Cabela’s CGT Fiberglass Fly Rods

Cabela’s CGT Fiberglass Fly Rods

I was recently asked whether or not I thought fiberglass rods were “the next big thing.”  It’s hard to call a technology that’s been around for decades a “next big thing.”  To me, it’s more a “what goes around, comes around” deal.  Fiberglass has been around for years… now it’s coming back en vogue… and that’s all good.

Cabela’s recently introduced a fiberglass rod line that’s certainly worth paying attention to called CGT.   I’ve been playing around with a 3-weight version of this rod series for the past two months, and I have nothing but positive things to say.

It feels classic, not only by virtue of the slow action, but also because it’s stylishly finished.  Thing is, retail price is around $150.

Maybe you like to noodle around on small streams for trout, and maybe you want to add an “ultralight” stick to the arsenal.  To call a spade a spade, I’m not sure what advantages high-tech graphite rods that cost north of $600 can offer a small-stream specialist, where the max cast might be 25 feet, and the biggest quarry is less than a foot long.

And if you’re starting out in fly fishing, I’d suggest to you that the slower-action rods can do wonders to hone an honest and effective casting stroke… much more so than the high-priced graphite models (or even the cheaper graphite imports) can.

So a glass rod priced at $150 or so may well be the “hot new thing” for anglers looking to add a small stream stick to the arsenal, or the newbie who wants to build an honest casting stroke.  It’s fun to play with.  It’s fun to learn with.  And it’s fun to reinforce some technical basics that transpose to any rod, for any condition.

Why people would pay more than $200 for a branch-out rod, or a learner stick is beyond me.  I’ve already enjoyed many hours, and have landed many trout, on this simple fiberglass model.  And you might too. It’s a very solid, functional, value play, in any regard.