Expensive Rods and More Expensive Bamboo

As a cane rod builder myself, i thnk there not many people understand what kind of expenses are involved in building one.
reel seats- $35-$65
ferrules - $35-$45 per set (1 set for two piece rods)
cork- $2-$2.50 per 1/2 inch ring (12 rings for a 6in grip)
agate stripper-$25
snakes,tip tops,winding check, hook keeper-$20
rod bag-$7
Tube-$25
So you see that comes out to close to $200 and that does not even include all the glues,varnish,color preservers, silk thread,sandpaper,steel wool,brushes, string for binding,razor blades,disposable rubber gloves for glueing up,thinners, and much more that you may not even think of,not to mention drying cabinet, string binder,expensive plaing forms, cost of raw cane, and lots of bandaids and asprins! Matt

The way I see it and IMHO, Its what is perceived to be best that sells not what is really best. The thing that rod makers have the competition with each other about is weight! In order to build lighter and lighter rods (continuing the trend that has been around for hundreds of years) higher and higher modulus materials are necessary. High modulus is not high strength and the manufacturers are playing the hairy edge of the strength/weight problem winding up with blanks that are too stiff in the butt section (thats where they would break if they used thinner walls or larger diameters there). The sales people take over after the rod goes to market. They extol the virtues of what they have named a "fast" action. This term probably derived from the "fast" taper ratio of years ago. Very few newcomers to the sport given the choice of a "fast" vs "moderate" or "slow" action rod would want anything but "fast". They've been hyped to believe that fast=good and slow=bad. The term fast is HYPE and has as many meanings as there are sales people. The practice of using a line a couple of sizes larger than what the rod is made for (supposidly)is IMHO an effort to get a rod to load close in. If the materials manufacturers can make higher modulus stuff with more strength you will see the stiffness in the butt section diminish in the future. IMHO it should never have been put there in the first place.

Ol' Bill

[Rolemodel]

Bill,

I don't know about overlining a Rod a couple of Weights up from the Rod's Weight Stated!I would think the higher Weighter Line would really Stress the Rod maybe causing it to lose it's Original Action at some point in time.I've heard of underlining a Rod to make a Moderate-Med Action Rod become Fast but don't know about overlining.

[ET custom flyrods]

I couldnt resist throwing my hat in the ring a second time...Ha ha

Lots of great stuff here. I believe that from all the observations above LF pretty much summed it up. A rod is a very personal thing. Foget the sales pitches for graphite or Boo. Try some of both if you can,(and dont overlook the small builders) in various lenghts and actions.
Decide on your own which rod meets your needs .
The price should be looked at only when those decisions are made. Unless you are the type that has to have the latest, keep in mind the rod you buy used with care will more than likely outlast you.

[This message has been edited by Smernsky (edited 26 March 2005).]

Rolemodel,
I'm not an expert on overlining/uderlining since I don't do it. Although I have some expensive graphites and some glass and bamboo rods, I looked them over pretty darn well before buying. Overlining is not done in our (eastern) areas as much as it is out west. As I understand their reasoning they need to be able to cast into strong winds and therefore go for a rod of a large size. When they go to a small stream with weaker winds they find that the rod won't load to their liking so they use a larger line. The larger heavier line loads the rod better close in. What is needed here is a rod with more (what I call) latitude, the ability to load with a wide range conditions.

Maybe someone from the West can explain it better than I...and if I'm wrong, I'm sure they will.

Ol' Bill

i cannot comment on cane rods. ive never cast one, or even held one in my hands, though it is something i would someday enjoy being able to try.

however, as far as action goes, its a preference, as is everything else in this sport. i prefer the feel i get from a faster action rod. it gives me a quicker pace in my cast and "keeps me on my toes" by not allowing me to slow my casting stroke as much as with a slower action rod. i own both, and fish both, but my preference is a light weight, light line, med./fast action rod.

as for the cars--i got a '66 Dodge Dart. its my dream car since im a kid. no mid-life crisis here. just a dream and a car to customize .

[This message has been edited by tyflier (edited 26 March 2005).]

[Rusty Rat]

At the risk of ticking off all of you that convinced yourself that spending $600, $700, $800 and up on a glass (oops! I mean graphite) rod, why not save for a bit longer and buy a bamboo? The only time that I don't fish the boo is when I know that I'll be out until after dark or I'm in real Rambo water. I'm sorry but these graphite rod-makers charging what they charge are the ones catching the big fish. RR

[LadyFisher]

Going to disagree with old bill, heaven's forbid, there are a lot of rods being built today with 'heavier' butt sections. The new Winston Boron is intentionally made with a heavier butt section. Lamiglass makes several fly rods which are 'qualified' by them as "lifters"...for playing and landing big fish.

With the lighter rods, it isn't the butt section which breaks - it's the tip. Which by the way, overlining tends to increase.

Your milage may vary.

------------------
LadyFisher, Publisher of
FAOL

LF
Yup, They're lifters alright. I can remember years ago the ad by Fisher with a guy lifting a huge weight 25 or 40 lb? off the floor with one of their SW flyrods. The butt section was not what today would be called stiff though. It curved in a smooth arc with a gradual change in radius of curvature. Todays rods IMHO have the stiff butt sections in order that they not break there.
More material has been put there for that purpose and thats why they break somewhere else.

They're lifters...OK, but "lifting" is illegal in this part of the country! LOL

Thanks for your reply...But ya havn't convinced me of anything. But Then I don't fish weighted lines...the sink tip is as far as I'll go.

Ol' Bill

[Ray]

Rodmakers spent thousands of hours and dollars in R&D to develop flyrods. When they put a line weight on a rod, that is the line that rod was built to cast. I only cast the line that the rod was designed to cast. If you need to overline a rod to get it to load properly the problem is you casting not the weight of the line.
Secondly, I had to say something about this statement. "The bigger Diameter Lines I feel over Rods the Bamboo Rod." Let me let you in on a little secret. The diameter of the line has NOTHING to do with overling a rod. It's the WEIGHT of the line that will over line a rod. Diameter has nothing to do with it