The original bamboo tenkara rod was a raw, functional tool – an honest and basic instrument. Bamboo Has Weight If there is no tag, look for evidence one was there and has fallen off or been removed. Your email address will not be published. Although eight-strip hexagonal rods are now available, six strips remains the standard today. Look for rods with silver fittings and wedding bands near the grip. John Gierach wrote a good book on the care and feeding.. “Fishing Bamboo” (9781585742332). Some makers (Orvis or Hardy) also have a … Each six-sided bamboo fly rod is hand split and hand planed of genuine Tonkin cane harvested from the hillside region along the Sui River in Guangdong Province, China. Probably not an expensive set in its day. Tags can be glued or pinned in the cork handle or even wraped on the base of the bamboo rod length. To the trained eye, everything from the style of the ferrules to the color of the bamboo can help identify the age of a fishing rod. Early bamboo fly rods can be very valuable. Modern craftsmen still make custom bamboo rods for fly fishing today. If your rod has a serial number, you can: Search for the number online Next up are the addition of ferrules (whish is not as simple as it sounds here), reel seat, and guides, and then it’s time for the cosmetic touches that will make the bamboo rod unique and something to treasure. With care many antique fly rods are still usable, as bamboo is a very resilient, long lasting material. The more you handle vintage fly rods, the more comfortable you will be determining a maker and the approximate age of a vintage rods. What is the suggested maintenance and storage recommendations? This process will give the fly rod a faster recoil action and make it less resistant to taking a set. After the glue has set, the thread is removed and all excess glue is removed. titeline77. A fine bamboo fly rod should last for generations, as is evidenced by those we have inherited from our grandparents. Almost all Japanese rods were combination rods. Inspect any accessories. They also come to seek out Bill Oyster, a craftsman who specializes in prized bamboo fly rods. Then seat the male ferrules all the way and check for clicking when the rod is flexed. With care many antique fly rods are still usable, as bamboo is a very resilient, long lasting material. … Once the rod maker has chosen a culm of Tonkin cane—taking into consideration its straightness, the regularity and size of the nodes, the presence of blemishes or other marks—the next decision is whether to flame the bamboo or not. Early bamboo fly rods can be very valuable. Finally, use this rod. Each culm can be up to 12 feet long and about 6 inches around, and the rod maker will split it up to two dozen times to make the tapered strips that will be glued together to form a blank section. Share with: Link: Copy link. Before any restoration work, determine whether the ferrules are still solid enough. THANKS…..R.CORRIGAN, Wow loved Reading an learning about fly fishing history. 1252T Fly Rod: 8 1/2' Cigar: 2/1: 4.9 oz. I think its even older than the vast majority of Bamboo rods. Determining the line weight of a bamboo fly rod. Bamboo fly fishing rods are often a good choice for beginning anglers since they are easy to cast While bamboo fly rods tend to be heavier than graphite fly fishing rods, the additional weight in bamboo is what makes it easier to cast short line lengths using this type of rod. To taper the finished strips, most rod builders use a grooved “planing form” and a handheld block plane. Some better vintage rods have brass or alluminum tags with the craftsman's name and rod model clearly marked. Flashback Friday Supplement: Help Identify This Unmarked Bamboo Rod! The thread is green, if that has any bearing. The 6 foot bamboo Rods made from the natural bamboo are called “blonde,” but those who want a darker, richer color must apply heat evenly across the entire culm. Look for rods of considerable length. I picked up another bamboo fly rod, in not too great shape. We keep the amount of tools and materials to a minimum. Required fields are marked *. According to historian Andrew Herd, British Army officers may have brought the materials back for rod-making as early as 1700, but the early solid-bamboo rods were heavier and stiffer than the ash, hazel, and lancewood rods widely used at the time. If you have any questions that are not covered in the videos below, please feel free to send us an … He was always sure to wipe any dirt or dust off of the line. I’ve lived n the Appalachian MTN all my life Ive fished all my life . One has a wood storage case that’s covered in gold(used to be green fine velvet?) Since 1856. Posted on February 25, 2011 by Quill Gordon Went to the feed store the other day and decided to make the trip over Terrible Mountain worthwhile by stopping in at one of my favorite antique “malls” in search of material for a future Flashback Friday feature. A split-cane fly rod begins with a stalk of dried bamboo, known as a “culm,” whose walls are made up of three parts: a thin outer wall called the enamel, the dense power fibers that give the material its strength and recovery rate, and finally the chalky pith. Bamboo also has natural flexibility because the fibers vary in density.. There are no markings. In this video series we walk you through everything you need to know about how to restore a bamboo fly rod. There is a fish with green on the gill plate and red behind the figure and the handle is wood and the guides and ferrule are brass. The used bamboo fly fishing rod market, like many markets, is a subjective one. Jun 2, 2013 - Fly fishing is a sport that has been enjoyed for several hundred years. Bamboo fly rods can be true garage sale treasures, but there are a few things, according to Whitey, that you should look