I bought a Jeep Liberty because I couldn’t afford a Cherokee. It gets me to work, hauls my family and, of course, gets me to that stream to catch some trout. I offer several grades of bamboo blanks for the same reason.
Our low priced kits are simply to get folks started at a reasonable price. It’s to have fun and give it a try. Winding a bamboo rod can take weeks if you’re very particular or want to match traditional materials and methods, but not everyone wants to do this, has the time or cares. Some folks want to use silk thread and some nylon, some chrome guides, other Tich, some nickel silver seats and some aluminum and so on. Some folks will tell you there’s a right way and a wrong way!! We don’t agree. With a bit of time and care, you’ll have a little piece of the fly fishing dream that you will enjoy for years!
As you might imagine, I’ve had many, many blanks in my hand. Nothing can compare to some of the great American builders, many of whom buy components from us. This is why we offer hand made domestic blanks too. I’ve spoken with many of these builders recently and they are, for the most part, encouraging our effort at H&H. They know that this will lead to more awareness using bamboo, and that will benefit all involved. We’ll even put you in touch with folks who will teach you to hand make a blank if you’re able ($$) to do so.
As for fishability, Betty has it right. I fish these imported blanks and they’re a hoot! They fish nicely. Our experience shows that you can spend all of your time learning about it, or you can just do it. So we say, give it a try and see where it takes you! Maybe someday, you’ll be inspired to hand make bamboo rods in your garage!
Please remember that nothing, nothing is a silver bullet when it comes to fly fishing. It’s supposed to be fun . . . and that’s it!! Be well!
I can’t say whether the imports are nice or not as I haven’t seen one. I can tell you this, don’t judge a bamboo blank until it’s been built and cast. There is a beauty to a well constructed and nicely finished bamboo rod, but that is only part of the picture.
The significant difference between the plastic rods and bamboo is a graphite brand x 9ft 5wt casts the same as the brand x 9ft 5wt. A bamboo rod is totally different, and you need to find the rod that works for you. That rod is not just length and weight but taper, maker, and design. Cast em until one talks to you and you will see the magic. And, don’t discount all bamboo rods after just casting a few.
Sorry Ron. but there is no “secret society” or worldwide conspiracy to keep bamboo rods the exclusive property of the elite as you seem to think and are telling those with no knowledge or experience about the subject on your website. What there is is a lot of people who enjoy all aspects of owning, fishing and, for some such as myself, making bamboo rods, some of whom belong to various websites devoted to the subject and the Rodmaker’s Listserv, all of which are open to any who care to join and there’s no secret about any of them. I don’t blame anyone for trying to sell their product, specially in times like these, but you might give your tactics a review.
john
furthermore you can’t do much better than buying a channer rod. top quality at a very reasonable price. were I in the market to buy a bamboo rod, he’s the guy I’d be talking to.
I’ve been “round the horn” on the topic of “making” blanks. I agree with Ron , that “making” a blank from scratch is or may not be for everyone. Also I dont know of anyone “making” their own “Graphite” blanks. If someone is offering a good quality bamboo blank at a decent price , I think it would inspire many to build on it and more to fish with it. I agree with John that there is no secret society , but I will say that for the most part bamboo folks are very opinionated! There also seems to be a crossover thinking about collecting ,mixed in with fishing when it comes to bamboo where lies some of the problems leading folks to believe that all bamboo folks are snobs. I personally dont buy this, and just feel they are extremley passionate about their sport.
All that being said, it is my belief that more folks could enjoy fishing bamboo if quality blanks were available at a decent price. I keep saying “quality”, because who wants to build on a blank that isnt straight or shows glue lines, not to mention not being backed by the maker or the supplier? Ron, there are quite a few good builders and makers on this site as well as potential customers. I could be wrong ,but all I think we’re asking is to let us examine your offerings and if they are good , I believe you’ll more than profit from the review…Ed
I dare say that the many who think they would like to fish a boo are many times sadly disappointed with their action when growing up with these super hi modulus graphites. I strongly recommned that these potential boo owners either beg, steal or borrow a boo rod and fish it for a day. I have fished with boo for over 40 years and sometimes prefer a graphite. BTW, starter kits are fine too. I bought a kit in the 70’s from a now defunct outfit in Springfield, Ohio (Angler’s Pro Shop) and am still trying to track down the origin of the blank. One responder even rememberd the logo of the mail order house in detail and suggested that the blank may have been in England.
Ron, I’ve purchased from your site however I do find the “Bamboo Society” comments inaccurate and a bit offensive.
