I came into possession of this unused 1978-79 glass Fenwick FS120. It's rated for 1-6lb test line. l've never used such a long limber pole with such light line. Seems like there is a very specific use for this rod, is anyone familiar with this model?
Hi Clint --
It is a specific rod built for Steelhead & Salmon when the experienced angler desires a challenge with light line and small baits.
FS means Fly/Spinning -- 120 denotes a 12 foot rod.
Excellent old school Noodle Rod for finesse fishing.
Best, Fred
Quote from: ClintB on December 06, 2019, 05:37:40 AM
I came into possession of this unused 1978-79 glass Fenwick FS120. It's rated for 1-6lb test line. l've never used such a long limber pole with such light line. Seems like there is a very specific use for this rod, is anyone familiar with this model?
Let me know if you want to sell it.
-steve
is it actually 12' & marked "FS120 1-6 lb" & nothing else ??? would love to see photos
I would have thought FS120 would be the 15-30# Surf Rod
I have the Noodle from different (later?) era, sold (only?) as 12'+ blanks marked only
"Fenwick Feralite FSH_______" (plus the standard "waxing instructions" ;D at the ferule)...
the rod-builder would "cut from the butt", if desired, and fill in the details
I would have sworn the darn thing is 2-8#, but I was assured ALL Fenwick Noodles were 2-6#
pretty sure:
FF = fiberglass fly
FS = fiberglass spinning
FC = fiberglass casting
FSH = fiberglass salmon/steelhead
if it's a truly unused production Fenwick Noodle, keep it as a collectible --
no too many left (especially, not with a factory-printed 1-6 lb. line rating)
otherwise, I can do a love/hate noodle-usage rant if anybody cares
I have half a dozen or so Fenwicks, a couple ultra lights (one spin, one fly) from the 70's that I bought new and have fished for years.
That is an amazing sea run cut-throat rod. I would have a ball with it on the Dosey. It would probably be great for reef fish on the Hickam flats as well.
Congratulations
Ron Jones
WOW!!! that is SWEET!!! don't use it -- TOO RARE!!! too obsolete :o
AND, easily worth more than a half-decent modern IM-6 Noodle that would be more enjoyable to use, IMO
I use mine because it's homemade w/ early Fuji's, so it's braid-friendly -- hence, more versatile;
it was already battle-worn when I got it; and it fits nicely into the tube w/ the IM-6 noodle (11'6", 1-4#, 1/32-1/8)
this type of rod is purely a fish-fighting tool -- it has one core intended function:
protect light line from big fish, which it does extremely well & barely tolerable to piss-poor at every other thing a rod does
i.e., from the moment I set the hook to subduing the fish -- LOVE; at every other time -- HATE!
Nice Clint, but be careful old timber could snap really easy, I would prefer to use it on the wall rather than fish with it, to valuable, thanks for showing us, cheers Don.
IMO --
Fish it -- or sell it.
These old Fenwick glass rods are some of the highest quality rods -- and a pleasure to fish.
They will not snap or break -- at least while fishing. Car doors are another matter.
You deserve to experience that rod with a nice fish on the line.
Real fish always taste better than wall-fish --
Best, Fred
I think I'm gonna fish it! I mounted the Quick 280 on it and it balanced pretty nicely. I'll just have to pick out a good mono line for that setup.
super-Slow blank action goes really well w/ zero-stretch line, IMO
I love mine much more w/ 5-10 lb. braid, than I ever did w/ mono
wouldn't recommend that for your original guides, but maybe lean
toward the lowest-stretch option available, for line selection
zero concern that "old timber could snap really easy"
that particular blank can be bent into a "U"
literally, tip parallel to butt
Fenwick offered brown fiberglass blanks for some years after the late '70s for steelhead, with similar specs to this FS120. The numbering/naming nomenclature changed somewhere along the line, though, with some 12-footers denominated by "144", presumably an inches measurement. "SH" named steelhead blanks. Actually, now that I think about it further, "FS120" is probably a rod model number, where "SH-1441F" is likely the blank designation for the blank used to build that rod.
