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I didn't say it was a perfect analogy, just the best one I could think of at the time I posted. Rocketman, while I think Bamboo rods are certainly works of art I don't think they are just works of art. Nor do I think that no graphite rod is a work of art. Let me try to restate it with another imperfect analogy. When you are buying a high end graphite rod you are paying for technology when you buy bamboo you're paying for the craftsmanship (not that craftsmanship isn't involved with graphite) that goes into turning a giant piece of grass into a fine fishing instrument.
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7star, I think a Rolls-Royce cost considerably more than a race car. You probably wouldn't drive the Rolls-Royce all the time if you were a race car driver. Really, the point is that they are so different that to compare their performance on the basis of cost is useless.
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I think what you are seeing is more of a materials issue than anything. Bamboo comes from a small area in China. Most of what can be done with bamboo from a materials perspective has been done. There are inherent limitations in the material - not that it's a bad thing - but until somebody starts hybridizing or genetically engineering bamboo (I hear gasps and shudders at that blaspehmy :> ) ) what we've got for bamboo is what we've got.
Graphite is another matter. Materials science has come up with progressive more lightweight and stiffer materials over the past 20+ years, plus rod builders are figuring out what they can do with it. But overall, the designers are following the direction of where the material is going - stiffer and lighter. Since that's the way designers are going - and a lot of people like the new rods as lightweight fishing tools - the market demand in Graphite is generally going towards fast-action rods.
As far as "breaking your arm off" with a fast-action rod to load it up I'm not sure quite what you are talking about. Fast action rods aren't some mythical beast that only expert casters can use, that's just a bunch of marketing hype. The basic stroke and effort should be about the same as a slower-action rod, the timing is just different. As a fishing tool, my Sage XP is probably the most "efficient" rod I own, and it has a very fast action. It takes very little effort to cast long distances when I need it too. But overall, I enjoy my moderate to slow action rods, especially my Scott and Winston. I'm just glad to have a choice, and fish with the action I want when I want to.
It will be curious to see what happens when material scientists start to run into the same "wall" with graphite that bamboo has, that is, no further advancement in stifness or weight. Perhaps another material will come along. But until that point, I wonder if graphite will be much like bamboo, that is, when advancements in stiffness and weight have peaked, what we have is what we're going to have for a long time.
Interesting topic, thanks for starting it,
-John
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I agree, very interesting. This started as more of an observation through my somewhat narrow perspective on a really broad and opinionated subject. I appreciate the viewpoints and see there are more things to consider now. It is nice having a choice and hope to cast a lot more rods to find mine. Thanks
Yea, I guess I wouldn't want to drive a Rolls Royce on a dirt road or in the snow.
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[url=http://dryfly.argodesignstudio.com:d3ee4]http://dryfly.argodesignstudio.com[/url:d3ee4]
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I can promise you that a Ford F-150 (with a rod rack and camper shell and Class III trailer hitch) would come darn close to solving my mid-life crisis. So would a really good medium action bamboo rod!
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Good post Bamboozle. My feelings exactly.
Jeremy...an owner of a bunch of "fast" Sages, IMX's and more recently..a number of bamboo's.
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Well, the Rolls-Royce thing wasn't meant to reflect on my personal taste. I'd take the F-150 (literally, not figuratively) over just about anything else (probably because my grandfather's last truck was a 1982 F-150 that's been passed down through the family and is still running strong), and as far as rods go I appreciate them all for various reasons, but probably feel the best fit for me is moderate and slow action rods.
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You can run the range of actions and prices by most premium plastic rod builders. Scott, Winston, T&T, Orvis. Sage... they all make 'user friendly' rods, they just don't get the press nor do they have the 'wow factor' a shop employee can show when tossing the whole line.
All you have to do is dig, and if you get into a fly shop sometimes DEMAND that they at least show you the options to the fast action rods so previlent today.
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Everyone has their opinion about the difference between graphite and bamboo. I do too. To me, graphite is a tool I use to get the job done. I tell graphite how to fish. Bamboo is like an extension of my soul. It connects me to the current. Bamboo tells me how to fish, if I listen. I like fishing with both graphite and bamboo, but if I had to choose just one it would be Ron Kusse's 8'-5 weight, Black Troll. I'd probably trade every rod I have for just one of those.
[url=http://www.ronkusse.com/blacktroll.html:df75a]http://www.ronkusse.com/blacktroll.html[/url:df75a]
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A free gift waits for those who ask.
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Lotech Joe
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Interestingly enough way back when in the 1980's Ron Kusse was one of the first if not THE first cane rod builder to offer really fast action cane rods.
I remember hanging out with Ron at the Suffern shows and waggling those rockets back in the day when my beloved Leonard was still in business and T & T were the new kids on the block.
Things sure have changed since then but Ron Kusse is still one of the true masters.