I’ve never owned or cast a bamboo fly rod. But I’ve look at them and held them. What are the advantages? Disadvantages? Do I want one?
Thanks!
Steve,
I wouldn’t even know where to start!
Their intrinsic beauty. The gentleness of the cast. Their smoothness in the stroke. The way they glow in the sun. The history of the rod. The way the bamboo warms in your hands, and holds that warmth. The shape of the rod when you’re mid retrieve. The beauty of living grass.
Betty
As a bamboo rod maker I can tell you it is in the control I have over the performance of the rod. No builder can control the action of a graphite or glass rod. That is in the hands of the manufacture. Since I make my own blanks from scratch I have complete control over the whole process.
I also like the way the rods fish and cast.
fishbum
I own one bamboo rod. It’s a wonderfully crisp, fast action 7’ FE Thomas taper. I bought another one off ebay. It turned out to be a piece of junk with a kick like a mule, so I returned it. It just goes to show you that all cane rods rods are not the same. It also illustrates that there are a variety of tapers available, and not all of them have a slower action than graphite rods.
That makes your question difficult to answer. I’d say go for it if you like the way a particular rod casts, you like the way it looks, and you have the money spend. The main benefit would be having a special handcrafted rod that is a joy to fish.
There are a few drawbacks to consider. A bamboo rod is bound to be heavier than a graphite one of the same length. Anything over 8 feet is likely to be tiring to cast for long periods of time. These rods tend to generate slower line speed, so they may not be the best choice for long casts into the wind. You may have to adjust your timing to allow the line to straighten out. Finally, they generally don’t come with a lifetime warranty. They can often be repaired, but the repairs won’t be cheap.
I forgot to mention that I got my rod on the cheap from an amateur builder. Some people build rods for fun. They end up with a bunch of rods lying around unused. Often, they only want to recoup their costs.
No one but you can answer that one, and if you want it for fishing rather than how it looks or how it smells, you’ll have to actually fish with several. One might not enough, because there are certainly bamboo rods out there you won’t like.
You might find one that feels like an extension of your arm, that seems to cast itself and you only have to think where you want the fly to go. It won’t feel too heavy, your graphite rod will suddenly feel too light. Advantages and disadvantages will no longer matter.
Then again, you might not.
Simply put - yes.
My First Bamboo Rod Arrived two days ago. It was a VERY cheap rod from China… Now there are a lot of people who look down on foreign rods and poor wormanship, etc etc. And for the most part, they can be dead on accurate. This rod However, while it does have some small flaws, and absolutely zero fancy bindings or components, just grabbed me. I unfortantely find even some entry level american Bamboo rods (450 - 600) tough to come by. So the price was right on this one.
In just the 6 hours I have spent casting the thing in my back yard. I am very very very hooked on it. The Bamboo Glows. watching it come out of the rod bag was a lot different than all my other rods. The heft and the weight of Cane was just so different. The action on the bamboo rod I bought is SUPER slow… There were winds and some ice falling here in New England but I could still lay out some decent line with it (4 weight 6’6"). There was something about pulling for a back cast. watching the line lay all the way out, and then seeing that glowing cane just bend.
I can tell you right now I am addicted to Bamboo. I am looking towards my second rod already and this one hasn’t even seen fish yet!!
I’ve always loved fishing with cane, even the old blue collar rods. My wife had never cast a bamboo rod until a Central Washington Fish-In when she had a chance to cast several, including Kusse Quads, Bill Taylor Quads and Hexes and a John Channer Hex. We almost had to pry Z’s 4 wgt Channer from her hands. The rod just plain fit her. It felt right in her hands, it fit her casting style and stroke, like it was made for her and her alone.
That’s sort of how it is with cane, it just fits right. There’s nothing like the smell of varnish when you open up a rod case with a cane rod in it, seeing the glow as the rod comes out of the rod sock, it’s almost a spiritual feeling.
Oh yeah, my wife has her own 4 wgt rod by John Channer, with her name on it, so do I, I also have a very sweet Quadrate from Bill Taylor and I’ve had my eye on a…
I don’t think that you can really say that there are really any advantages to using either graphite or bamboo. I think that what it really comes down to is personal preferance. If it tickles you right when you cast it, buy it. In my mind, its as simple as that.
mr. gibson,
i believe that after reading your website i can say you work very hard for your money so yes i say you owe it to yourself!
Steve,
I’m a bamboo junkie. I own way too many cane rods…I just can’t help myself!
My one suggestion to you would be to cast as many bamboo rods as possible
to determine the action that you prefer and the length that works for you for your home waters.