Frank
Very interesting guys. Has anyone noticed a Fenwick fiberglass steelhead rod rated for 1/16 - 1/8 oz. lures? Or, would this noodle be about the lightest?
Phil, I assume you are saying that these things will not cast worth a darn. Correct??
I need something to throw 1/8 oz. and am thinking 2wt fly rod blank. At least 10 ft.
Discuss. :)
-steve
Contemporaneous with the FS 120, Fenwick had a FS 106 made from a SH-1262F blank. The "126" part signifies a 10.5 ft. blank, but the following "2" indicates a "less slow" action than the SH-1441F. Rated for 1/4 oz. lure as lightest. I'm not totally familiar with the current Fenwick line, but I'm thinking all the current catalog steelhead rods are graphite. They still have fiberglass in some fly rods, I think, and maybe elsewhere in the line; maybe a fly blank could be found to fit a demand for a long, slow action rod. Of course, Fenwick isn't the only game in town.
Frank
Wow, what an awesome rod! I love fishing long ultralight rods...and especially fiberglass!
Quote from: The Fishing Hobby on December 11, 2019, 12:37:46 PM
Wow, what an awesome rod! I love fishing long ultralight rods...and especially fiberglass!
COOL!!! maybe I can get you or Steve to guinea-pig for me ;D ;D ;D
http://www.fish-united.com/products/Cortland-ProCast-Noodle-Rods.html
dealing directly w/ Indonesia, is the only thing that gives me pause -- someone w/ ZERO noodles should be first :o
I think these may be the same Cortland Noodles I heard great things about, back when they were reg. price ($90?)
nothing fancy: good IM-6 (which, in the graphite world, is the closest thing to glass, IMO) w/ Fuji components
Moderate, rather than Slow, w/ a bit more backbone (2-10 line) -- should be a better casting tool
when Cortland was having problems (out of non-fly business / out of business / ??? :-[ :'( ) they were $35 clearance
at FishUSA & while I was convincing myself that I need another noodle, they went to $19.99 - SOLD OUT - blink of an eye
FORGET ALL THAT... STEVE GOT RIPPED OFF !!!****************************************************************************
sorry, Steve -- had a nice long-winded reply days ago in preview & never clicked post... good thing
couple days rest for the feeble memory resurfaced the Cortlands... let's try again
Quote from: oc1 on December 08, 2019, 06:32:14 AM
Very interesting guys. Has anyone noticed a Fenwick fiberglass steelhead rod rated for 1/16 - 1/8 oz. lures? Or, would this noodle be about the lightest?
pretty sure that's the lightest glass 12', PERIOD
not sure if Fenwick started making later versions w/ slightly heavier tip
or there was a general consensus among anglers that the "1" in 1-6 was a fantasy
everywhere I asked, I got 2-6 without ever seeing it written on a blank
Phil, I assume you are saying that these things will not cast worth a darn. Correct??
well, if your main objective is to keep a delicate bait on the hook during a gentle lob, they cast GREAT
with my minimal skills, I can't even imagine fully loading/unloading this blank for a distance cast
even if you can, don't expect accuracy or consistency... forget wind -- a dragonfly fart could throw you off
so sloppy/floppy/bouncy it's not even great for mending line, despite the length
...but if you are dealing w/ 20lb beasties that run away from 6lb mono, what else can you do?
