Your First Graphite

[Mobasser]

I'm sure we have many members here who remember when graphite rods first came out.                           It was actually a pretty big deal, going from glass to the new graphite.                 I believe Fenwick made some of the first graphite rods, with the HMG line.                                                      My first graphite rod was a Sportfisher 6ft casting rod, from a K Mart store. It was much stiffer and lighter in weight than my glass rod, and I actually remember thinking these "graphites" probably wouldn't be popular with fisherman. Was I ever wrong.                                                   Do you remember your first graphite rod?

[roadwarrior]

Fenwick All Star

 

 

[scaleface]

I dont remember . I had an Ugly Stick that was part graphite . I had several of the first Lightning rods , still have three or four .

[Catt]

Fenwick Lunkerstick™ & Kunnan IM6 ?

[new2BC4bass]

Still have it.  6' ML Lightning spinning rod.

[scaleface]

38 minutes ago, Catt said:

& Kunnan IM6

I had one of those , maybe that was my first .

[BrianMDTX]

Still have it. A Cabela's Black Lightning UL rod. I think it’s 5’ at the most. 
 

 

 

It still has the original reel installed on it- a Shakespeare 2052. 
 

I’ve posted this before but it’s worth a repeat. I got out of fishing in the early to mid-80s and other than teaching my daughters how to fish, I did not get back to fishing until May of this year. At that time I had this rig, a Garcia Mitchell 300 on an Eagle Claw glass rod with (jeepers!) Coors high aluminum oxide ceramic guides, and a Daiwa Millionaire 3H baitcaster on a Berkeley MF rod. I spooled them all with 8 lb Stren and commenced to fishing the local pond. Mostly with nightcrawlers. My first trip I caught a bass on the Mitchell that was just over 3 lbs, which was my new PB. The 2nd or 3rd trip I had 1/2 a nightcrawler on an Eagle Claw #6 snelled baitholder hook and a bobber on the UL rig looking for bluegills. I casted it out and reeled it in about 5’ and the bobber disappeared. I set the hook on what I thought was a big sunny or a dink bass and the rod bent in an inverted U. When the bass jumped I think I almost sharted. I’ve never seen a mouth that big on a fish on my hook that wasn’t either in the Chesapeake Bay or the Atlantic Ocean. I fought that bass for almost ten minutes and thought for sure I was going to lose it. But I got it to shore and ran about 20’ from the waterline to make sure lol. 
 

Needless to say, I had no scale or ruler, but I did measure it by using the cardboard backing in the Eagle Claw hook package. It was 22-1/4” so likely between 6 and 7 lbs. 

 

 

Not too shabby for a 50 year-old reel on a (I think) mid-70s UL rod! 

[jimmyjoe]

   St. Croix Premier, then Berkley Phazer. I wasn't an early convert; just too stubborn, I guess.  ?   jj

[The Maestro]

6'6" Heavy Shimano Beastmaster. I think it was rated fast action but it's a noodle compared to today's fast actions as well as being way under powered.

[KP Duty]

Lightning rod for me as well.  Purchased in '89 or '90, It was the newer model with the marbled eva in 6'M.  They ran $39.

[Columbia Craw]

Fenwick Lunker Stick 555.  If it was good enough for Roland it was good enough for me. 

[SpinLight]

Custom built Fenwick graphite spinning rod, very stiff, but noticeably more sensitive than fiberglass, the first year that Fenwick sold graphite blanks. Custom made at Bill Clay's Sporting Goods in Nashville, TN. 

[The Bassman]

Some no name ultralight spinning rod that I bought at our Boat, Sport, and Travel show in the early 80's. It had those  glow in the dark looking shock rings in the guides. I think I spent 30.00 so it was doubtless a composite. True graphite rods were very expensive in today's dollars back then.

[NYWayfarer]

It was a Berkley lightning rod or cherrywood. I couldn’t believe the difference In sensitivity over my beloved Ugly Stick.
 

