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full grip, cork. The weight gain or loss is minimal and I prefer to have a choice on where I place my hand. More so, why even have to think about where my fingers are? with a full grip, I concentrate on the fishing and not the grip. I think it's just a manufacturer need to add something to the marketing gumbo to sell rods.

Gotta hankering for something a little bit different? I just uploaded a pdf of my 1969 Garcia Parts List. Full schematics and parts listing of all the Mitchell, Abu-Matics, Ambassadeur, Fly reels, etc. Free for the asking. Garcia Parts List 1969 Over time I'll get more material online. Gary

d**n I have to get on the Bass Pro sales lists again. I've been playing around with carbon rods, new glass and my old glass rods and I really think it comes down to lack of experience with the material, the wrong tackle, the wrong reels and the wrong expectations. And the wrong rods. Any glass rod manufactured after the mid 1970's, and I'm really only talking Garcia Conolon here, was on it's way out in quality. By the 80s they were junk made overseas on assembly lines. When I can I'll add some paper on the making of the early rods to show what it was all about. These rods where basically hand made with some mass production thrown in for good measure. The top of the line series had a lot of hand attention. Too stiff? Bupkis. I tried out a modern carbon rod next to my Conolon Gold 2133 7", Varmac Guides c1970, Specie cord butt. Fast taper, light action. There is no comparison. They are different beasts and can't be compared and that;s that. The 2133 detects all the activity in the top third of the rod, transmitting sensation equally through to you via the line held in your forefinger in front of the reel. In my case, a 408, 300 or a 410 Mitchell. I found the graphite rod to be whippy and too responsive. Instead of acting as an extension of my arm during casts, I was forced to use more wrist movement to direct a cast and lost distance and precision. I also lost salmon roe at times. Thanks but I'll stick with my Conolon rods c1960-1975. The Gold series put the Brown and Green to sleep and I think that is part of the problem. People try out an old rod and think all are the same when they're night and day. What kind of guide is used? What taper and what action? What brand? What model? Was it made for plugging, trolling. trout, bass, salmon, steelhead, panfish or? I'm betting that today's pundits think the rod makers of the '60's and 70's were just floundering aroung, or bassing up and not knowing what was what until the 'scientists' came along and invented the graphite rod. Here's a tip: It takes more manufacturing steps to make a mass produced high end glass rod correctly than it does a graphite rod. The glass rod must be rolled on a mandrel. The graphite rod is solid core and formed in a pattern. CNC machinery does the final shaping. On the glass rod, shaping can be done by CNC but hand work is needed to check it hence the manufacturers pushing graphite rods as Better cause they make them more money. Plus, if everyone stuck with glass, there wouldn't be a new market for you to buy new rods and reels each year, would there be? Me and people I know, we just dig into our box of reels and rods and spend the winter fixing up and rehabing old rods and reels for the next season. The manufacturers make not a cent on us other than tackle.

I've been watching how rods go into cars and SUV's locally in the Boston area. Most seem to leave the rod assembled. Strange to me as my habit has always been to pull the rod apart at the ferrule, fold at the line, tie up the two halves with a velcro strap (or when I was a kid with string) and store the rod and reel in the trunk in a carry bag. Aside from one piece graphite rods, I rarely seen anyone doing this so my guess is that fiberglass rods are really not popular in New England now. All of my rods are Conolon so it's never an issue of a single length. All are two piece ferruled rods. Seems the fiberglass rod is really on the downswing around here. I can't imagine fitting a 6.5-7 foot rod into a car trunk. I wouldn't trust the through the rear seat panel. Not having an SUV or a pickup any longer, it's just the Camry for me at the moment. So what gives? Have people forgotten how to take a rod apart, fold it and store it? maybe just a rhetorical question. Gary

Interesting on the vibration 'humming' test on Ugly Stiks. I'll have to try that out. I too have decreased sensation in both hands and arms but hadn't really thought much about it. This is going to require some 'field testing' this spring and summer. Here is what I am currently thinking: most people use and used the brown, green or blue Garcia rods. I wonder how many fished the Gold rods which are night and day compared to the Brown rods? I find the Brown rods to be dull in responsiveness but I have to try out graphite to see how that stacks up. The other part is that I wonder about is how the particular rod is built: what kind of taper. Salmon Egg, Fast, Ultra Light, Light, etc. I find that the whippy rods don't transmit feedback well in the modern rods but in the older rods, there is better control over the taper. Thing is, the Gold Ultra Lights and Light/Fast Taper rods were hand made and I suspect that is why the feedback is what it is. In the end, I'll have to compare the particular early brand and model rod to a particular brand and model modern rod. It's a hard life, but I'll manage. Whatever rods I don't want will just find their way to the for sale bin! I call it science in action.

