Sweetgrass Rods

Re: Sweetgrass Rods

feeds@kickapps.com (bulldog1935) — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 08:02:36 PST

they look kinda funny with uplocking seats

Re: Sweetgrass Rods

feeds@kickapps.com (swalker9513) — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 07:54:52 PST

When in Red River, NM last year, I met some men who were friends with a few of the Boo Boys. I got to show off my glass rods. They didn't even know that Sweetgrass had glass rods. I just wish I had one that I could have shown them.

Re: Sweetgrass Rods

feeds@kickapps.com (bob4st) — Sat, 17 Jul 2010 17:14:01 PST

...great pics and report Duff... Jim and I will be out there next month throwing hoppers, etc... will likely stop in for a look-see and test drive a couple...

Re: Sweetgrass Rods

feeds@kickapps.com (Arctic Grayling) — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 00:03:11 PST

There are some good pictures of the new Sweetgrass shop on their website too.

Didn't the Sweetgrass fiberglass rod that Cameron test drive have a burgundy colored blank?

I thought that the gray colored Sweetgrass rods were the graphite rods?

Did something change?

Re: Sweetgrass Rods

feeds@kickapps.com (Cameron) — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 20:54:01 PST

Duff...great report as always! Thanks for the photos and tour.

Re: Sweetgrass Rods

feeds@kickapps.com (Duff) — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 20:37:50 PST

I thought I'd add a little to this thread ...

I stopped today at the Boo Boys' new shop (Sweetwater) in Twin Bridges to look around. The new shop is much larger with a nice display area where many of their bamboo rods are displayed. As most people know, these guys are just unbelievably hospitable and before I knew it I was on a tour of the entire facility from the bamboo culm storage area to the finish area where I ran into Sam Drukman. Sam, as usual, was very patient with me. He allowed me to take photos and talked about glass in general and also about the time spent with Kerry Burkheimer last year when he made his current blanks. He told me he actually designed the mandrels and rolled the blanks on Kerry's equipment. He said that some of the blanks had a little color added to them but Sam said that he prefers to work with white blanks as more can be done with them. I had a chance to closely inspect the glass rod that Sam was working...

Re: Sweetgrass Rods

feeds@kickapps.com (Flybox) — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 19:59:15 PST

The first time I took the Sweetgrass fishing I went to Arkansas. I was on the White River and they were running two generators, so the water was moving pretty good. Well, I had driven 5 hours to get there so I wanted to fish and with my new rod. With the water moving so fast, drifts were pretty quick. I had to get a lot of line out so I could get as long a drift as possible. I always had a lot of line out and it picked it up and moved it no problem. When I had a fish on it was responsive and sensitive like you would expect out of a fiberglass medium action rod. I would say that it is OK close in, but once you get 30 feet out it really starts working. I would like to try some other lines on it. I think that if I had a 3 DT line it might even work better!

Re: Sweetgrass Rods

feeds@kickapps.com (docbluedevil) — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 17:49:04 PST

Nice, Chris. Looks like you broke Sweetgrass' mold to start offering other configurations!

How would you compare your Sweetgrass to your Wojnicki experience?

Re: Sweetgrass Rods

feeds@kickapps.com (Flybox) — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 17:39:53 PST

When people are use to paying $3000 for a cane rod and then they find they can get the same craftsmanship and action for $800 that probably seems cheap. On the other side of the fence you walk into a fly shop and you ask to see a nice graphite rod. They now cost $800 and they are mass produced. You can have an awesome fiberglass rod that not everyone is on the stream fishing 1) because they are custom made - low in numbers 2) not everyone can cast a medium action rod nor do they want to. One aspect that I enjoy is you can call one of the fiberglass builders and personally talk with him about a rod you would like to purchase. If you call one of the big companies you get to talk with the secretary.

I own a Sweetgrass fiberglass rod. It's a 7'9" 4 weight 4 piece rod. It casts better than any bamboo rod I have ever owned! It has a gorgeous snakewood insert w/ a nickel silver slide band real seat. I don't think I have actually said this about a rod, but it almost casts itself....

Re: Sweetgrass Rods

feeds@kickapps.com (docbluedevil) — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 17:00:59 PST

Wow, there was a time when Wojnickis sat alone at the top spot for most expensive modern glass. It looks it is getting crowded up there with $1200 Morgans and $800+ Sweetgrasses/Carpenters.

A trend seems to be emerging that high end bamboo builders are offering glass options lately.

