Cabela's White River CGR Fiberglass Fly Rod Review 

Fun trick to keep the sections together, periodically rub the ends with wax and they'll stick together, the same thing happened to my 3wt 5'9" and this fixed it.

Great review! Might need to pick up this little rod for inland trout fishing now that steelhead season is coming to a close.

I worked for Cabela's and frequently recommended this rod for small Northeast streams and ponds when I lived up there. I own one myself and really like it. I have a classic setup on a 6'6" 4 weight with an Orvis Battenkill click pawl reel and a DT4F line. It fishes well. I even use it on small tailwaters in Colorado and for panfish here in Florida.

I will comment because I have these rods, including the older ones, some of which had a larger, bulbous cork grip and cork reel seat with sliding rings. Cabelas has had these rods in their catalog for many years, I think they started with a straw color rather than olive. Some of the newer, re-designed ones have that large hoop diameter tip top guide and it makes them more floppy than they need to be. I like to underline these slightly (like you can with the old Fenwick glass rods), because you can cast off the tip more and get greater line speed - they are definitely versatile enough to accommodate a range for personal preferences. I think my favorite is the 7’ in the 4/5 wt. and I will fish it with a 4 wt. Gold taper line (but that little 5’9” 3 weight is a blast too). They are definitely fun and worth the money, thanks for pointing these out. They even made a 7 1/2’ rod for a 7/8 wt line and a fighting butt, it’s a little heavy but very well made and casts amazingly well!

I enjoyed the review, thank you.

I have never used a glass fibre fly rod before, but I have used a few fiberglass beach fishing rods here in the UK over the years spanning into decades, they all had awesome bite detection and feedback that no carbon rod has come close to such sensitivity. It is interesting to see a company bringing such a classic back, I have a quality split cane fly rod, but the weight puts me off. Tight lines from your subscriber over the big pond.

I began fly fishing in ‘82 on bamboo, then fiberglass, then graphite/carbon fiber. I’ve fished every brand under the sun, and while a Winston or Sage feels light, responsive and powerful, I really enjoy these fiberglass rods for delicate presentation. They did however, drop the ball on the reel seat. The Orvis superfine, Butterstick and LL Bean Pocket Water have better seats, but they fish the same as the CGR to me. A couple things I’ve come to appreciate over 40 years of fly fishing; 1. The rod is irrelevant and is simply an overpriced pointing device. As long as it’s halfway decent in material and construction, it’s fine. Don’t overthink it. 2. Reels are line holders… that’s it. They do nothing special expect balance the rod. Disk drag is nice when fishing steelhead or larger, but again, so t overthink it and overpay for a Hardy that does the exact same as a CFO. 3. Invest in the appropriate and quality line. Good review. I use mine for panfish too, and it’s a blast.

I purchased a 3wt and gave 49.99 and have used it a bunch. I bought to keep in the car.

Thanks for the review, I've been looking to get a fiberglass rod for panfish but don't want to invest a ton of money since I normally fish for big trout and salmon in the PNW. What reel/line would you recommend to pair with it?

Just got one Great rod for bluegills and crappie What does CGR stand for?