I read years ago that graphite is easier and better for casting than bamboo.
But a couple days ago I was told that bamboo is better for casting.
Anyone have an opinion on this issue?
I think it depends on your casting style. I fish both and enjoy both but it takes some changes to transition from one to the other.
Lefty’s comparison to fly fishing and a Kansas feed lot may come into play here!
Sustitute different for better. Both statements are then true.
If you are one who strives for the lightest rods on the market that and/or the trend for fast rods… Then bamboo is not anything youd enjoy. like single shot rifles, bamboo is an aquired taste! fiberglass is also such I enjoy all three but they are all vastly different.
Well said Bill.
I think chusha may have run into a bamboo fanatic and not someone willing to give an honest unbiased opinion, thank you.
You really can’t compare graphite to bamboo in my opinion because they are such different types of rods. Here’s a run down of the pros&cons of each…
Graphite pros- Light weight material and wont fatigue your arm, better for distance casting because you can get a much faster action in graphite, takes really no “up-keep” to keep it in good shape.
Graphite cons- There aren’t really any “cons” that come to mind short of they don’t have the Nostalgia of a cane rod, and maybe they conduct lightning better lol
Cane pros- If you like a slower smoother casting stroke then cane is a great material to gently land a fly and not spook a trout. They hold their value (and actually raise in price) Buy a graphite today for $500 and sell it in 5 yrs and you’ll get maybe $225 for it. Buy a Cane today for $500 and in 5 yrs you will get your money back out of it most times. Nostalgia/history. There are times when I use one of my cane rods and it just feels “right” because I’m fishing somewhere like the “Holy Waters” of the Au Sable with a Cane. [b]
Cane cons- [/b]They are heavy as compared to most modern day Graphite, so if all you have cast are faster graphite rods then you may not even care for the feel of a cane. Plus they have upkeep. You don’t want to just stick a cane in a rod rack and leave it there because next time you go to fish with it you will have a tip that looks like a dogleg. So they take a bit more care than other rods.
As I said it’s hard to compare them because they are vastly different animals. One of them things that you will have to try in person to know if its something you really like or not.
Hope that helps.
Steve
I have been privileged to cast and fish all three types. My conclusion is if you like the highest performance (read fast action) rods then get the best graphite stick you can afford. If you like a rod that teaches you how to cast then get a bamboo. If you like something like bamboo at a lesser price, then get a fiberglass. They all 3 have their attributes. Graphite does what you tell it to do. Bamboo lets you learn what it can do. Fiberglass is more like bamboo than graphite. It’s bamboo type casting with a poor man’s budget. I love all three.
Fair answers. I would add that I enjoy playing a fish with a cane rod better than graphite. There is a difference there, too. I have and use both. I don’t fish bamboo longer than 7 1/2 or 8 feet long. For the longer and/or heavier line rods, I’ll stick to graphite. For the shorter, lightish line rods, I like cane. See? As has already been said, it’s a personal choice. Haven’t fished glass in ages, so I can’t comment on that. They are all fun, ya know?
Chuck
I started out on fiberglass. It is kinda’ like bamboo, but only “kinda’”.
I never liked playing fish on such a deep bend, nor did I ever really understand the “action” of fiberglass until many years into fly fishing.
Now that I understand the difference between glass, grass, and graphite, I really like graphite. I don’t really care what kind of graphite it is; I can put it to good use.
To me, graphite rods are like 20 times better than anything I fished with when I was too young to understand.
I fish bamboo and graphite, and which I like best honestly depends more on the mood I’m in than anything else. When I’m feeling mellow and just looking for the rhythm of the cast and the sight of the fly adrift on the water (and hopefully getting sucked under occasionally) I tend towards the more deliberate, deeper action of the bamboo. When I’m a bit more driven to cover water quickly I go for the graphite.
For practical everyday use graphite has it far and away. Now for nostalgia and finessing the art, bamboo is a way. Having begun with bamboo, progressing on to fiberglass and now graphite, the later has it. One thing I do not have to do with graphite that I use to have to do with bamboo, and that is hang the rod tip in the closet so it would not warp. Bottom line though … I love fly fishing with all three.
I fish bamboo exclusively. That’s just me.
Fish whatever trips your trigger.
I would like to say one thing though.
Why do a lot of folks feel bamboo is always slow in action?
A bamboo rod can be built on any number of tapers. Slow, medium, fast, or anywhere in between.
Bob
I own many bamboo rods and have never had to hang the tips in a closet?
Fish 'em, dry them well after use, return them to their bag and tube, and store them away vertically.
Bamboo rods will not take a set or “warp” with proper care. Just don’t make a habit of leaving them leaning
against a wall while assembled. The vast majority of tip sets are realized while fighting large trout.
Bob
I’ve had a lot of bamboo rods, too, and I’d like to think I take good care of them, but what I posted has been my experience. Agree with you on storing vertically only over here on the coast we never place the top on storage tube but rather let the rod “breathe”.
That’s cool I guess. I’ve just never heard of hanging your tips. Never a problem with sets or anything else.
Bob
First, to qualify my point of view, I have never fished a bamboo Rod - in fact, in 20 years of fishing I have never seen anyone fish a bamboo rod and I have done a lot of fishing. That being said…
Graphite is lighter, stronger, and more elastic than bamboo and can be made fast, slow, tip flex, progressive flex - rod action is dependent on the graphite being used and taper design by the mfg. Also they are far less expensive.
Bamboo rods are works of art and provide their owners with intangible benefits that make fishing more fun / relaxing / xen like - to them. I suppose they may be better investment vehicles but that is probably dependent on the rod and economy.
