I recently had the opportunity to purchase an older bamboo fly rod made by Hardy Brothers. Having never owned a bamboo rod before, I have some (many) questions for some of the more knowledgeable people here.
From what I can gather this rod, a “Holokona”, was built sometime in the '60’s and appears to be in great shape. There is some very slight cracking of the cement around the guide wraps.
I would like to fish this rod but have some trepidation. Is an older rod more frail? What is the best way to care for this rod or bamboo rods in general? Lastly, does anyone know of a resource to check the age from the serial number?
A little cracking of the varnish at the wraps is bound to happen to any fly rod if fished.
Just touch them up with a little varnish if they indeed need it.
Yes, you need to take some special care with a bamboo rod.
Always dry the rod with a soft cloth after fishing it, and never put it away either damp or wet.
Store the rod in a relatively cool area such as a closet.
Do not expose it to direct sunlight too long, such as lying in the backseat of a hot car all day. If you must, keep it covered with a blanket or whatever (keeps wandering eyes averted also).
When removing from or inserting the bag and rod in the tube, make a circle with your thumb and index finger and slide the rod gently through that circle so that the guides do not hit the top of the tube and sustain damage. This is a good practice for any rod material.
Hands close together when assembling the rod, and further apart on a level plane when disassembling. Do not twist the ferrules if they are not properly aligned. Disassemble and re-joint the ferrules.
Do not tug harshly on your fly if it should become embedded in a tree or debris in the water. Wade to the fly and dislodge it. If wading is impossible, break it off.
If you are playing a large fish, do not fight the fish continually from the same attitude. Try turning him back and forth, if possible. If not, try turning the rod upside down to equalize the forces to the rod. If you apply all force to the fish in the same plane while fighting it, the rod can, sometimes easily, take a set in the tip. Do not hold the rod at 90 degrees or more (perpendicular) when bringing the fish to net. Hold the rod out to the side and land the fish in that manner.
Don’t know much about Hardy bamboo rods. I do believe the Hollokona was a rod in the Phantom Series? Hollow-built, I think?
Good luck with your rod, I think you’ll have a great deal of fun fishing it!
bobbyg
p.s. No, older bamboo rods are not frail. I fish only bamboo rods and the majority were built in the '30s.
The only worry with a bamboo rod, other than impregnated ones, is that at some point in their lives a crack in the varnish has left water inside them and they’ve rotted internally. There is no way to check this. It’ll show up when stress is put on them and there is no cure. Go ahead and fish it.
Colston is most correct. Keep in mind though that a bamboo rod can be repaired in the vast majority of times.
I, personally, have never encountered this problem and I fish my rods a lot.
Not a Gillum…an H&I Len Codella sold me for 435 in 1973. On a pick up, the fly hung on a blade of grass and, when I twitched it, the rod broke just above the grip.
I worry more about new bamboo rods than I do about old ones. There can always be some fatal flaw with any material that a rod is built from and I figure that an old rod has been tested out on many occasions and made it this long it is fine. A new rod may have a flaw and I’m the one testing it out and may find it, which will equal sadness.
In conversations with 3 builders from opposite ends of the country I’ve been told that the older bamboo stock was “old growth” and therefore stonger than younger bamboo available now because it spent way more time in the forest being tempered by storms and winds and such. I don’t know if it is true or not, but makes sense in some ways. And, old rods were built from “old growth” bamboo. New rods may be built from either “old growth” if the builder has it or fresher bamboo. Who knows.
The Tonkin cane used by quality rod builders today is of the highest grade.
In some cases probably better than some older stock. The care used by the two major importers in selecting their stocks is of the highest order.
