Ed Mitchell Outdoors

Part Two: Okay, once again we’re focused on a Diamondglass 8-foot, 4-weight fly rod. In the previous post, we examined its basics makeup, including reel seat, grip, wraps and so on. And we also took a brief look at the Diamondback Rod Company’s history. In this post we’ll be checking out how the rod casts.

Diamonglass 4wt

For this field test, I loaded a 4-weight Cortland 444 double taper. (Irony there. Cortland likely owned Diamondback when this rod was built.) Well, surprise, surprise. As soon as I got the rod outside, I realized it cast like no other 4-weight “glass” rod I own. What’s the difference? Its “faster”, able to throw a very tight loop, with ease. Truth is, given how quickly the tip “recovers” from every casting stroke, you might assume this was a graphite rod. Rod taper could be part of it, but I believe the key reason lies elsewhere. All my rods are made from E-glass; Diamondglass rods are S2 glass. I’m told S2 is stronger, stiffer, and lighter than traditional E-glass. And capable of producing a “faster” action as well. (Epic fly rods immediately come to mind. These popular New Zealand “glass” rods are S2, and widely touted as “Fast Glass”)

Diamondglass 8-foot, 4-weight fly rod

The Diamondglass 8-foot, 4-weight did a fair job casting 3.5 feet of fly line plus a 9-foot leader (no fly). At 6 feet of fly line, things improved. A tight loop formed, better turning over the leader. With over 12 feet of fly line the rod got silky smooth, just loafing around, flexing mainly in the upper third. At that point I noticed two things, however. The Diamondglass created virtually no “shock wave” in the forward cast, a testimony to the tip’s rapid recovery. Second, the rod was deadly accurate. I mean it.

Eighteen feet of fly line flexed the Diamondglass 8-foot,4-weight fly rod down into the midsection. It felt like a “glass” rod, and the loop started to open too. After that I extended the cast out gradually to 50 feet without problem. Space restrictions forced me to end there.

What’s the bottom line here? If you want a traditional, full-flex “glass” rod, this Diamondglass isn’t your baby. Perhaps a 5-weight line would change your mind. Even if you require a rod ideal for working in extremely close with 8x tippets, I’d say a softer fly rod better suits you. Look elsewhere. (Note: a fly line with a very short front taper would aid this rod’s short-range casting performance.)

On the other hand, if you’d like a rod that bridges the gap between traditional “glass’ and modern graphite, Diamondglass delivers elements of both worlds. (Diamondglass is not unlike the earliest graphite rods back in the 1970’s, well before the modulus wars hit.) The rod throws a tighter loop than any E-glass I’ve seen. Yet it is not a stiff, tip-action graphite rod. It is pin-point accurate. It is apt to handle indicator nymph rigs better than an E-glass rod, be more useful on windy days, and more effective at mending line. All of this while still maintaining a “glass-like” feel. Lastly if you fish where light lines and large fish meet, this rod has the backbone to turn a big trout. Honestly, I’m impressed by its performance.

Interested in reading about other Winston Fiberglass  fly rods?  Check out these links. Winston 2wt Stalker, Winston 5wt , Winston 6wt, Winston 8wt, Winston 1owt, Winston 12wt

Part one: Alright! Got another fiberglass flea flicker to talk about. This time around its a Diamondglass 8-foot, 4-weight fly rod. This black beauty came out of an estate sale, in Vermont. The rod may be 8 or more years old, but is in unused condition. The tube even has the original cellophane wrapper. Quite a nice find.

Diamondglass 8-foot, 4-weight fly rod

This wand was made by the Diamondback company. (Later I’ll share the little I know about their history) It is an American-made rod, the blank is black, 2-piece, with a very slim tip-over-butt ferrule. The reel seat is single “uplocking”. Given its bright shine, it is likely German silver.  The insert appears to be rosewood. The 6.5″ grip is reverse-wells with a near superfine taper. The rod has one stripping guide,and 8 snakes, plus a tiptop. All wraps are dark red tipped in clear (a little reminiscent of Winston glass rods). And the rod weights in at 3.1 ounces. Overall, the workmanship is of the highest order. Without a doubt, a great deal of skill and care went into its construction.

A Diamondglass 8-foot, 4-weight fly rod weight in at 3.1 ounces

Among fiberglass fanatics, these “original” American-made Diamondglass rods have an underground cult following. To this day, rumors revolve around their fine casting ability and the quality of the build. So when I finally came across one, I immediately jumped on it.

In the next post I’ll give you my opinion of this rod’s performance, but for the time being, allow me to tell you the little I know about the Diamondback Company.

Diamondglass, 8-foot, 4-weight fly rod reel seat

To the best of my knowledge, the original company was started in the 1980’s by Billy Alley. It was locate in Stowe, Vermont and attached to Bill’s business called The Fly Rod Shop.

In 1991, Diamondback was taken over by Baron Merle-Smith, who greatly built up the brand selling both graphite and glass fly rods. Around 1998, Cortland stepped in and purchased Diamondback. For a time the rods continued to be built in the same way they had been prior. In a cost saving move, however, Cortland eventually decided to have the rod blanks built in China (Those “glass” blanks are blue in color). Then in 2006 Cortland opted to close down the entire Diamondback operation. And it’s said sold off many of the remaining blanks to custom rod builder Mike McFarland.

A year or two ago, Diamondback reopened their doors under new ownership. They are now located in Central New York and offering an E-glass fly rod called the Meeker. Can anyone out there add anything about Diamondglass fly rods? Love to hear from you.  Read Part Two