History of Bamboo Fly Rods
Casting a fly line with a fly rod in the way that we do today - using a somewhat flexible rod to throw loops of line onto the water - began some time around the late seventeen hundreds. The making of those first fly rods required a lot of trial and error in order to find the best material to build a rod that would cast a fly line efficiently. Many different wood and bamboo species were tried and tested as a fly rod building materials until just two species of bamboo emerged as the fly rod building material of choice.  |
| Tonkin Bamboo - the Preferred Material for Bamboo Fly Rod Making |
Bamboo Fly Rod Materials
Tonkin bamboo and to a lesser extent Calcutta bamboo became the desired material of fly rod builders at that time. What made these two types of bamboo in particular especially good as a fly rod manufacturing material was their unique qualities. They were stronger than other kinds of bamboo and their internal fibres were also of a higher density. This high density of the fibres in the material is what gives the eventual fly rod it's strength and flexibility. These bamboo species also had two other very desirable qualities, their superior straightness and greater distance between their nodes. |
| The 'Split Cane' Sections of a Bamboo Fly Rod |
A bamboo fly rod is often also referred to as a 'split cane' rod. This description of the bamboo fly rod will give you a clue as to how the rod is actually made. A bamboo fly fishing rod is generally built by taking several specially graded very thin triangular strips of bamboo and then gluing them together to form a hexagonal shaped blank. This procedure is a highly skilled and time consuming process and when you also take into account the time taken to individually fit and wrap each guide usually using silk, make and fit the cork handle, fit the reel seat and finish off with varnish or other finishing products the whole procedure can take well in excess of 100 hours per rod. It is no wonder then that many bamboo fly fishing rods on the market today retail for in excess of $2,500.
Some Problems With Earlier Bamboo Fly Rods
A big problem with some of the earlier bamboo fly rods that were built was their vulnerability to warping and other kinds of damage. It was necessary to store those fly rods very carefully usually in a custom built case to avoid warping of the cane material within the rod. The varnish finish which was then usually just surface applied was prone to getting nicked or chipped during days fishing. Also the varnish could become damaged over time if over exposed to sunlight or even just the direct heat of the sun on a warm day. It was often necessary to apply additional coats of varnish over time to protect and maintain the rod. Another problem with these earlier bamboo fly rods was that on occasion they would snap at one of the ferrules if over loaded with heavy line or with too forceful of a cast.
Despite these drawbacks bamboo fly rods were and still are highly prized fishing tools mainly because of the way that they perform. Those earlier bamboo rods and their cases were made by highly skilled craftsmen and many of them maintain excellent condition after many years of use as they have been stored carefully by their owners. Some of these fly rods have been kept by families for a number of generations and are considered as family heirlooms.
Modern Bamboo Fly Rods
Many of the bamboo fly rod blanks built these days are impregnated with various resins or similar preservative substances to help increase the lifespan of the cane material and also to prevent the eventual fly rod from warping. These modern bamboo fly rods require much less care and maintenance than the cane fly rods of old and are a highly desirable fishing tool by many anglers today. The fact that a range of bamboo fly rods are being produced by some of the top fly rod manufacturers such as Hardy, Winston, Scott and Thomas & Thomas is a testament to their desirable performance characteristics.Action
Bamboo fly fishing rods are slow action fly rods. Although modern bamboo fly rods are significantly lighter than the cane rods of old they are still a little heavier in the hand than the more modern graphite and fiberglass fly rods available today. Despite the fact that they are a little heavier many who fish for wary trout using very light tippets would consider bamboo fly rods to be the finest fly rods on the market today. Bamboo fly rods are described as being beautifully responsive and offer a slower paced more relaxing style of fly fishing that can not easily be achieved with more modern fast action fly rods. Although their high cost will prohibit many anglers from ever owning one, their unique casting performance and traditional qualities will ensure that bamboo fly rods will no doubt be around for generations to come.
If building your own bamboo fly fishing rod is something you are interested in doing then a read through this digital rod building eBook will certainly set you on the right track.
Building a Bamboo Fly Rod
Make Your Own Bamboo Fly Rod
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| Click Here to Check out This Book |
If building your own bamboo fly fishing rod is something you are interested in doing then a read through this digital rod building eBook will certainly set you on the right track.
