I'm so old that I remember when a brown Fenwick glass rod was an expensive rod! I learned on cheap white Shakespeare fly rods and lusted after Fenwicks. When I was 17 I saved my pennies and drove to Dale Clemen's to buy a Fenwick blank - couldn't afford the whole rod. That was the first rod I built and the first decent flyrod I had. It had a short life though. My brother and I went camping at Woodland Valley in the Catskills and some moron in the neighboring campsite tripped over my rod and broke it as he came over to ask if we were catching anything.
Early graphites were way out of my league, but Shakespeare came up with a cheaper graphite/glass mix for their famous Ugly Stik. They had just one Ugly Stik flyrod - a heavy, ugly thing. However, it was $29 and you couldn't break it. That sold me and I used it for many years before I got an Orvis Green Mountain unsanded graphite rod. I did love those rods and caught plenty of fish on them. I'm not sure I even have a count of all the rods I have now. When I had only a rod or two you just picked one up and fished. With a closet full I always worry about the best rod for the day and are constantly on the prowl for the perfect rod. Simpler was less stressful for me.
Early graphites were way out of my league, but Shakespeare came up with a cheaper graphite/glass mix for their famous Ugly Stik. They had just one Ugly Stik flyrod - a heavy, ugly thing. However, it was $29 and you couldn't break it. That sold me and I used it for many years before I got an Orvis Green Mountain unsanded graphite rod. I did love those rods and caught plenty of fish on them. I'm not sure I even have a count of all the rods I have now. When I had only a rod or two you just picked one up and fished. With a closet full I always worry about the best rod for the day and are constantly on the prowl for the perfect rod. Simpler was less stressful for me.