do you fish bamboo?

[birddog]

I have thought a while about acquiring a bamboo rod and it got me wondering?

How many of you have a bamboo rod and how often do you fish with them?

-Jeff

[Buddy Sanders]

Birddog,

I have a few of them.

I fish with them only occasionally.

Buddy

[clarkman23]

I have thought a while about acquiring a bamboo rod and it got me wondering?

How many of you have a bamboo rod and how often do you fish with them?

-Jeff

I have several...for the majority of my trout fishing, I split time with my 8' 5 wt. boo and a couple of glass rods. If you're seriously interested in checking them out, I would suggest casting as many different tapers from as many different builders as possible. The actions on them varies tremendously...

For me, I just really like the way they feel, smell and fish.

[Jeremy]

I have a handful and fish them each time I trout fish.

I also still have my light line Sages, SP's and SPL's... that mainly get left in the closet. Can't say why, they just do.

Bamboo, it's not "better" or "best, only a little different! And I like them. A lot!

Jeremy.

[flyfshn76]

I have a few and try to fish with as much as possible, I usually will take my 3 wght out exclusively when brookie fishing, the other one I use mainly when I go bass fishing. As stated before they are not any better than any of the new rods out there now but just have a completely different feel and are extremely fun to fish with.

[Ron Eagle Elk]

I have a couple and fish with them a lot. I like the feel of the rod in my hand, the warmth of the bamboo, the smell of varnish when you open the rod tube and the feel of a fish on.

[JohnScott]

birddog -

I just started fishing a bamboo rod right at the end of '08 with an 8' for 5 wt that I wrapped and finished.

Have been out with it about eleven times on water ranging from small creeks to a fairly good size river, fishing everything from size 20 nymphs and 18 dries to tandems of size 6 weighted stonefly nymphs under an indicator.

It covers the things I do with my graphite 3 and 5 wts, but I much more enjoy the feel of the bamboo rod, and, for whatever reason, I can cast better and further with it than my graphite rods.

It can't match my fast action 7 wt for bigger water / bigger wind / bigger flies. But I can still fish the same water for the same fish with the bamboo, and the extra effort it takes is a small price to pay for the enjoyment of fishing this rod.

I just kind of happened into the bamboo thing. Still way down on the learning curve. But the comments above about studying up on and casting, if at all possible, a wide range of tapers are probably the best advice you can get.

Bamboo isn't for everyone, for sure. But if you find a taper that fits your style and the kind of fishing you like to do, you will surely be in for a treat.

John

[crcaddis]

I have several of them, various lengths and wieghts from a 6' 3wt, to an 8.5' 6wt. They are fun novelties. I like to fish them on small to medium sized streams, casts in the 10-40' range, maybe a rare cast out to 50-60'. Graphite gets the nod if I'm going to be making a lot of 50'+ casts, chucking heavy double nymph rigs, or bass poppers. Cheers.

[Gigmaster]

I have one that belonged to my Dad. I use it sometimes, mostly for trout and panfish.

[fishbum]

I like bamboo! I make bamboo rods and I fish bamboo rods. I have enough bamboo on hand to make probabally 60 bamboo rods. I make and fish rods as light as a 6' 6", 3 weight up to a 10' 6", 8 weight two handed rod and everything in between. Most of the models I make are hollow built. Along with making the rods, I also make my own reel seats and ferrules.

A few of my favorites are a 7' 6", 5 weight hoillow built, a 8', 7 weight hollow built that I use for steelhead, A 9', 9 weight hollow built that I fish for salmon with, and a 10' 6", 8 weight two handed rod I use for both steelhead and salmon.

In the works is a 13' 6" hollow 8 weight spey rod. I have some tweeks to make to the design software I am using to get the final design off the paper and onto the bench. I would like to have this rod finished by my spring steelhead trip to the Pere Marquette River in Michigan.

Oh, did I mention I lke bamboo fly rods?

Give me a shout Jeff if I can help you out. Being in Michigan perhaps we could get together and you could cast a few of my rods. Heck, cast them all for that matter.

fishbum