got a bamboo 7’4# from Steve Pennington a while back at an FFF conclave because it felt right, kind of like the best of a litter of pups, which you didn’t really intend to acquire, but… went home, slowly assembled reel and line with advice from local fly shop, and headed out to favorite urban drain–oops, i mean local stocked stream.
that day the millions of words that people write about the magic of the stream and the music of the spheres made sense.
mostly i fish graphite because the hatch and the fly and the fish are what it’s all about, but when it’s time to decompress, the boo and me head to that miracle, a trout stream inside the Beltway, and life slows down to an understandable rhythm. a good graphite rod is a joy to use, like any fine tool, but a good bamboo rod has a soul, like a violin.
disadvantages? care and feeding
advantages? peace for mind, body, and spirit
I have loved and enjoyed using bamboo, but other than its aesthetics, glass and graphite are equals as fishing tools…and considerably better in higher weights.
Just curious - don’t want to change the subject but does the game of golf have a contingent that uses wooden shafted golf clubs with the same passion as is being put forth on this thread?
Would dearly love to try a bamboo rod, that being said where can you go to try one.
Years ago my friend and I were at a fly fishing forum/show, he was inquiring about the bamboo rods at one display- asked how much to get one and was told if you have to ask you can’t afford it! Hopefully the attitudes in dealers have changed since then- or I look more prosperous
I don’t think so. I have a hollow built 9’ 9wt salmon rod that I fish with a week at a time. All day long for 6 days straight.
I once had a problem with the ferrule on that rod and had to use my back-up, a 9’6" 9wt graphite stick. All I can say is my my casting elbow and shoulder hurt almost enough to stop me from fishing before the day was over. The big bamboo just fished that much easier than any graphite rod I own.
I love the big bamboo rods. They fish in close and well as at some distanceif needed. I can cast the whole fly line with more of my bamboo rods than I can with the graphite rods I own. My latest is a 10’ 6", 8 weight, two handed rod that is one of the best rods I have ever fished with.
it’s that weight that helps cane literally cast itself. I find that with my bamboo rods, I actually expend less energy than with any of my graphite rods. Part of it is also that I’m not constantly having to false cast either…it helps me slow down and just fish better…
Well, I had an Orvis bamboo salmon rod that was the greatest cannon I ever used,but about wore me out. My graphite rod to throw similar weights (8/9) isn’t nearly so taxing. I will say this for boo…if it breaks you can fix it.
The look, feel, and smell of waxed cotton, a good Cuban cigar, single malt scotch, a real wood fire, a fine Model 21 S X S, a Hardy Princess reel, real leather boots – all these have modern counterparts. And some say they are better. And some say they are not. And some don’t care. And so it is with cane rods. But they are our history. And anytime you can use a bit of history, even if it is only once, it is a gift from God.
From an engineering point of view, carbon fiber composites have no equal. They are easy to fabricate, very high modulus and have incredible tensile strength. But they only make good rods if those are the qualities you are after. And if those qualities are your goal, there will be no equal. But they will not whisper to you on a warm summer day about life and fishing past the way cane will.
So get what you want. It will be better for you and then let the others have their day. They have gotten what they want too. There is room for all.
I use mine for nostalgia as much as anything. It was purchased new in 1920 by my grandfather. Then My dad used it, and now I use it. It is meticulously taken care of.
Bamboo feels ‘alive’. It has character. It has personality. It is a reminder of of bygone era, where Duty, Honor and Justice were more than just words…
But I’m weird. I still shave with a 100-year old Dovo straight razor, use Bay Rum after-shave, and Lucky Tiger Hair Dressing. I wear a leather Bomber Jacket from WW-II, and have the matching B-17 gunners hat and gloves. I listen to Big Band and 50s, 60s Rock & Roll (now disgustingly referred to as ‘Oldies’). I may be stuck in a time-warp.
It just may be that perhaps the greatest incentive for using a bamboo rod has been missed. Quite simply, the romance of using a tool from days gone by to achieve a goal that is at best illusive. You can catch a fish, whether it be trout, smallmouths, largemouths, bluegill, steelhead or whatever your quarry on a “stick and a string”. For all of us there is something in the way we catch fish. That’s why there are fly fisherman, spin fisherman, bait casting fisherman and good ol’ cane pole fisherman…not to mention those that “trot line” or “hand fish”…noodling or whatever you want to call it.
For me, bamboo is the “ne plus ultra” of fishing. It isn’t the only right way nor for many is it even a "way’ to fish. But…I like things done in the old way. Goodness…anyone who has followed my progression on “flyanglersonline” knows i prefer doing anything in the old ways. When fishing bamboo you’re holding a piece of history in your hands. Whether it was made last month or in the last century or even in the century before that, you’re paying homage to all those that came before. Every fish you catch, or even every rise that comes to your fly is a testament to the effectiveness of the old methods. Whether they be dry, wet, nymphs or streamers. You, we, are carrying on that wonderful tradition of old. Just like those of us who shoot flintlock muzzleloaders and shoot longbows. It just isn’t about catching a fish, taking a head of game or shooting a deer with a bow…it’s in how you do any of it. Nor is that all there is to it. I can’t explain or describe it… but once you know, you know…and nothing will be the same.
Just an addition. This article is neither for or against bamboo or any other material for that matter. If you want to talk about the actual engineering differences in rod materials or if you are simply having trouble sleeping at night, you might want to read this. Otherwise, don’t waste your time.