As for a “reasonable” priced “well made” blank, What’s a reasonable priced blank if it takes 20 - 30 hours to build the blank to the point of wrapping and finishing?
I refer to it as the “wally world syndrome”. We complain about the jobs going off shore, we don’t like the amount of product being imported from China, we want well made product, we support American labor, yet we go to walmart because it’s cheap… (I’ve been guilty).
Vote with your hard earned dollars, you have a choice.
I think Rons prices “are” resonable…the question is , are they (both US and Chinese) of good quaility which I explained what to be aware of and look for previously…No further comment needed …Ed
Agreed totally Ed. “The Bamboo Society”, as we have been dubbed, knows bamboo rods. A graphite blank, is a graphite blank. A bamboo blank is a testament to the man who made that blank. Many more variables and occasions for error.
I’ll stop there, I could go on and on, but I’ll see where this ends.
Norm,
That would be a rod made by me, john channer, in durango,co. I’m a part time bamboo rodmaker and don’t have a website, tho I’ve been seriously considering one for about 12 years now. If you come to the chat roon here on thursday evenings, I’m generally there around 7:30 or so mountain time and I will be glad to tell you anything you would like to know about my rods.
john
knowing H and H as I do I will be ordering one of the boo kits in the near future. I know that with the 3 day inspection period I have no worries that if something is wrong Ron will take care of it. Once I purchase it and build it I will be happy to report how it does.
I finally have my finances so there is a little extra at the end of the month. Next month its a new pair of glasses so I can see what I am doing. August is looking very promising for my first bamboo from H&H.
I have been a customer of H&H for several years now and have always been pleased with their products and service. I also appreciate their long support of this and other sites. But I also have refinished several bamboo rods and am a novice bamboo rod builder. I have been very fortunate to have had some of the members of the “elite bamboo society” take me under their wing and teach me the techniques and tricks of their beautiful craft. Contrary to what has been written on the H&H bamboo page, I have found the bamboo community to be very open and inviting. Opinionated… most certainly, but these are craftsmen who take their craft/art VERY seriously. Perhaps 20-25 years ago the world of bamboo rod making was shrouded in mystery, but those days are past now. All that is left is the individual craftmen’s variations on common techniques or methods, which is what separate the novice from the masters. But in my time of association with these “secret society members” my understanding of rods has grown, my casting and fishing ability has improved, and I have made some lifelong friends, just like through my association with the folks on FAOL. I am a young father with a mortgage and a long way to go before retirement. I am not a rich man. My lack of money has never been an impediment to building a rod. This has been because of the tremendous generosity of other more experienced builders and collectors. I should also note, that for every ?rich collector? that I have met, I have met at least a hundred bamboo rod builders and collectors who are rod rich and money poor. I have never met a single rodmaker who has every gotten rich or for that matter ever made much more than a meager living making bamboo rods.
My first exposure to bamboo was an imported bamboo rod from Elkhorn. It is a very fishable rod that I still own. Since then I have been blessed with the opportunity to cast bamboo rods by classic makers that cast circles around that Elkhorn, as they should since they cost thousands more and were made my master craftsmen. I might add that it is only through the generosity of some of these so called “elitists” who owned these rods, that I was able to have the pleasure of casting some of these Stradivarius’. I never had to beg, these men offered the opportunity knowing full well that I was never in a position to purchase these rods from them. They simply wanted me to be able to see what a great rod can do, which will only improve my rod building in the future. I do owe a debt of gratitude to that Elkhorn rod though, since without having purchased it, I probably would never have pursued this path which has given me great reward.
Having said all this, I hope the folks at H&H (and FAOL) understand me when I make this statement - I was VERY offended by the statements made on H&H’s bamboo page about the bamboo rod community. From personal experience, I have found these statements to be very unfair, even patently false and insulting, not to me, but more importantly, to some very close friends of mine. Until these statements are removed from their website and a clarification statement is issued, I refuse to spend another dollar of my money at Hook & Hackle.
I have purchased from H&H many times. Not all of the purchases have gone without a hitch, however they all ended well. I do feel that it is a narrow minded and a poor business decision to insult somebody when trying to make a positive sales point.
There are three old adages that come to mind in a situation like this:
“you get what you pay for…”
“sometimes it can be extravagant to be cheap…”
“a budget tells us what we cannot afford, but does not keep us from buying it”
One thing to remember is that there is a difference between a master craftsperson and a person taught how to manufacture a particular product.
My guess is that the H & H blanks are a good bang for the buck. It will be interesting to read further feedback on these blanks.
