two hundred dollars. Last and certainly not least, it is counter cultural. The current all-consuming rage is for high tech plastic. Glass is old technology, one step up the evolutionary ladder from grass. It does a wonderful job of tweaking my out-of-the-mainstream nature; it fits me psychologically.

Grass, glass and graphite each possess individualized characteristics as a rod making material, and for that reason one should never be regarded as a substitute for the others--an alternative, yes; a substitute, no. Taken strictly as an alternative to cane and graphite, fiberglass can be appreciated for its own unique merits.

I love bamboo, graphite is good, but I really like glass.