A Leon Chandler Signature 7.5′, 4/5wt. Fiberglass Fly Rod

A Leon Chandler Signature 7.5′, 4/5wt. Fiberglass Fly Rod

Leon Chandler Signature 7.5′ 4/5 wt Glass Rod

When his father died, a friend of mine inherited a number of fly rods. A few of which are fiberglass. Being a big fan of “glass”, I asked him if I could check those out.  I also asked if he would sell any. He answered yes to both questions. If you’re interested in this rod, reach me at my home email address and I will pass along his contact info. Note, I have no desire to be part of any negotiating. I’m doing this as a favor.

The first rod is a sweet little Leon Chandler 7.5′ 4/5 wt. It is in super shape. This is a 2-piece rod, with sock and Cortland tube.  The grip is 6.5″ long, cigar shaped, and tapers down fine. And get this –  the original plastic wrap is still over the cork. The reel seat is of good quality. It is single down-locking with a wood insert. The blank is dark brown with a spigot ferrule that shows no wear. There is a hook keeper, one stripping guide, 8 snakes and a tiptop. The wraps are a dull orange, tipped in red. The listed weight is 3 1/4 oz., but my digital scale reports 2.9 oz.? Now I’m never surprised when a rod is heavier than advertised, but this is first one I’ve ever come across that is lighter. So I checked it against another scale, which also reported 2.9 oz. So the jury is in.

Eon Chandler Signature 7.5′ 4/5 Fly Rod

First,  I tried the rod with a DT 4 wt. floating line. It cast the line smoothly, forming a nice loop and only a single tiny shock wave. At 25′ of line it felt wonderfully at home. Without a lot of fuss it then reached 35′ plus leader. Nice. In close, it turned over a leader with just 5 ‘ of fly line. Good, solid performance.

Next I used a DT 5 wt. floating line. Naturally, it loaded the rod deeper. It formed a tight loop and happily went out to 25’. Then reached out to 35′ without a bunch of effort. In close, I would say it is a touch better than the 4wt. So which line did I prefer? The 5wt. It gave the rod more authority.

Overall this rod will be a fine companion on small to medium streams.  Blessed with progressive action, it is also a versatile rod, with the much sought after “glass” feel. With a fish on, I bet it is a royal hoot. Lastly, like all short, light rods, heavy reels should be avoided. They throw the outfit out of balance. Next time around we’ll look at a 7.5′ fiberglass wand built by the Gene Edwards Rod Company, legendary for their bamboo rods.

Interested in reading about other fiberglass  fly rods?  Check out these links. Winston 2wt Stalker, A Cabela 50th Anniversary 3wt, Kabuto 3wt, Diamondglass 4wt. Winston 4wt Retro,  Winston 5wt , Winston 6wt, Cabela 7/8wt, Winston 8wt, Winston 1owt, Winston 12wt ,