The graphite fishing rod started to become popular in the mid 1970’s, however graphite was being used to manufacture fishing rods in the early 1960’s. With much research and design innovations the lighter graphite material started to take the industry by storm. Today most fishing rods are made from Graphite. Two men named Hewitt and Howald were the first to apply a way to lay out the graphite fibers by using balsa wood and wrapping the graphite around it. Today you will find fishing rods with IM6 and IM7 etc. These numbers do not really represent industry quality standards, instead they are used to identify less and more expensive rods. Really it depends on the manufacturer, among the best and my personal favorite manufacturer St. Croix. There are many factors that go into a quality graphite fishing rod, depending on the technique specific factors facing the angler and what they are trying to catch. And the specific technology being used in the fishing rods. Some rods with fast action, medium and medium heavy actions, there are many to choose from. The bottom line is if your going to fish all day, the lightweight Graphite fishing rods are the way to go. Here we will feature some of our favorite graphite fishing rods, some you can still order today. Some are now discontinued.