If you truly want to discuss bamboo rods…look here
http://clarksclassicflyrodforum.yuku.com/
bobbyg
Steve,
If you fish the salt a lot, then likely no. The graphites do well there IMHO. Wind, distance, things of that nature.
But, if you do some inland fishing then I’d say you’d be in for a treat…it depends. It’s personal…as you can see by the posts.
Me, I was quite against them because I loved my Sages and a couple Loomis rods. Didn’t have any use for one, even on smaller spring creeks and little 12" trout.
I don’t know what happened. I really don’t. I’m a woodworker (well, I was B/4 the fly rod/tying took over) and have this appreciation for craftmanship. But it’s way more than that.
Way more.
Be careful! Basically, they’re all I fish now.
Jeremy. (3 thumbs up!)
After primarily fishing bamboo for smallies & trout in the mid Atlantic states, never really bothered to even purchase a graphite rod; despite the constant “just try one” from my favorite fly shop owner who tried to sell one to me everytime I shopped; basically because it’s more at one with the stream with cane than fiberglass or graphite rods. The running joke was that when meeting up with me for the famed late summer white miller hatch on the river; while he was driving on the bridge over the river he could tell it was me with the bamboo fishing below; make the backcast, go out for a cup of coffee, come back & make the forward cast…not quite slo-mo…Finally won a TU banquet drawing for a 9’ high modulus graphite rod, which resulted in 70’-80’ casts to fish that were mostly caught within 40’. Had to switch to graphite for the Florida saltwater & freshwater species. Used to arrange the bamboo according to what creek ( short rods ), stream ( mid length rods ), river ( the 8’ & 9’ long rods, or lake that was being fished. Ended up getting fiberglass & graphite rods in similar lengths to complement the bamboo arsenal just not to break the cane on the unknown! Some dry fly rods are fast, but really not fast enough for getting a saltwater sized fly in front of fish on the beach or on the flats like the new graphite; even though I’ve yet to try that in almost 12 years, probably because I can’t decide which reel to take! As for freshwater lake fishing or the canals, you’d probably like a #5/6 weight bamboo rod for the crappie & occasional #5lb. bass, but yakking with a 9’ #8 weight rod might entail a few more 12 ounce curls nightly. A 7’ rod for 35’ casts out of the yak would probably be more suitable. For the lake across the street I tend to favor the shorter 5’ to 7’ rods, but taking the #4 weight to a 7lb bucketmouth fight that takes a #10 cricket is asking for trouble with bamboo, just as with gators! The #2 weight bamboo is out of the question & needs another time zone to complete the casts unless you enjoy the peacefull zen-fly rest & relaxation 
IMHO, one should really beg, borrow or steal a rod for a day’s fishing to truly get the feel of bamboo. Testing boo at a pond or grass really will tell you little. I essentially grew up with bamboo (over fourty years) and must confess I sometimes like graphite. But given the choice, boo is the only way to go.
Every flyfisher should own at least 1 bamboo flyrod; but you should go old school rule of thumb in matching flies to the cane rod you plan to acquire. Basically choose the fish you plan to catch (i.e. crappie), then choose the fly size (e.g. #10 Myakka Minnow) which will equate to the appropriate flyline. A #5 weight flyline has a range of fly sizes from 12-22, a #6 from 8-20, a #7 from 6-16. Taking into consideration that your Myakka Minnow has a cone weight for the nose, you might want to go up 1 line size in choice of fly rod to accomodate the finese of the cast; but instead of just using a 7 1/2’ tapered nymph leader to plop it into the water; consider changing out the fly to a #10 grasshopper pattern or a #14 ant. That’s when George Harvey formulas for 9’ to 12’ leaders come in handy to get proper leader turnover & subsequent fly presentation without drag, but that’s another subject maybe best left to dry fly trout fishers for now:idea:
And I tried and tried. Even tried the “high enders” and just didn’t like the slow action. The ones that suited my style, were too heavy. Boo just is not for me.
Mark
Even a perfectly built bamboo rod in any weight is going to be heavier than graphite. With perfect health and youth you can cast anything - enjoy your cane while you are young, it becomes too much work when you get old…(older).
I think I see the problem here… “advantages? Disadvantages?”
This could be asked about comparing two rods, say a 9 foot vs a 7 foot. Or a 5 weight vs a 7 weight. See how the words apply? I think you will be very disappointed in any cane rod you cast or fish. You will be looking for the wrong things. A cane rod adds finesse to functionality. It was once alive and seems to struggle to be born anew. Blended with an appropriate line it calls not attention to itself but to the target the destination of the product of a layman creator and his feathers and thread.
Perhaps there is one advantage. If you get a nice cane rod and learn how it likes to be presented, you will be happy.