On 10/10/2020 at 7:23 PM, jbrew73 said:

Mitchell Fulcrum Pro

I still have one. I remember the tag with Roland Martin on it....he will definitely endorse any product for the right price ?

My first graphite rod was  6' Browning MH rod I used for soft plastics. Bought it in the late 70s or early 80s. Finally broke it and bought another one and I still have. It is very stiff and I was never happy with the way it casts. I didn't use it very long before I retired it. I don't ever remember catching a fish on that rod.

Not graphite, but I've got a JC HIggins fiberglass rod (and reel) from the late 50's. I used it as a kid. I restored it awhile back but it's really not that much fun to fish with (at all). I've got a Dobyn's graphite that's pretty nice (not great) but my favorite is another glass rod. The Dobyn's Champion crankbait glass. Nice rod.

Mine was an Orvis fly rod.  Made one cast, and I never bought a fiberglass rod again.

About 1986 I got a graphite composite rod while I was at the beach to use with the Diawa Procaster reel I got for Christmas. I don't remember the brand, just that it was stiff as a board and had a rubber pistol grip. Then in 1988 I took a job at WalMart while I was a student. I would ask my buddy in sporting goods when rods were going on clearance. When they did I had him hide a couple for me until payday. They were both Shakespeare. One was a 5'6" M 96% graphite with a pistol grip and the other was a 5'6" MH. I got another heavy Quantum graphite rod a little later. When Quantum was new they were basically a slightly upscale version of Zebco. Thus began my days of being able to use multiple techniques without retying. I eventually replaced these rods with the newer grip, longer rods from a little store that bought overstock and going-out-of-business stuff. it was slam packed with $20 graphite rods. You had to pick thru them but some were pretty good quality. i still have an Eagle Claw brand composite rods I bought for probably $9 in WalMart. Guess what? They still sell them for about the same price.

 

Does anyone remember boron rods? Does anyone still make them? Do any of you still use them?

The first graphite rod I ever owned that was "mine" was a 6' pistol-grip Shimano casting rod. Had to've been a combo of some sort.

The first, and I still have it, is Berkley Phazer PG30 - paired with a Shimano Custom - X Speedmaster 2500.   It was light but boy when you caught anything less than 2lbs you thought you caught a monster - so so fun. I tell my kids to stay with light action rods for that feeling.  And I still  love that Shimano reel - its lasted longer than subsequent reels.  The next, and really much better rod, was the Berkley Lightning.  Really good rod.

I can't remember the brand; very likely something from Cabela's in the 1970s.  What I remember is smallmouth bass fishing on Lake George in NY with that new graphite spinning rod and being able to really feel my jig bouncing along the bottom or my crankbaits shimmying and bouncing off the rocks.

 

Graphite rods improved incrementally since then and I didn't really notice any huge difference in feel until I tried braided line and then braided line and a tungsten worm weight on a good graphite rod.  Wow... talk about feeling the bottom!

 

We've come a long way.