Now that is 2 cents worth a few bucks! Thanks for the extensive answer. A trip to Bass Pro Shops and to the rod builder seems in order to discuss the possibilties. Without a doubt, muscle memory comes into play here. I realize I can almost shut my mind off and fish without thinking until something strikes, then the reflexes kick in. New guides, new wraps would be an improvement and I never thought of that. Thanks for the suggestion. Gary

From the engineering standpoint: it's not the carbon/graphite, it's the carrier that holds the graphite. Usually an epoxy or resin of some sort. If it was pure graphite/carbon, it would be dust or an inflexible solid that cracked on impact. All graphite compounds are not made the same. Bookbinders use graphite lifters that can bend in figure eights while slitting your fingers open. I have a walking cane of graphite that can be used as a car jack lever. I have a Narmco ultralight that weighs in at just under 3 ounces. Never been broken and it's clearly been used for well over 50 years. I've never broken it. I have other early Conolon rods that have put up under stresses a modern rod would, I believe, would have have given up under. Not on purpose mind you, by accident. Once a fish of I don't know how large took my bait, swam under our boat (in the Shinnacock Canal on Long Island) and then snapped the 12 lb test line without blinking. I thought my 7' Medium action Conolon rod would snap but it bent nearly in two when the line gave out. That was either the largest flounder on record or who knows what but it didn't give me time to react. Thing is, the old Conolon rods were made by a different firm than made the later rods, many of which were made overseas on different mandrels and with different materials. If you ever run into me on the banks of the Charles or one of the lakes around Boston, I'll show you what I use for ultra light and light. But for medium or medium heavy action, I'll trade up for sake of weight but on reflection based on comments here, I'll pick out a decent quality rod. For inshore fishing, I'll stick with old Conolons but that's not this forum!

Ok, so trying out a better quality graphite rod is in order. For background, I tend to fish trout, small mouth and the occasional large mouth, a lot of small to medium salt water. Been at it for just around 50 years. I tend towards light rods and reels, using the rod to do the work and the reel to just hold the line rather than work the fish. I've never broken a rod nor busted a reel except for wearing out parts. I also have a preference for using old stuff. I'm a woodworker and use old woodworking tools, prefering those over new tools just for the enjoyment of it, not for any moral reason. Same goes for fishing. It's just a kick to use a Narmco rod and a Mitchell 314. But. I'm getting oider and a lighter rod in the larger sizes is looking good. The 1950's Narmco and early 1960's Conolon ultra light and light fast taper rods weigh in at barely a few ounces. The later 1970 and up Conolon rods are the pits, in my opinion. Heavy, non-responsive, etc. Those are the ones I'm thinking of replacing with new graphite rods. Sorry, my Mitchell reels stay. Tried new reels and I just don't like them. I'll stick with my 300 and 400 series. I'll look into a better quality graphite medium rod.

I guess that's what confuses me. I have a craphite cane that is flexible, strong as steel and could stand in for a car jack. The graphite rod I tried out was stiff and didn't seem to have much feedback. But then, I'm used to 1960's era Conolon light action, fast taper fiberglass rods and really haven't tried modern rods.

This coming from a Conolon rod guy: What's the deal with graphite rods? I understand that they're light but other than that, the few I've tried don't seem to offer any more feedback than a good ultra light or light fast taper fiberglass rod. Maybe I'm missing something or just biased. Or maybe I used a cheap graphite rod in the past?

For what it's worth, the 314 is descended from the 304 which is descended from the CAP, back at the start of the Mitchel spinning reel line. I like the 314 because it is your basic no frills reel. There is nearly nothing in between you and the line except some minimal gearing. It's tough and stands up to salt and fresh water with regular cleaning. Ok, so I'm biased.

and why not try it on some bass too? I've fished ultralight on bass and trout. Not a 408 or 308 but a 314. It's a blast.