Bottom line - if you want a fishing tool, graphite is the superior material hands down for any kind of casting and fishing. If you will derive the intangible benefits of a bamboo rod and they outweigh the negatives (less effective casting and fishing tool, maintenance, cost) go with bamboo.
I fish all three and like graphite the least, probably because the fast action is contrary to my nature. I have also had graphite rods fail on me, literally explode in my hands for no particular reason, probably a “ding” where a shot hit it giving way. I have never had that with grass or graphite altho once I had an elderly “boo” break under little pressure. With old boos, if somebody along the line didn’t keep them varnished and let water get inside, they’ll rot and cause that.
Boo and, to a somewhat lesser extent, glass has one advantage on graphite: They can easily be repaired…pop the tip off a graphite and kiss it goodbye. Boo can be scarfed and glass can be repaired with an insert at the break point. Hard to do with graphite.
Graphite is light. That’s about all the good that can be said about it. I don’t want boo over 8’ due to the weight and mostly fish classic glass. (There is some really crappy glass out there.)
How can you possibly make your bottom line statement? Less effective casting???and fishing tool???when you’ve never cast a bamboo rod. More maintenance…I’ve fished several bamboo rods for years and have only touched up the silk wraps with a litlle varnish!! Stronger…
are you sure about that. I’ve seen a couple of renowned bamboo rod makers lay a blank on a concrete floor and walk on them with hiking boots…no damage other than a little scuffing that is easily repaired. How do you think your graphite blank would have fared under such treatment??
Personally, I would fish with a Granger 8642, that can be bought in todays market in very good condition for around $550.00, to any of the 8 1/2’ high end graphite rods available today for more of your hard earned dollars. Again, this is a personal opinion.
They definitely are a much better investment. Check out the prices today of a vintage Hawes, Jim Payne, Garrison, Gillum, Dickerson, Paul Young, H.L. Leonard,
Sam Carlson, among many others. Know of any graphite rods garnering that kind of dough?
And please, intangible benefits?? Are you of the opinion folks who fish bamboos rods do so because they are usually a delight to look at?? Not that they aren’t!!
I could go on but that’s hopefully enough. I don’t wish to tire all with my passion. I had told myself I would stay out of this discussion, but you know how it is with passions!!
I’m out!
Bob
Bobbyg:
Yes, I have never casted a bamboo rod and I mentioned that straight away to ensure my thoughts are taken as just thoughts. Also, I offered my opinion to provide some balance to this discussion as a majority of respondents within this thread fish bamboo, which is highly skewed from reality - not sure why.
Please note that while I have not casted bamboo, my thoughts are based on my understanding of science - while grass fibers are strong and elastic, graphite fibers are stronger, more elastic, and lighter. In support of this assertion, for distance casting tourneys, winners always use graphite. As far as best fishing tool (as distance casting is no measure of fishability), while I have not researched what participants and winners use in fishing contests, I would venture to guess that most are using graphite and not because of the cost.
My comment on maintenance was based on numerous remarks made in this thread by bamboo owners including you - “Fish 'em, dry them well after use, return them to their bag and tube, and store them away vertically.
Bamboo rods will not take a set or “warp” with proper care”. I own a few graphite rods and never worry about warping.
By stronger, I was referring to the breaking strength of graphite fibers to grass fibers - graphite is a much stronger material.
I still stand by my bottom line - bamboo is a wonderful material, and bamboo rods are works of art, but from a purely functional point of view, graphite is far superior.
As you can see, everyone has an opinion. Mine is that bamboo as a material is inherently heavier than graphite. That being the case, all things being equal, a bamboo rod will be heavier than a “comparable” graphite fly rod. Some will say that “nothing compares to bamboo”, but that says about as much as “nothing compares to graphite.” Each is limited by it’s properties.
When designed within it limits, bamboo makes for a fine casting and fishing tool. But it cannot match graphite for elastic modulus, a measure of stiffness per weight. So graphite allows the rod maker to make long rods that are light enough to cast all day. You won’t see any 10 ft 5 wt bamboo fly rods for sale because the nature of bamboo does not allow such a rod to be light enough to fish all day.
So as a rod building material, graphite is allows for a greater breadth of rod design. Graphite is currently the ultimate material when lightness with strength and flex are needed in sports or aeronautics. You won’t find pro golfers using bamboo shafts, or airline builders using bamboo for wings or control surfaces, or pole vaulters using bamboo poles, or pro bass fishers using bamboo casting rods.
However, as graphite gets lighter and stronger, the walls of the rod get thinner and more prone to injury. While graphite has great modulus linearly, those same fibers when formed into a tube can split apart and the rod can literally explode when overloaded. So the tubular rods, although strong enough to be 10 feet long and just about bend double, have very little strength against being crushed or breaking when the fibers are nicked by a split shot.
It might be interesting to note that the “Shadow Cast” in a River Runs Through It was performed by Jason Borger. He attempted it first with a bamboo fly rod for authenticity. He broke two bamboo rods before Robert Redford allowed Jason to use a Hexagraph Fly Rod which incidentally is faux bamboo rod made of graphite. I have a VHS tape of Jason performing the cast with bamboo and the rod snaps during the cast. He tells Redford that the rod cannot take the stress but Redford directs him to use the backup bamboo rod which also breaks during the cast. It is all on tape.
So my answer as to whether bamboo or graphite makes for a “better” fly rod is akin to asking whether gentlemen prefer blonds or brunettes. It depends on the gentleman as much as the hair color.