FAQ

I’ve talked to a lot of people about these subjects and I’ve been asked a lot of the same questions, so I thought it would be useful to at least put my own opinions on my own website.  None of this is to be taken offensively, but I would challenge anyone to dispute it.

First, why is bamboo, in particular Tonkin bamboo, the best material for a fly rod?  Most fly fisherman today use graphite and I’ll be the first to say graphite has its place as a fly rod material.  There are many great tapers of graphite out there that will perform in a variety of situations.  There are moderate action tapers for typical trout fishing and there are fast action tapers for saltwater (and unfortunately many fly rod companies have advertised and sold some fast action rods for trout fishing).  The moderate action graphite rods can be great learning tools and some great tapered rods can be had for less than $300.  Fiberglass is also a useful material for fly rods.  Typically these rods are slower though, and are often either lacking in backbone which limits line speed or are all backbone and feel like a cue stick.  For the record, I have both graphite and fiberglass rods, although they don’t make it to the stream very often.  Also for the record, I’d feel comfortable with my Double A Series 7’ 6” 4 or 5 wt rods on almost any trout stream in Pennsylvania.  I take either to the smallest brookie streams, I nymph with them in big water, I cast size 28 dries 60 feet or 10 feet, and I’ll do it rain, shine, warm, or snow.  And I can do it well.  I can’t say that for any of my graphite or fiberglass rods.  You could probably get away with an 8’ 5 wt graphite rod, but you’d be handicapped on brookie streams.  Or you could go with a 7’6” 4 wt graphite rod, but then you could be at a disadvantage nymphing on larger rivers.

So we have bamboo.  Bamboo is pound for pound stronger than steel.  It is sustainably grown.  It can be manipulated by hand to 0.001 inch tolerances.  Within one properly tapered rod (fine tips with a strong butt section) it can cast a ten foot leader or 70 feet of fly line.  Fly line speed can be kept slower so different types of casts (reach, curve, etc.) can be more easily performed.  Or you can increase your line speed, tighten up your loop, and cut through the wind.  And a well made rod is a piece of art.  They slow you down.  They make you absorb your surroundings and actually enjoy fishing.

How about all these $300 and $400 fly rods that have flooded the market?  Most of these rods have been made overseas or mass produced in the USA.  Is that so bad?  Not in and of itself, but the only reason to send manufacturing processes overseas or to mass produce a product is to decrease cost.  Decreased cost in manufacturing means speeding up the process which can be very beneficial to a lot of goods.  But not bamboo fly rods: speeding up the process is not beneficial to the end product.  Imagine me driving down the highway at a nice leisurely pace of 60 MPH.  Then imagine XYZ Bamboo Rod Company whizzing by me doing 200 MPH.  Who is going to make more mistakes?

My rods are made by hand splitting, heat straightening, and hand planing each strip to its final dimensions.  The strips of a $400 fly rod will be cut with a band saw (right across the grain and through the nodes), no straightening will be needed because the natural curvature of the bamboos fibers will be destroyed, and then jammed through a beveller (or router turned on edge with a 60 degree bit) until the final dimension is achieved.  Tolerances will be poor and the taper won’t be easily reproducible.  One such rod company recently told me their rods were based on a specific older taper.  When they tried to confirm this with the Chinese man in charge of producing their blanks, he didn’t know what taper it was.  So how about those $700 rods?  Most that I’ve seen are from blanks made overseas and sent to the US to be wrapped and finished.  So how about that $1,500 USA made rod?  Ask the maker.  Unfortunately a lot of makers in the USA have gone the way of band saws and bevellers.  And that’s not to say bevellers are bad in and of themselves.  There are many out there that do their roughing out with them, or taper rods to some amount greater than their final dimension before hand planing down to the final dimension.  Some of these shops are really good at it.  But unfortunately a lot of shops use it as a means to decrease time and cost.  Remember that 200 MPH car?  There are some Mario Andretti’s out there, but not many.  OK, but what about the $2,000 + rods.  These can be great rods made by well known makers that have been doing it for many years.  How do ADH Rods compare to these?  I don’t have the lineage, so consider my rods that great tasting $15 bottle of wine compared to a great tasting $50 bottles… or something like that.

Analogy #2:  You can buy a $500 hand made chair or you can buy a $10 mass produced/manufactured chair.  You sit in both.  One is more comfortable.  There’s craftsmanship in one.  There’s time in one.  Someone took care in making sure everything was just right in one.  Is it worth $490 more?  Hell yes.  Can everyone afford it?  Hell no.

Things to look for when buying a bamboo fly rod.  First of all, cast the rod.  Don’t take the makers word for how it feels.  Every person is different and not everyone’s “moderate action” is going to be same.  And better yet, fish one.  I have a demo model of each of my rods in Allan’s shop (Spruce Creek Outfitters) available to take on the Little Juniata River whenever you’d like.  You’ll be able to feel how the line picks up off the water (not the yard), how it lays out the leader, how it handles wind, how accurately you can cast to a rising fish, how it reacts when you strike, how it mends line, etc.  If you’re going to spend the money on a quality bamboo rod, you should be sure of what you’re getting.  Secondly, check out some of the makers rods, either from others who own them or their demos.  Look at the finish, the wraps, the cork, the ferrule tabs.  Did they take the time to center the guides?  Are there air bubbles in the wraps?  Did they taper the ferrule tabs?  While these things won’t make the rod cast better or improve the taper, they will tell you how much effort was put into the blank: the heart and sole of the rod.

With that said, are bamboo rods for everyone?  No. And not just because of cost.  Are you the first guy with your waders on when you go fishing with your friends?  First one in the water?  You’re probably not ready for bamboo, and don’t take that as an insult.  Do you tend to sit on the bank for the first 15 or 30 minutes when you get to the stream?  Do you enjoy watching the fish feed as much (or at least almost) as much as catching them?  You could be ready for that next step.