What’s your view on bamboo fly rods?
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On the bamboo fly rod forum they talk about bamboo fly rods as best thing since sliced bread. Well?….
What is the view of the members here? Have you ever even have a bamboo fly rod in your hand or even fished with it? If so, what do you think about them?
I enjoy my grass rods when the right situation presents itself for me.
I have a few-
Goodwin Granger 8’6″
Granger Champion 9′
W&M Granger Victory 8642 (2 of them-one mint, one is a beater)
W&M Granger Stream and Lake 9′Enjoyable rods to dry fly fish on medium sized rivers.
Honestly, having written about them and fished them both, I don’t particularly care for them.
Bamboo rods are ridiculously beautiful, and a truly great bamboo rod, like a Bernard Ramanauskas Eden Cane or Scott Cane, is an absolute pleasure to cast.
The trouble is that rods like that cost as much as a used drift boat and they break. I am not financially in a position to buy a really good bamboo rod. And my experience has been that there are a whole lot more bad bamboo rods than good ones.
I think this is something, like fly tying, that every fly fisherman eventually has to get out of their system. You try it and either you like it or you don’t.
A lot of it has to do with your local water. I fish tangled rhododendron hells and open boats with tackle getting slung around. Those are anti-bamboo environments.
The perfect bamboo owner is someone with money, who appreciates beauty and subtle differences in feel, who fishes open tailwaters or freestones and doesn’t really do much wading. One day in my life time I may become that person but I’m not yet.
Zach
It is quite weird to see the development of a ‘bamboo addict’.
After the initial careful approach (mine was about 3-4 years), they start to go for better, more acclaimed and thus more expensive rods. And because there are so many different tapers, makers and cosmetic styles the choices are endless.
I too have acclaimed a taste for light (max 7.6 – 8ft in length, less than 4 oz in weight) bamboo rods. And yes, many of them are sheer art in appearance.
In terms of fishability they are, at least the lighter rods (max 5wt), very good. I think bamboo has a very high ‘fishing enjoyment per inch’ than graphite rods. I think it’s a mix of the craftsmanship involved, the history of the taper, elastic quality of bamboo vs man made material and probably a bit of nostalgia.
But I do got in to a point where I am wondering am I getting too much carried away in the bamboo addiction? Those high end bamboo rods cost a lot of money indeed. The good thing is that a high end bamboo rod keeps it’s value very well, unlike graphite rods. It’s not uncommon to sell a rod without any loss or even getting more than you paid for.
Anyway, I’m interested to folks who have a well thought argumentation about the quality of bamboo rods as fishing rods rather than investment or just collecting.
The trouble is that rods like that cost as much as a used drift boat and they break. I am not financially in a position to buy a really good bamboo rod. And my experience has been that there are a whole lot more bad bamboo rods than good ones.
I think this is a realative problem. Two or three high end graphite rods will buy you a Ramanauskas Eden or Scott bamboo fly rod. Or two or three high end Abel reels. Or…
A lot of it has to do with your local water. I fish tangled rhododendron hells and open boats with tackle getting slung around. Those are anti-bamboo environments.
Although these are risky situations, it’s also a matter of taking care of your gear. I have fished many rocky freestones with slippery rocks with both graphite and bamboo rods.
The perfect bamboo owner is someone with money, who appreciates beauty and subtle differences in feel, who fishes open tailwaters or freestones and doesn’t really do much wading. One day in my life time I may become that person but I’m not yet.
Ha, that’s what most people think: you gotta be a CEO or have a CEO salary. Funny thing is most bamboo owners are just ordinary guys like you and me.
How they manage to finance their habit is a mystery to me too… 😀I really appreciate the craftsmanship in cane rods, and have cast some fine examples of short, light Australian made tapers that are delightful to cast. I’d love to buy one for light stream work, wading in tight quarters and small delicate casts but I’m afraid I’m with Zach – they just aren’t on my financial radar for a while.
They have a growing cult-like following in Australia with a vibrant cottage industry of craftsmen, mostly used in ‘twig’ waters.
Best Regards,
Beechy
Jay –
Unfortunately I’m pretty danged well informed in this area. Like I said I’ve written about this; I’ve also interviewed a lot of famous bamboo makers and many owners.
Taking care of your gear is absolutely something I support. But I also believe the fishing is better in the places that are harder to get to. If I come back from a day on the river without new scratches on my face and hands, it’s unusual.
Pricewise, you’re looking at $2650 for one of Bernard’s rods (who is a friend by the way). Yes, you can get a cheaper rod, but once you’ve thrown one built by a real master you won’t want anything cheaper. The truth is that most bamboo has a really dead action. The thing that gets bamboo guys all jazzed up is the really excellent rod, made with extreme craftsmanship and years of experience. Bernard isn’t the only person who’s ever made rods of that caliber but I would argue he is one of the last ones left doing so in the United States, what with Tom Morgan’s medical condition.
Zach,
I agree to a certain point that price of bamboo rods are horrendous.
However there are lots of great rod makers in several price classes:
Around $700 – 800:
Lew Parks
Art Weiler
Mike Brooks
AJ Thramer
…Around $1200 – 1500:
AJ Thramer
Bob Nunley
W.R. Taylor
Wm Abrams
H. Jennings
T. Zietak
T. Nigro
….Around $1800 – 2000
Jenkins
Pickard
Schoeder
Zimny
Sweetgrass
RK Bolt
….Around $2500
Hidy
Summers
Reams
Thomas & Thomas
Winston
Fries
Wojnicki
Eden
Scott
…..Used bamboo rods can be the best way to try a bamboo rod.
