MC Finetail Stream Glass rods

[Craiger12]

Anyone have any experience with these rods? I'm interested in the 4'10" casting model (FSG-B4102UL) for stream fishing with minnow lures in the 2-4g range. Can't find them available anywhere or any information on them other than what is listed on Major Craft's site.

[Alphahawk]

I have this rod in the spinning version. Have only fished with it once but I like it. Will be taking it to Arkansas in July to give it a good workout on the Little Red River. It casts get...of course the feel is much different than carbon rods. While it is rated UL I feel it will handle big trout with ease.


Regards

[slimjim1135]

I have the 4’6” rod and I absolutely love it. It’s perfect for casting 5g and less, down to a smidge under 1g if you so desire. It’s actually not as noodly as you might expect, either. It’s the rod to beat in stream fishing applications for me right now.

Compared to the regular finetail 4’10”, I find the glass rod both better casting and more sensitive.
Compared to the Tsurinoya Ares 4’10” the hook sets are better on the glass rod.
Compared to the 4’6” Egeria I can cast further because the guides on the finetail are better and a little bigger.

4lb line seems about perfect for it to load up good casts.

As far as fish fighting, I haven’t caught anything too big yet (nothing over 3lb that I can remember) but the hook sets are solid and I never lose fish with how easy glass is to keep fish pinned.

For any stream applications I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it. Let me know if you have any specific questions about and I’ll do what I can to help!

If you want to buy one, I believe Shimreels on eBay has them right now. I’ve bought quite a few rods from them and they’re delivery is just as fast as Plat or Digitaka.

[Craiger12]

I have the 4’6” rod and I absolutely love it. It’s perfect for casting 5g and less, down to a smidge under 1g if you so desire. It’s actually not as noodly as you might expect, either. It’s the rod to beat in stream fishing applications for me right now.

Compared to the regular finetail 4’10”, I find the glass rod both better casting and more sensitive.
Compared to the Tsurinoya Ares 4’10” the hook sets are better on the glass rod.
Compared to the 4’6” Egeria I can cast further because the guides on the finetail are better and a little bigger.

4lb line seems about perfect for it to load up good casts.

As far as fish fighting, I haven’t caught anything too big yet (nothing over 3lb that I can remember) but the hook sets are solid and I never lose fish with how easy glass is to keep fish pinned.

For any stream applications I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it. Let me know if you have any specific questions about and I’ll do what I can to help!

If you want to buy one, I believe Shimreels on eBay has them right now. I’ve bought quite a few rods from them and they’re delivery is just as fast as Plat or Digitaka.

Excellent info. Thank you for the detailed response. I currently have the previous generation FTS-B542UL which is the 5'4" carbon version and I'm looking for something a little shorter than will load better with the lighter 2-3 gram minnow lures. Sounds like the Finetail Glass is a must buy. The rod will be paired with an Alphas Air and 4# mono line. Thanks again.

[tincanary]

I have the 4'10" casting model and love it with my CQ BFS, they're a great match. Granted, I'm not throwing under 2g but in that 2g to 5gb range I fish, it's excellent. I've caught everything from small to mid sized native trout to mutant stockers exceeding 5lb and it has done very well, probably my favorite rod in my lineup. It's not overly noodly like a lot of other glass rods and I believe it's a unidirectional blank unlike that of E and S glass. UD blanks are characteristic of higher end fly rod blanks from what I've read. Of course I could be wrong on that part, but still love it either way. I'm running 6lb Berkley X9 with a 6lb Maxima Ultragreen leader.

For those of you looking for one, PLAT has them and occasionally Amazon Japan. Those are the only two sellers I'm aware of, haven't seen them at other Japanese retailers.

[Craiger12]

Just got the 4'10" casting rod delivered today. No time on the water yet but the rod feels like exactly what I was looking for. Definitely a slower less responsive blank than the carbon version in a good way. Should really help to load up with those 3-4g lures on short casts. Can't wait to get it on the water.

I also have the 6' Light carbon casting model on the way for fishing larger streams and rivers where I have more room and will be making longer casts and fishing stronger current. I'm thinking these two rods will have me covered for my stream/river fishing.

[chrisg_sdcf]

Just got the 4'10" casting rod delivered today. No time on the water yet but the rod feels like exactly what I was looking for. Definitely a slower less responsive blank than the carbon version in a good way. Should really help to load up with those 3-4g lures on short casts. Can't wait to get it on the water.

I also have the 6' Light carbon casting model on the way for fishing larger streams and rivers where I have more room and will be making longer casts and fishing stronger current. I'm thinking these two rods will have me covered for my stream/river fishing.

How do you like the 6' Light fine tail? Does it work well with lures on the lower end of the weight rating?

[Craiger12]

Just got the 4'10" casting rod delivered today. No time on the water yet but the rod feels like exactly what I was looking for. Definitely a slower less responsive blank than the carbon version in a good way. Should really help to load up with those 3-4g lures on short casts. Can't wait to get it on the water.

I also have the 6' Light carbon casting model on the way for fishing larger streams and rivers where I have more room and will be making longer casts and fishing stronger current. I'm thinking these two rods will have me covered for my stream/river fishing.

How do you like the 6' Light fine tail? Does it work well with lures on the lower end of the weight rating?

I have only used the rod for one outing so far paired with my Alphas Air and #0.8 PE to a 4# fluorocarbon leader and it worked very well. Unfortunately, I cannot comment on how the rod handles lures on the lower end of the rating because I only threw the Spearhead Ryuki 50S which comes in at 4.5g. It did cast that lure like a rocket though and I would speculate that it will handle lures down to 3g just fine, though I cannot confirm that.

[chrisg_sdcf]

Just got the 4'10" casting rod delivered today. No time on the water yet but the rod feels like exactly what I was looking for. Definitely a slower less responsive blank than the carbon version in a good way. Should really help to load up with those 3-4g lures on short casts. Can't wait to get it on the water.

I also have the 6' Light carbon casting model on the way for fishing larger streams and rivers where I have more room and will be making longer casts and fishing stronger current. I'm thinking these two rods will have me covered for my stream/river fishing.

How do you like the 6' Light fine tail? Does it work well with lures on the lower end of the weight rating?

I have only used the rod for one outing so far paired with my Alphas Air and #0.8 PE to a 4# fluorocarbon leader and it worked very well. Unfortunately, I cannot comment on how the rod handles lures on the lower end of the rating because I only threw the Spearhead Ryuki 50S which comes in at 4.5g. It did cast that lure like a rocket though and I would speculate that it will handle lures down to 3g just fine, though I cannot confirm that.

3g would probably work for me. I had a fine tail area rod that was too much of a noodle for me but don't want something with too much backbone either.

Thanks