Interesting. I rarely get bird nests. I have a suspicion the problem lies in the line, how tight it's wound and the depth of the spool. I can't really speak for modern reels as the only sort of modern reel I use is a Shimano 10 spinning on occassion. I think you have to marry the line test and the spool depth to prevent bird nests and make sure the line is always wound tight. After a days fishing, the line can get loose. I got in the habit of sending out a few long casts with a heavy spoon (no hook) and a fast retrieve with a lot of rod motion to try and tighten up the line. Maybe it's an old habit from the no frills Mitchell reel days? The other trick is to keep your fore finger ready when you are about to bring the bail in. The moment you hit the reel handle to flip the bail, catch the line gently against the rod to take up slack for a moment. On a whole, I use shallow spools unless I'm in salt water. I rarely troll in any event. Just a guess on my part.

I suspect part of it is what you are fishing with. I've never been a huge fan of the 408 or 308 though I use a 308 for snappers when they're running in salt water. For a light reel, the 314 is it for me. That and an ultra light rod and it's a good combination. Most people, myself included, fished brown or blue Conolon rods. When I discovered the Gold series, I realized there is difference there. The dollar difference put a Gold series in what would now be the $200 range and then in no way did we have that kind of cash. But, like I said, it's most likely a matter of preference and expectation. Mostly I fish a 300 on a Conolon Companion 2133 Light 7' or a 314 on a Narmco Spin-Flight 70 ultra light. My friends do look at me like I'm nuts but I'm in no rush for anything. This spring I'm trying out a Companion 2201 spincast with Zebco Omega Pro fitted out for left hand reeling. The younger BPS guys think I'm nuts too. The older ones, we enjoy talking about it.

Originally Conolon fiberglass was developed for military purposes, then ported over to sports. Then came bad management and bad judgement at the end of the 1960's. They made decisions to branch out instead of concentrating on what they did best, ran out of capital, started farming out manufacturing by the 1970's, I think, and moved assembly to Asia and that was the end of the story. The 1960's era reels with Planamatic gearing are the best by far. I have a stash of parts reels and when something needs replacing, which is rare, I just fix it. These reels are built like tanks. The excellent drag components pretty much prevents busted innards if you handle it correctly. It's people who don't understand that the reel is just a line holder who destroy the reel. The really early reels are expensive collector's items meaning, some people pay way too much for them. That's my opinion.

I'll go against the grain and throw in my vote for a Mitchell 300. Yup. A 300. I've fished these reels for years and never had problems with anything from 4 lb up to 10 lb test. For ultralight, a 314 or a 308 but I prefer the 314. The plastic side on the 308 can be a problem unless you find one in excellent condition. I know, they're not modern and fancy. Underneath it all, they're all descended from these reels with a reason. If you haven't had the experience yet, get one in good shape and try it out.

It's a funny thing. I've been collecting, selling and using old woodworking tools for over 30 years. Many people go for the new versions. Some only want the old stuff. I get a kick out of using the old stuff. So far it's been the same with the tackle. I even enjoy taking a beat up lure, cleaning it up with new hooks and fishing it. Go figure. I did pick up a Shimano M10 which I look foward to trying out. And a Zebco Omega Pro which is brand new so I guess that counts. Perhaps it's the crazy challenge of fishing a light Mitchell 308 on a Light Taper rod just to see what happens that gets me. I'm not a competitve sort of guy, it's just for enjoyment. And, as said, I have this thing about old stuff. But, I can understand how modern tackle is way ahead of the older stuff technically.

I'll admit it, I'm a Garcia Mitchell guy. With the exception of an item here and there, everything's older Garcia Mitchell spinning rods and reels. On the net, other than the Mitchell Mates forum, there's not much on the subject of Conolon rods and who fishes them or their history. A few sites have some information. I'm in the process of putting together what I can but for now, I'm just wondering who fishes Conolon or even Narmco rods? My Rod preference: 2121, 2110 Gold series from the 1960's for general fresh water (or the Narmco Spin-Flite's if I want to go really light tackle for trout). Though I just picked up a Narmco custom spin cast 7 foot, medium that might be put to use. Not a gloat, it's just a nicely balanced rod. Reels: 300, 314, 308 I grew up on Mitchell reels (I'm 59) and Conolon Blue rods for fresh and salt water and stuck with them. Now, I look for the Gold and Brown at auctions and flea markets when I can find them. I fish salt water too but that's another story. Gary