So, you don’t need to fetch $2500+ to get a decent bamboo rod?Jay –
The truth is that most bamboo has a really dead action. The thing that gets bamboo guys all jazzed up is the really excellent rod, made with extreme craftsmanship and years of experience. Bernard isn’t the only person who’s ever made rods of that caliber but I would argue he is one of the last ones left doing so in the United States, what with Tom Morgan’s medical condition. Certainly for a national company.
Zach
While I am not the end source on this subject, I can tell you, the above statement is just not true.
I love bamboo rods, I have owned a few over the years and was in the process of beginning to build them too.
Jay Lee –
I own one of the rods in the middle of the list you posted, and I’ve thrown others. In my experience you don’t get to what I would call a really special action until you cross into the highest price point. My rod would be a $1200 rod on the market today and it’s nice but it doesn’t blow me away.
Jay Hake –
I have spoken to Brackett about that and have heard the same story. That’s nice, but the fact is bamboo and graphite are both equally breakable and equally likely to get broken while fishing. Graphite just costs much less.
Bamboo’s great y’all, but it’s mostly about nostalgia and seeking something different (and frankly some of those are lifestyle/personality differences). Until you get into the top price range that I can’t afford, I will take graphite.
Put it this way: offer me a free $1500 bamboo rod or a free $750 graphite rod. I will take the graphite rod every time. Offer me a $2500 bamboo rod and I will happily take it because that’s about the level where you start getting into something truly special as opposed to merely different. Generally speaking; there are always good deals.
Zach
PS I am not spouting off here; I’ve done a lot of research and casting in this area.
Zach, what do you feel is better in the $2500.00 range? Finish or Feel? or both maybe?
I love Bamboo and I love Carbon, although I think for me its 5 and under for Cane, I don’t care much for glassy finishes just nice actions 🙂
Zach’s view is quite clear and there is no need to try to convince the other.
I’m interested in views from other members.One thing I find extremely difficult out here in Europe is the possibility to try out different tapers, makers’ rods, etc. Very few bamboo fans out here and meeting means traveling a long way.
PS.
Your bamboo article in American Angler was quite good. In fact it was one of the recent articles on bamboo which helped me make sense of the subject.Zach’s view is quite clear and there is no need to try to convince the other.
I’m interested in views from other members.One thing I find extremely difficult out here in Europe is the possibility to try out different tapers, makers’ rods, etc. Very few bamboo fans out here and meeting means traveling a long way.
PS.
Your bamboo article in American Angler was quite good. In fact it was one of the recent articles on bamboo which helped me make sense of the subject.Sound to me like you need to get to a Rod Makers gathering 😕
4th European Rodmakers Gathering 2011
Continuing the great tradition of the European Gatherings which began in 2008
by IBRA (Italian Bamboo Rodmakers Association), it is with great pleasure that
we announce that the 4th European Rodmakers Gathering will take place in
Sansepolcro, Tuscany (Italy) on May 6 – 7 and 8, 2011.We will inform you about the details as soon as the programme is defined with
also the help of the friends who organized the previous European Gatherings.As it was in previous editions, we sincerely hope that many European and non-
European rodmakers will participate.Best Regards
Gabriele Gori
CEO of the Italian Bamboo Rodmakers Asso
Maybe this might interest you? I’m in Australia and we have far less options available 🙂
Edit: Here is a further list of gatherings for 2010 held and yet to be held, it covers a few continents.
Rodmakers Gatherings
February – SuperBoo, Fairfield, Maine, USA
April – Catskill Cane Revival, Livingston Manor, New York, USA
April – Chicago Area Cane Gathering, Glen Ellyn, Illinois, USA
April – Corbett Lake (biannual), Merritt, British Columbia, Canada
May – Canadian Cane (next biannual in 2011), location varies, Canada
May – Buckeye Bamboo Bash, Belleville, Ohio, USA
May – Bamboo Fly Rod Classic, Madison, Virginia, USA
May – Townsend Bamboo Bash, Townsend, Tennessee, USA
June 19 – Melbourne Makers Day, Melbourne Victoria, Australia
June 20 – Victorian Fly Fishers Association Cane Day, Melbourne Victoria, Australia
June – Rodmakers at Grayrock, Grayling, Michigan, USA
July – Colorado Rodmakers Reunion, Marble, Colorado, USA
July – Metolius Bamboo Rod Fair, Camp Sherman, Oregon, USA
September – Catskill Gathering, Livingston Manor/Roscoe, New York, USA
October 8,9,10 – European Rodmakers Gathering, 58453 Witten , Germany
October 1,2,3 – Eastern Sierra Rod Makers Gathering, Bridgeport, California, USA
October – Great Western, Dunsmuir, California, USA
October – Penobscot Gathering, Eddington, Maine, USA
October – Southern Rodmakers Gathering, Mountain Home, Arkansas, USAmark, knew a guy that used to refer to Sage XP rods as tomato stakes.
I’m not sure that I agree with you , Zach , about needing to go to the 2500.oo price range to get an exceptional stick. I think the uniformity and consistency in bamboo among different makers trying the same taper is a crap shoot but not impossible to get some very nice rods at a decent price. I have a Nunley
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