Manufacturers have for centuries touted the benefits of their products over the competitors products.  Without this differentiation we would end up with one fly rod manufacturer because there would really be no difference between manufacturer A’s rod and manufacturer B’s rod.

In the early 70’s when graphite fly rods first made an appearance, the industry went through what I call the great enlightenment. Fiberglass and bamboo dominated the market, and both had their attractions, but eyes were opened wide when graphite was introduced to the fishing industry.  How could it not?  We went from fishing with poles that were heavy, slow, and difficult to manufacture and design with fly lines above 8 wgt because of weight issues to fly rods that were 40% lighter, stiffer, and could be designed to handle higher line weights without sacrificing casting ability.

The industry started with 32 million modulus graphite, and have quickly moved up to designs that incorporate 100 million modulus graphite.  We won’t go into a technical discussion on what modulus means, but as you go higher in modulus the graphite becomes stiffer.  Does a higher modulus mean a better rod- NO WAY!  Fishermen have been ingrained with the belief based upon marketing from rod manufacturers that the higher modulus equates to a better performing rod.

There are only 3 variables that can change when designing a fly rod:

Material:  This is both the graphite itself, as well as the resin and scrim that is used to bond the whole thing together.

Wall Thickness:  This is a property of how many wraps around the mandrel is needed to achieve proper action and casting ability

Diameter: The taper of the mandrel drives the diameter of the blank, the greater the diameter the more flex strength there is in the rod.  This is the reason why a tarpon rod has a greater diameter than a trout rod.

Rod designers combine these three variables to build a rod that can hit a undercut bank 50 feet away or rocket a deer hair mouse across a weed bed to a hole that a largemouth bass is waiting for dinner. 

Why do Manufacturers Emphasize Modulus?

Modulus= Marketing.

 Fly fishermen need to realize that manufacturers need to do one thing, sell more rods.  If they don’t they go out of business or maintain the same flat growth they had the year before, and investors don’t like to see this.  The industry will not see the dramatic growth it did in the 70’s and 80’s because the benefits of the latest and greatest rods are becoming smaller everyday.  A well designed 32 million modulus fly rod will out-fish a poorly designed 80 million modulus rod everyday.  Are there fishermen that will benefit from a well designed 80 or 100 million modulus fly rod, absolutely!  Where’s Lefty Kreh when you need him.  Seriously though, a small percentage of fishermen benefit from high modulus graphite rods, while the majority of us will find minor benefits to upgrading to the latest space age graphite material. Don’t believe the hype when it comes to graphite.  Fishermen are more likely to see greater benefits from a better designed, fly guide, reel seat or handle concept than the actual material that the rod is made from.

Good Fishing!