Re: Sweetgrass Rods

feeds@kickapps.com (16 pmd) — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 15:46:54 PST

I don't think the Sweetgrass boys are Johnny-Come-Latelys in designing and building rods other than bamboo. Glenn B. from his days at Winston and Sam Druckman from his days at Scott and Winston have decades of experience with glass or graphite. As Jim Green, the renowned designer for Fenwick and Sage often said, "Good action is good action, whatever the material" - and he should know. He designed rods in bamboo, glass, graphite, boron and composites. I have little doubt that the Sweetgrass boys too will come up with fine designs and fine finishes.

As to price, I don't know either whether they will be a good value or "worth it", depending on your tastes and pocketbook. I do think it's worth pointing out, however, that when those same guys worked for another owner, at Winston, their bamboos sold for about $3,000. Now that they have left and are on their own, their identical rods sell for around $2,000. Not a sign of Goldman Sachs-style...

Re: Sweetgrass Rods

feeds@kickapps.com (middlemac) — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 14:54:00 PST

After looking at Sam's glass comments on the link, I have to say more power to him.

I couldn't afford one, but to see him, with his experience, experimenting with and putting together a fresh line of glass is inspiring.

For someone who wants and can afford that "certain something" it may be the ticket...

and one of my business advisers insists that some of us Yuppies won't buy anything unless it's expensive

Re: Sweetgrass Rods

feeds@kickapps.com (jgestar) — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 08:23:04 PST

Rich,

Any buyer has to settle the question of price in his mind, particularly when the price is at the top of the range. These Sweetgrass rods are well made from both the performance and cosmetic point of view. The one I handled and cast was well done. Drukman's primary interest has always been graphite, but in this case he has done a very good job with glass.

I'm not going to say if the rod is "worth it", because I don't know what factors make it "worth it" to any particular buyer. Worth it could mean the ultimate casting performance, the ultimate in aesthetic design, or the ultimate in long range collectible value. Ultimate anything leaves a lot of room for personal preference. Someone may want the rod simply because they have a matching red sportscar. This rod is basically the cost of a top of the line Sage, and we know people buy them with a whole lot less consideration than would go into the purchase of a Sweetgrass. ...

Re: Sweetgrass Rods

feeds@kickapps.com (tabornatives) — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 05:48:59 PST

I know that this is approaching the "uncomfortable" zone, but are these fiberglass rods being built by guys whose primary interest is cane really $400 better than a Steffen who has been dedicated to the art of building fiberglass flyrods for his entire career? It seems presumptuous to start a new project and price it at the head of the class. Kind of like the "emperor's new clothes", or perhaps it's more like the reason why dogs lick their testicles... because they can.

Re: Sweetgrass Rods

feeds@kickapps.com (frogmorton) — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 03:15:34 PST

Arctic Grayling wrote:
What????? No Five Weights??????

I emailed that very question to Sam Druckman a couple of months ago. He said he had a 7'6" 5 wt currently available with more 5's on the way.

Re: Sweetgrass Rods

feeds@kickapps.com (Arctic Grayling) — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 00:48:37 PST

What????? No Five Weights??????

Re: Sweetgrass Rods

feeds@kickapps.com (docbluedevil) — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 00:37:43 PST

Thanks for the info, Tom.

Interesting that Burkheimer is now constructing blanks for both Sweetgrass as well as Tom Morgan.

Re: Sweetgrass Rods

feeds@kickapps.com (jgestar) — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 00:32:45 PST

Yes. Sam Druckman traveled to Kerry Burkheimer's shop to work out the rod tapers. Burkheimer is building the blanks and Druckman is building the rods.

Cameron borrowed the 8'3" four piece from Sweetgrass. He let me borrow if too. It's a great rod. It casts from in close to way out there without missing any distance in between. The rod has a lot of touch along the way. The build quality is what you would expect from Sweetgrass.

I'm hoping Cameron can borrow a three weight also...

Tom

Re: Sweetgrass Rods

feeds@kickapps.com (docbluedevil) — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 15:05:45 PST

I read on Cameron's TFM blog that Sweetgrass is now offering the following models:

7'3" - Three Weight
7'6" - Three Weight
7'6" - Four Weight
7'9" - Four Weight
8'3" - Six Weight

IIRC, their previously offered 2 models (6'6" 3 wt and 7'6" 4 wt) used Lamiglas blanks. Who currently makes the blanks for these new offereings? In-house or out-sourced?

Just curious.

Sweetgrass Rods

feeds@kickapps.com (BH Spey) — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 16:29:44 PST

http://www.sweetgrassrods.com/

[Edit: Updated the link to the current fiberglass page. The rod listings are the old series, but the photographs are the new rods that Sweetgrass is bringing out. Tom]