Glass With Ass, The Orvis Superfine Glass Rod

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Photo by Louis Cahill

Photo by Louis Cahill

Warning: Fiberglass is highly addictive.

I love the feel of fiberglass rods for trout fishing. It’s as if all of my stress is just absorbed by the material. I can not be tense or angry or anxious with a glass rod in my hand. It’s just a joy. The pace and the feel of the rod just puts me in a good mood. Like the first day of summer.

The problem is, a lot of fiberglass rods don’t come out of the tube until summer arrives. Though they may be pure bliss with a dry fly, they can leave you a little under-gunned when old man winter demands a little weight. Lead and fiberglass generally don’t mix.

Well, this winter has been an exception. I’ve spent most of the colder months fishing my new Orvis 7’6″ 4 weight, Superfine Glass. This little gem has all the feel and delicacy of presentation that I expect in a great fiberglass rod, and something I didn’t. Enough ass to throw a tandem nymph rig with split shot and a Thingamabobber.

That means the Superfine Glass is a year-round rod. That’s a huge plus for me. I fish a lot of small streams in the colder months and a 7 1/2′ 4wt is perfect. Now I get the fun of fishing fiberglass on those days too.

When the bugs do come out the Superfine can not be matched for delicate dry fly presentation. It drops a fly as soft as a whisper and has surprising range. The slow pace of the cast makes reach casting a dream and the deep bend of the rod means great roll casting. It’s all around a veritable, precision fly fishing machine.

The Superfine glass is available in 7′ 3wt, 7’6″ 4wt and 8′ 5wt. All are three pieces. It’s finished in a good looking olive with dark brown wraps. The reel seat is cork with delicate up-locking hardware and the grip is a half wells. The look and feel are exceptional.

The little rod is tough too. Tom Rosenbauer put one to the test in Orvis’s industrial rod breaker and I was shocked at what it took to break the Superfine. Watch the video below. You won’t believe it.

It’s been a few years since a rod impressed me like the Orvis Superfine Glass. I’m truly impressed with the direction Orvis is taking. This little rod is a gem and maybe a sign of even better things to come.


http://vimeo.com/80487870

Come fish with us in the Bahamas!

Louis Cahill
Gink & Gasoline
www.ginkandgasoline.com
hookups@ginkandgasoline.com
 
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15 thoughts on “Glass With Ass, The Orvis Superfine Glass Rod

  1. I got a chance to cast it a while back as a good friend and O-rep came through town and instantly fell in love with the 4wt. I have mine on order (should be shipped within days) and have not been this excited about a rod in a long time!

  2. This rod has been on my radar since it was first introduced. I’ve yet to cast it, but from your description I can already tell I’ll probably like it. Especially if I can toss a nymph rig with it. The aesthetics are great. I like the muted olive blank. It has that vintage, classic look. Can’t wait to grab one and throw a battenkill or CFO on it. Nice review Louis!

  3. Any concerns with the shorter length? I was thinking about getting the Superfine Touch just so I could get a 4wt in the 8′ length but maybe that’s a non issue?

  4. I received the rod (7ft #3) about a month ago.

    The finish is quite good. Functional and typical of Orvis as I know. The pea color blank reminds us of the Golden Eagle glass rods (blanks by the way made by now defunct Phillipson rod company) Orvis sold during the 1970’s. The blank is quite thick at the grip. The shorter grip and the slightly shorter up lock reel seat keeps the proportions nicely compact.

    The rod casts very smooth (I strung up a reel with a Sage Quiet DT #3 line) as could be expected of a fiber glass rod. It has a lot more back bone than I thought it would have. The rod has this marvelous delicate flex enabling to cast with only a few feet of line out. I also tried with a SA’s XPS (SA stopped with the XPS series in 2012) WF3 line. The rod really shines around 15 – 25 feet of line. It’s really nice to feel a rod that doesn’t ‘invite’ to cast 80+ feet like most graphite rods today. Forcing the rod does make the tip jump a bit.

    7ft for a #3 is a very nice rod for small mountain creeks and streams. Just what I intend to use the rod for. $395 is a very decent price for a well made rod (incl. a fiber glass rod tube!) from the oldest mail order company.

  5. I’ve been eye-ballin this 4wt rod too, but have also had one eye on the Hardy glass. Any insight on how the 2 match up? I do like that the Orvis comes in a 3-piece, it would be a heck of a lot easier to travel or pack-in with.

  6. I just cast the Superfine Glass 7’6” 4-weight during the Wasatch Fly Fishing & Fly Tying Expo here in Sandy, UT — and I was very pleasantly impressed. I have all graphite fast action rods (e.g. Orvis H2 Tip-Flex 5 wt.; Sage Pulse 6 wt.; Scott Tidal 7 wt., etc.), but no glass rods. I was expecting the Superfine Glass to cast like an old 1980’s Berkeley Cherry Stick fiberglass rod — lacking accuracy and power – but was shocked when the rod effortlessly and lightly laid the line out there in a very delicate manner.

    I decided that this is a rod that I definitely need to add to my quiver and own.

  7. I’ve been wanting this rod ever since I cast a 4 wt a year ago during a fly fishing expo, and I finally picked up a used one last week for $207. The rod was in excellent condition, and after going over the discolored cork grip with a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser — it now looks factory brand new.

    So STOKED to get out and use this on a small stream for some feisty Cutthroat and Browns!

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