Cane...

[Kathy Scott]

Hi, Grubb!

In addition to the maker and his/her attention to the craft, its certainly the taper you are after. With cane as with everything, "different strokes for different folks". I'm with Harry... if we knew where you are (roughly) we could maybe direct you to some good hands-on opportunities. Here in Maine, we get together with cane for a morning in a gym in February to fight cabin fever and to share rods of all sorts. Some FAOL people came last year (Mer, hope to see you again!).

I'd also recommend trying different lines if you can. I love my rod with a 5wt, David (husband) likes it with a 4-wt.

There are excellent rods around for $800. There is also a good chance you'll have to wait for rods from some makers. Its worth it to invest a little more time, like you are, investigating rods first.

If we knew the waters you like to fish, we might be able to suggest some tapers.. at any rate, your rod maker will be able to give you ideas.

Kat

[letorted]

I'd check out one of the Blonde Bastard's.
[url=http://www.gink.com/GG-Products-Rod-BlondeBastard.html:5ddaf]http://www.gink.com/GG-Products-Rod-BlondeBastard.html[/url:5ddaf]

[Grubb]

Is the quality the same, letorted, as AJ Thramer??? I was for sure on Thramer until I saw your post...

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[This message has been edited by Grubb (edited 21 December 2004).]

[Colston Newton]

Bamboo is like any other rod making material. You could pick up one of the finest rods ever made and not like it depending on the tapers.

October Woods has a thing he does called a "shooot out." He has you cast three rods by top flight makers using the same reel and line and choose which you like best. (I'm talking Dickerson, Payne, Garrison level rods.) It's interesting how, depending on your style, you will rate the rods as being better to you. (All are great, mind, but they are clearly different.)

At the prices good 'boo commands, it is clearly advisable to try a few before making a purchase, particularly if you've come iinto fly fishing usinfg faster modern rods. Even a moderate 'boo is going to feel funny to you.

(Nobody has mentioned Bill Abrams at Housatonic Rods. Beautiful instruments. Builds the Dickerson tapers, btw.)

[Grubb]

K, I'm sold, was gonna buy one sighte unseen, from AJ Thramer, 7'6 med. fast, 5wt, 2piece... now I think I should cast some, I'm in Harrisonburg Va. very close to Stauton... There you go canerods... Still I think AJ will get the bid, to much info coming my way here, e-mail, and chatroom, about him to not go there, but at la's I'm still open...

Thank you all for your wonderful peplies, the info ya'll have given me would have cost lot's and time.

Tim


???

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[This message has been edited by Grubb (edited 21 December 2004).]

[letorted]

When you get the rod let us know how you like it.

To answer your question, I've cast a buddies Blonde Bastard, seemed pretty sweet for the price. He ordered his on the initial introduction, got it for a song. Haven't cast or held a Thramer so I can't compare actions or build quality. Build quality is kinda subjective, but I'd place the Blonde Bastard a couple of notches below a Golden Witch.

I'd like to second JC's Elkhorn plug. For the money(I own a boo and a graphite by them) you cannot do any better on craftsmanship. It's definately urged that you find one to cast before you lay down that kind of cabbage for a rod though.

[AgMD]

Price and the quality you might expect at a given price is only one factor, and if I may say a very small factor. If you were to select any given maker as a point of arguement, and were to try a number of rods(different size, weight ,taper), all made by that same maker, and of the same quality and craftsmanship, I believe you would find that some just didn't suit you at all, some might feel better, and some are just everything a rod should be -- for YOU. Would there be anything wrong with the rods you didn't like ? Probably not. The next guy might have totally different results. I think that once we start fooling arround with cane, we are looking for a rod that fits us perfectly. When you can cast without being aware of the rod, when the rod disappears, when you can be the rod, grasshopper, that is the rod for you.
AgMD

[canerods]

Grubb,

Lots of good bamboo rod makers in your area. Look up Chris Bogart in Luray, Virginia, Jerry Andrews across the line in West Virginia, and Joe Byrd in northeast Tennessee. I'm sure any of them would be honored to let you try out some bamboo rods. Let's see, Mark Wendt is not too far in Maryland, Bill Taylor is just north in Pennsylvania, and the list goes on and on. If you'll drop me a note at maker(at)canerods.com I'll be happy to supply some email addresses and/or phone numbers.

Harry

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Harry Boyd
http://www.canerods.com

[dleo6446]

Grubb, one thing I have found about bamboo is that they have a different feel and are usually slower than the graphites. I have about 60 bamboo rods of various makers, some of them vintage some of them relatively new. I have learned to love the slower actions of most of the older bamboos that I have and when I got my first Thramer, it was one of his classic tapers, a Leonard 50 DF. Then I got his 7 1/2' DX taper, a little faster than the Leonard, then I got a Payne 98 and then a Dickerson 7613 taper. (I got the blanks and built them all) They all have different feels and I love to fish them all. I would recommend that you go to one of the "gatherings" where you can lay hands on a few different rods and find one that you really like. I would warn you that they are habit forming, and for you own sake, if you ever start building them, prepare yourself for becoming an addict to them. I still fish a lot of graphite too, but I have to admit, I love the bamboo feel.