I’ve only ever used graphite rods.
I own several, from a 3 piece 8 weight to 7 piece travel rods, to my current favorite, a Winston Boron 9 foot 5 weight 4 piece.
I think I’m going to take the plunge and order a bamboo rod. The rod will be expensive, and I will have to wait 4-5 years to get it delivered, so I can’t buy more than one. I am going to have to choose the rod’s characteristics, and I want a rod in a specification that will play to the strengths of bamboo.
I’m thinking of a shorter (8 foot or less) rod in a 3 or 4 weight, for use on smaller streams and creeks (which is where I do much of my fishing) for going after smaller and medium sized trout (which is what I normally catch on these streams.)
If you bamboo addicts could only own one bamboo rod, and you were going to be fishing mostly on smaller Western waters, what would you choose? What is the quintessential bamboo rod?
Bare in mind that this is my opinion. And, I’m sure I share it with many. I’d go with a 7 1/2’ 5 weight, in a quad. These are the best rods at any price. IMHO.
God Bless, http://www.ronkusse.com/blacktroll.html
Perhaps I should have been more clear. I’m getting the rod from a local rod builder who runs a shop called South Creek. I’m not looking for advice on what brand of rod to buy or which rod builder to go to. I’m looking for advice on what type of bamboo rod to buy
If the builder is real local and he has some boo rods that he fishes with, maybe he’d let you lawn cast a couple to help make up your mind.
I can’t help you with tapers, but for fishing the small streams near home I really like a 7’ or 7’6" 4 weight, two piece, two tip. It handles the resident cutts as well as the fall sea run cutts.
Anything by Darryl Whitehead, or any Dickerson. The favorite rod I own would have to be my H.I. Tonka Prince- it will cast a 5wt line under an overhanging log and into the next pool (without spooking the rising fish) quite nicely. I suggest that you find a local builder (go to www.goabra.org to find a listing for your state/area), and have them build you a rod. They’ll probably have a few rods lying around for you to test cast, and you can figure out what sort of length/weight/action is going to fit your needs. Also, before you invest a great sum of money into a bamboo rod, you may consider looking at one of the “blue collar” rods in the shorter lengths (the H.I. that I mentioned, or one of the lighter/shorter Grangers would probably fit your needs).
The next bamboo rod I buy will probably be from the “Things For Sale” section of this board. You got some really great folks there selling rods for really good prices.
Big rods fr big water, small rods for small water. Probably a 7’6" 4 or 5 wt will be your best all around.
I assume you are talking about a South Creek Ltd. rod. If so Mike Clark has an excellent reputation for working with perspective buyers and putting together a rod that is a perfect match for them. If I was going for an all round bamboo rod I would go with a 8’ 5 wt. Bamboo rods tend to use a bit heavier line than what we are used to with graphite. In my experience an 8’ 4wt can be fun, but are a bit limited in usefullness. They tend to be a bit whippy (again my opinion). An 8’ 3 wt is almost more of a novelty than a wide use tool. There are a whole lot of really excellent 8’ 5 wt tapers and many makers produce excellent rods to these specifications. Now for a 7’ rod there are some great 4 wt tapers around.
Don’t worry too much about your first bamboo rod, you can almost guarantee that there will be others in the future.
When you consider which taper and length for your custom split cane fly rod, also consider what fly line you will be using.
Cortland has created the Sylk Fly Line, that is returning many old split canes to the trout stream. The older split canes have been spending the past 50 years inside their tubes, for lack of silk line. The new Sylk line offers all the same attributes of Silk, without all the hassle of maintenance.
With Cortland Sylk, you can use small guides, and have the same casting experience of those who used silk line before the creation of the PVC fly line used today.
I use Cortland Sylk, on a split cane that was stored away for 50 years, because of lack of silk fly line. It has the smaller guides, so it could not use the bulkier PVC line. Now it is singing it song, as the Sylk line, is cast over the water.
In the meantime, I’d suggest looking on eBay or other sites for some nice, fishable cane rods to practice with. I have a couple of old Grangers and a modern Thomas and Thomas that are my “special” bamboos, but I also have several refurbished production rods I picked up on eBay (from reputable refurbishers) that have been wonderfully fishable rods. I find I use them more often than the others, since I’m less concerned about having them lost or stolen or broken. My favorites are a 7’9" Montague Rapidan for a 6wt, a 6’11" H-I Tonka Prince for a 5wt and a 7.5 ft Heddon 323 4wt, all under $300 each. They turn an afternoon on a Texas Hill Country stream with some energetic bass and sunfish into an aesthetic experience.
I understand that Mike Clark has the reputation as a premier builder and from what I’ve heard, his rods are worth the wait. What about that 7 1/2’ 5wt Gierach signature rod he builds? Don’t have one personally, but heard they are nice.
I have many bamboo rods from some of the top makers alive and a few from those that are not with us anymore. Going with an 8’ 4wt rod may not be a great choice unless you find a good hollowbuilt rod. In my experiance there are some great tapers to choose from. I would recommend either a 7’ 4wt or a 7 1/2’ 5wt. After you pick the lenght & weight start to look at tapers, stick with a classic from a master. Here are a few I like, Payne, Dickerson & Leonard. all 3 have a nice crisp “dry fly” action that are wonder casting rods you will enjoy for years. Feel free to contact me anytime if you want specific tapers from these builders. Most builders will have these tapers available.
