This article originally ran in the November/December 2006 edition of American Angler and is reproduced here with permission.

WRITERS AND ENTHUSIASTS have been so busy describing the recent "resurgence" of bamboo in the fly-fishing world, it’s easy to forget that cane rods never actually went away. The truth is, there is no more versatile rod-building material than bamboo, which is why it’s been so successful. The stuff’s been ripped, planed, and glued together into fly rods since at least the late 1800s, when Hiram Leonard came up with the idea of using a six-sided tube of cane as a fishing rod. Today, there are more kinds of bamboo rods out there than all the other types put together. For nearly a century, a fisherman using cane could be confident his rod was made from the best material available. Millions of fish fell victim to the allure of the soft presentations made by the supple, tippet-protecting grass. Generations of anglers did quite well, thank you, with these tools, and nothing about that equation has changed. A bamboo rod can still be a wonderful fishing tool, and there are lots of good reasons to own one. The only problem is, there are about as many styles of bamboo rods as there are makers of bamboo rods (read: a whole lot).

With thousands of choices out there, how do you know which bamboo rod is right for you? What do you get with a cane stick as opposed to a graphite or fiberglass rod? When it comes to bamboo, most of us will be quick to admit we’re dunces. I know I was, which is why I set out to find out the answers to these questions and many others.