I need something to throw 1/8 oz. and am thinking 2wt fly rod blank. At least 10 ft.
a mod/fast 2/3 wt. would be great, but 10'+ may limit your options
an interesting cheaper/faster/lazier possibility: find the right 12' crappie rod
& rebuild just the butt section w/ longer handle & proper spinning reduction train
(all the PITA little running guides are already there for you) & I vaguely remember
an affordable specialty vendor (will dig if interested) that offers spare tip sections
for some of their stock... could maybe get 2-3 different ones & build the butt
Discuss. :)
-steve
I made a similar type of rod out of a cheap ($10 on clearance) crappie vertical jigging rod. Worked out great for light weight lures:
https://youtu.be/cP-Th_-Ctng
thank you... you're so on the same page & so way ahead of me, I'm embarrassed
aside from my noodle butt section needing complete rebuild
I have 2 Wally Marshall's & 2 Zebco's 9'-16' waiting for just such alterations as your vid(s)
don't even get me started on long crappie rods w/ good blanks & idiotic design / crap hardware
too much of a thread-stealing tangent... unless I mention that some of the cheapest
Zebco/Quantum is beautiful Korean tobacco glass under the hideous paint & garbage components
It is criminal what they gob on some good quality fiberglass blanks :D
I've always wondered about those crappie rods and bream busters but decided it would be too good to be true.
I actually ordered one of those Indonesian noodles and got ripped off. Never received it and never got a reply to the complaints. They were mentioned here a few years ago.
-steve
One of y'all may be interested in this one:
https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.com%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F143462955985
I just saw it while I was browsing around vintage rods.
Quote from: oc1 on December 12, 2019, 08:27:30 AM
I've always wondered about those crappie rods and bream busters but decided it would be too good to be true.
I actually ordered one of those Indonesian noodles and got ripped off. Never received it and never got a reply to the complaints. They were mentioned here a few years ago.
-steve
sorry, that must have been me...
Daiwa's selection of longer Fast L/UL is pretty good at many price points
cheapo: WLASS1062ULFS 10'6"
GLASS 4-10# line
better: PSO1102ULFS 11' IM-7 2-6 line; 1/32-1/4 lure
since I steered you wrong before,
I was gonna' say "find a dealer YOU trust"
but $20 for the cheapo from florida...
https://fishermens-headquarters.myshopify.com/products/43178220368
No Worries. At that price, it cannot hurt to try.
-steve
Quote from: philaroman on December 14, 2019, 06:06:17 AM
Daiwa's selection of longer Fast L/UL is pretty good at many price points
cheapo: WLASS1062ULFS 10'6" GLASS 4-10# line
better: PSO1102ULFS 11' IM-7 2-6 line; 1/32-1/4 lure
wow, thats really UL long rod
I have some germal rods that I bough on San Diego, Ca. few years ago at the fredhall show.
they are Balzer rods
one is :
Balzer Magic spin 25 2.7mt (8.8ft)
lure 5gr-20gr ( 11/64 to 45/64)
BALZER MAGNA Magic Spin 25 2.70m (5-25g) 1-5kg Carbon Spinning Fishing Rods
High Quality IM-7 Carbon blank with Titanium SIC guides.
Superb rod for bream, trout, whiting, mullet, salmon trout; ideal for trout.
Works well for bass, red or yellow perch as well sooty grunter.
BALZER MAGNA Magic Spin25 2.70m 5-25g Spinning rods High Quality Cross Fiber IM-7 Carbon blank Two-piece, Nylon/ABS and stainless steel reel seat Quality Portuguese cork handle Titanium SIC guides 6+1 ring-guides 2 sections
Excellent rod, fast action tip works with all lures up to 25g.
And as always, is a BALZER Germany rod!
TECHNICAL CHARACTERISTICS
Ultra High Quality IM-7 Carbon rods (read more about fishing rod carbon blank types)
Titanium SIC guides
Very strong blank construction (cross-fiber-IM-7 carbon)
Portuguese cork handle
Precise joints
Nylon/ABS and stainless steel reel seat
Length: 2.70mhttps://adoretackle.com/balzer-magna-magic-spin-25-2-70m-5-25g-1-5kg-carbon-spinning-rods/
and also I have the same rod but bit larger
Balzer Zander 25 3.80mt (14ft)
lure 5gr-20gr ( 11/64 to 45/64)
this is 14ft rod is really fun to fish with, pretty sure I already showed this pic before but I will do it again LOL, I like it a lot
me with a 1# corvina, with 6# mono line and a 2500 shimano reel.