I was in a Walmart the other week in a mask waiting patiently while an old (than me) timer was looking at rods in the fishing isle. He was handling an ugly stick and settled on it. I tried to convince him to get a lightning rod or Lew’s Laser HS for the graphite rod experience. I explained to him my love of ugly sticks vanished once I tried a graphite rod. He wasn’t hearing me. Can’t teach an ole dog new tricks I guess.

[Hook2Jaw]

I remember my first glass rod.  ? I got it this year.  I wish I had the amount of experience a lot of you have.

[WRB]

Fenwick Lunker stick pistol grip with Feather Lite hand that weighed about pound!

Hook a bass in the tulies and the rod exploded, 1st bass rod I ever broke.

Lamiglas rod designed by Gary Loomis a 6'10" straight cork handle was my 2nd graphite rod starting a 35 year run with Lamiglas rods, caught all my giant bass on them.

Tom 

 

 

[kayaking_kev]

Lew's Hank Parker Speed Stick

 

[mrpao]

Berkley lighting rod 6' med spinning.

Paired it with a shimano mark I spinning reel with the fightin star. 

Berkley trilene XL 4 lbs. 

I was a young teenager and that was my first decent combo i bought with my own hard earned money. Worked a summer job to help fund my fishing needs.

Back then they ran ads in Bassmasters magazine for the Lighting rod, so i had to get one. Had it for many years until my cousin stepped on it.

[r83srock]

Cool topic, I enjoy the stories.

 

My first was a hand me down 6’ pistol grip lightning rod dad gave me. I’m going to guess it to be a late 80s model. A 90s cherrywood was next in spinning. Fished those two setups a long time! First really nice graphite was St. Croix Premier when they changed logos from block lettering to the oval lettering they use now. I believe it’s when they started using SC2 as the graphite type for that series, I’d say around year 2000 or so. 

[Sphynx]

8 hours ago, NYWayfarer said:

It was a Berkley lightning rod or cherrywood. I couldn’t believe the difference In sensitivity over my beloved Ugly Stick.
 

I was in a Walmart the other week in a mask waiting patiently while an old (than me) timer was looking at rods in the fishing isle. He was handling an ugly stick and settled on it. I tried to convince him to get a lightning rod or Lew’s Laser HS for the graphite rod experience. I explained to him my love of ugly sticks vanished once I tried a graphite rod. He wasn’t hearing me. Can’t teach an ole dog new tricks I guess.

Sure you can, but you are not likely to succeed in teaching him much if you expect him to pay for it at his age, I guarantee he'd be happy to fish that newfangled graphite rod if you bought it for him, lol...my dad used to be a one trick pony at fishing, weightless weedless worm, if he HAD TO he would toss as light a bullet weight on as needed to get to bottom, and he sure as hell wasn't interested in the new crap I always buy, but he'll use it if I teach him how and he doesn't have to go buy it.

 

My first graphite rod was a cherrywood from Berkeley I think, hard to remember nowadays. 

[waymont]

Mine was the first generation Cabela's Fish Eagle. It was a very nice rod. I sold a it a few years ago for the same price I bought it for.

[jbrew73]

Mitchell Fulcrum Pro

[Glenn]

Mine was a 6' custom-made rod my dad commissioned for me for my 14th birthday....pistol grip and all! Had my name on the blank too.  Pretty sweet rod, actually.

 

Unfortunately it fell victim to a car door about 8 years later.  Wish I still had it.

 

 

[bulldog1935]

a fun, not too-old thread, appropriate with the recent glass rod discussion.  

 

Mine was a Browning Hi-Power, 7-1/2' MH that the 1-pc blade telescoped into the last 2' of the rod butt.  

Though plenty heavy, compared to 7' glass, it was a game-changer both for inshore and surf, and a great match with my first Lew's BB-1NG

 

 

[Bankc]

Daiwa Apollo, 5'6" with a pistol grip.  It just has the action listed as "medium".  It's probably more like a medium/slow, as it bends like an old fiberglass rod.  I still use it, just about every time I go out.  Makes a great topwater rod for poppers, propbaits, and walking baits.  When I found it sitting in my parents garage, it had been leaning up against the wall for almost 20 years and developed a good bend in it.  But I was able to work it out with a heat gun.