Frequently AskedQuestions
At the rate I'm selling rods, probably forever.
No, but better in the world of split cane means a whole lot more than fishability.
However, you will get the best I can make which is pretty darn good. I have standards and any that don't meet those will be gifts to family and friends. They love me, or at least like me, and won't mind a rod that's not "arm candy", if you will.
Yes, please see the "Products, Services and Such" page. I go into painful detail under Rod Finish.
I haven't tried any other way. After I spent time and money building a dip tube with its dust-free "box" I figure I'll stick with that.
An interesting method that I'll probably never try is rubbing the sections with Gorilla Glue - 28 times is what I've read some makers recommend.
It's supposed to look good and keep any water from penetrating the cane.
It's there - "Rod/Blank Preferences Checklist" under "Products, Services and Such"
On the message page, copy/modify/paste the list.
There's always some back and forth so the more specific you are, the less back and forth.
Well...
Read "Splitting Cane" by Ed Engle and "Fishing Bamboo" by John Gierach.
I've read them twice and both writers wax rhapsodic about split bamboo to a sizable extent, but what I glean from them is bamboo allows a level of "forgiveness" in casting.
Gierach wrote: "A bamboo rod loads more naturally and reacts more organically to the whim of the caster. It's also more forgiving than graphite, so in the end it's much easier to cast well if you're not an expert".
The best explanation I've read comes from the French rod maker J. de Lespinay the author of "My Fly Rod: How to Build a Bamboo Fly Rod, a Practical Guide".
I will quote directly...
Whilst carbon fibre is impersonal and may easily pass from one hand to another, "bamboo" when performing well, requires an adaptation time depending on the adaptability of the caster and, paradoxically, on his ability to cast well.
After all that however, what a discovery!
The reason is that these rods do not have an ordinary action and remind us that there is no alternative that gives equal satisfaction. On the contrary, one quickly has the feeling that one has returned to something previously known and unique. From this, arises that feeling of "memory", a term which could lead to confusion.
Confused?
I'll start with what I like about fly fishing in general - returning the fly within seconds to the spot I missed a fish. He's probably still there or not too far away.
With spincasting you have to reel all the way in before you cast again. By the time you get your lure to near the same location, the fish might be in Saskatoon.
I am not a great caster, not by a long shot, and when I re-cast I'm usually two feet to the north, south, east or west of where I meant to land the fly. My eyes and hand are seemingly being guided by a different brain.
When I first started fishing bamboo, I found I could get closer to where I wanted to place the fly. A lot closer actually and I'd be hard pressed to understand why my eyes and hand decided to team up.
So the other "fly fishing in general" thing is focus. If I can get the fly off the water and back on it in two seconds rather than twenty, I didn't spend eighteen seconds thinking about plumbing problems at home. The re-cast is so automatic I don't really think at all.
That focus is interrupted when I do land some grand distance away. And then again. And again. My focus turns to cursing my hand, eyes and brain.
What the three authors were talking about came real for me. I found my second cast was much closer to where I wanted it to be. More likelihood of catching the fish which increases my focus.
It does take me at least half an hour to get in that groove though.
Focus is what I really like about making rods. I'm only doing one thing at a time whether it's planing strips, wrapping guides, fitting ferrules...
I don't believe mine are any better than those of other makers.
The obvious ones, really too obvious to mention, are:
The reel seat and guides line up
Staggered nodes
The ferrules aren't loose, but not so tight you'll struggle helplessly to pull the sections apart.
The reel seat keeps the reel on the rod
You know what makes a car decent transportation - think of it that way.
The taper matches the one the buyer requests. If he wants a rod based on a Payne 214 Parabolic taper he should be able to mike it out and nod his head.
"Tight glue lines" is the phrase that's overused but completely accurate. As you know, a cane rod fundamentally consists of six tapered equilateral triangles glued together to form a hexagonal cross-section. The seam where the flat of one strip meets the flat of the next strip at 60 degrees should not be visible other than the angle change.
A rod with visible glue lines will cast as well as one without.
Back to the car analogy, a brand new McLaren with hail damage will drive as well as one with a deep, rich finish.
Oh, if you fancy a McLaren give me a call. I'll be happy to make a split cane fly rod hood ornament.
Speaking of flats, a flat should be flat, not rounded.
The reel seat filler is the wooden part that the reel foot sits on. The reel is held in place with either a band, uplocking or downlocking hardware
There are photos all over the web.
I like a nice shiny hardwood filler. I'm pretty passionate about mesquite.
Guide wraps that flow seamlessly - that word again - with no thread gaps. All the wraps should start the same distance from the guide foot and end at the same distance on the guide foot. I find this requires more patience than anything else.
The same for wraps on ferrules and tip tops.
And the wraps should be the color, or close to it, that the customer wants. I make sure to tell her that epoxy and varnish affect color. Probably a few before and after photos would help.
There are color preservers that are supposed to help, but from what I've seen it only makes the guide feet less apparent.
10 weeks as of June, 2024
For the time being, mine don't.
Material costs figure in of course, but labor is far and away the greatest expense. If you sell a two piece rod for $900 and you subtract an estimated material cost of $150, you have $750 worth of labor.
If it takes a maker 60 hours to build one, he's making $12.50/hour.
It's obviously got to be a labor of love.
Here are the upsides:
The commute to work is about thirty seconds
No boss
No co-workers complaining about their job or trying to engage you in political discussions
You can listen to your preferred music minus the roaring of rolling eyes
No one to give you grief if you make a mistake - no one but yourself that is
Multi-tasking not required
It's always "bring your dog to work" day
You probably won't snap it, but you might well put a set (a bend) in it that will take time and effort to repair. When you realize you've done that, you'll try to snap it over your knee, but you'll find out it's hard to break so you'll throw it in the river.
They actually break more easily than that, but I like the drama.
The proper method, whether you're fishing with bamboo, graphite or spinning, is to point the rod at the escaped fly/lure and yank on the line.
The fly rarely comes back with the line because it's not the fly that's stuck, it's the leader/tippet wrapped around a twig.
As you probably know, doors - usually car doors - kill more rods than anything you might encounter on a river. That being said, in the last 25 years I've managed to break two graphite rods during a slip and fall. Snapped like spaghetti.
Uncooked spaghetti.
Of course.
I order it from Angler's Bamboo Company in Livingston, Montana.
Signature thread wraps are added touches that serve no purpose. Many makers have their own style so that you can tell from a distance who made it. Most customers like that. But if you want to add little extra flair, ask first.
If your customer went to LSU she might want purple and gold wraps.
If she went to Florida, don't sell her one.
Opaque or translucent wraps - your choice. I'm indifferent.
The tip section is the thinnest part of the rod and experiences the most stress which means it is the most vulnerable to taking a set (a permanent bend).
The idea of two tip sections is that you alternate them on fishing days or trips. That would mean, if you care to look at it this way, it takes twice as long for each tip to take a set. Fish enough however - we should be so lucky - and, well...
It probably is cheaper to buy an extra tip than to send it back to the maker to remove the set, since sets are an expected part of normal usage and wouldn't be covered by a warranty.
However, if you have a heat gun, patience and a certain daring-do, you can DIY. There are plenty of books and online resources.