at in inspecting a fly rod. Dad has been dead for 25 years, every year on his birthday I catch and release a beautiful NE Iowa Trout on one of his vintage Orvis Rods. In this video series we walk you through everything you need to know about how to restore a bamboo fly rod. The split bamboo fly rod has generated an interest from collectors for many years with the handmade ones showing some of the finest craft work in the history of fly rod making. Experience can help with identifying number of tips and length made by certain rod makers. Most cane-rod buffs know that Samuel Phillippe of Easton, Pennsylvania, built the first six-strip rod in 1845, but bamboo had already been in use for nearly a century and a half by then. A bamboo fly rod or a split cane rod is a fly fishing rod that is made from bamboo.The British generally use the term "split cane." Jun 2, 2013 - Fly fishing is a sport that has been enjoyed for several hundred years. Check the condition of guides and ferrules. The nickel plate is coming off. My father had a number of Orvis Bamboos. I have been collecting bamboo rods for 45yrs and putting them together and copying all of the big name maker to a tee with the bomber of wrapping and the exact colors and matching ferals.it is quite a since. Any thoughts? It has all the ferrules, but the whipping is coming loose. With care many antique fly rods are still usable, as bamboo is a very resilient, long lasting material. Bamboo is now a commonly used material in fly rods, and auctions are listing a wider variety of tension, bending, and strength levels to try. From Culm to Fishing Tool Collecting vintage rods, reels, flys and lures is … 1)  Accurately measure the distance from the rod tip to the front of the cork grip (not the entire rod length). eddon first began building bamboo casting rods in 1906 in Chetek, Wisconsin. Next, the culm is split into the strips, using a froe, knife, saw, or cutting jig. The strips are triangular in cross-section, and since the rod tapers from handle to tip, the triangular strips taper, too — the triangle is bigger at one end of the strip than the other. These represent high-end rods built before the 20th century. This makes it important for a collector to learn to identify rod makers and tell vintage from modern. The strips are then taped together to ensure proper fit, and if all is kosher, they are glued together to form the blank and bound again with thread. Join online forums and fishing clubs. There are two pieces plus two tips for the rod...a long tip that makes the rod probably over 7 feet long, and a tip about a 6-8 inches shorter. Headwaters Bamboo has been building modern classic and quality affordable bamboo fly rods for over 18 years. To name several builders rods of interest to us, are rods crafted by Brandin, Carlson, Dickerson, Garrison, Gillum, Granger Wright McGill, Payne, Phillipson, Powell, Thomas & Thomas, etc. The British generally use the term "split cane." January 2019 www.Orvis.com, February 2019 "Fly Fishing", January 2020 www.Orvis.com, November 2021 Holiday Guide, January 2021 www.Orvis.com 1969 Factory Production Records: Fiscal Year 1967 Bamboo Rod Sales (partial) 1969 Factory Production Records: Fiscal Year 1968 Bamboo Rod Sales We keep the amount of tools and materials to a minimum. G.Brown or 11lb. Tags can be glued or pinned in the cork handle or even wraped on the base of the bamboo rod length. Collecting vintage rods, reels, flys and lures is a hobby with a enthusiastic following. The "heyday" of bamboo fly rod production and use was an approximately 75-year period from the 1870s to the 1950s when fiberglass became the predominant material for fly rods. I have my fathers old bamboo fly rod, and the auto retrieve reel that goes with it. Clean out the female ferrule with alcohol and a Qtip, and wipe off the male ferrules with alcohol. However, without ample experience, it can be difficult to determine how old your fishing rod is without expert help. If the ferrules fit together loosely, try a little paraifin wax to take up the slack. Before any restoration work, determine whether the ferrules are still solid enough. Some better vintage rods have brass or alluminum tags with the craftsman's name and rod model clearly marked. 1)  Accurately measure the distance from the rod tip to the front of the cork grip (not the entire rod length). Tippets: Split-thread Tying Technique, Bamboo Primer, C&R Handling Tips | MidCurrent. Clean out the female ferrule with alcohol and a Qtip, and wipe off the male ferrules with alcohol. Check the condition of guides and ferrules. This is more of a question than a comment, and I hope it works. Every fly fisher should own at least one quality built bamboo rod. Here’s the Cliff’s Notes version of how a tall stalk of Chinese grass become a fly rod. Fly fishing is a sport that has been enjoyed for several hundred years. Be sure to check the bamboo itself as well. The strips of each section are then bound together with cotton thread, and the sections are put in an oven for heating, which removes excess moisture. If you have any questions that are not covered in the videos below, please feel free to send us an … Of course, we have skipped over many important details, but these are the basic steps in the creation of a split-cane rod. There are no obvious markings on the rod, the tube or the canvas bag...although there is reminents of a label on the … Modern Classic Bamboo Fly Rods. Check the grip for missing chunks and dried, crumbling cork. But, the brand of fly rod that is consistently valued at the highest levels are rods made by the Payne Rod Co. Cheaper vintage metal guides are avoided because of wear on the fly line. Then seat the male ferrules all the way and check for clicking when the rod is flexed. Heating the blank sections can the help to make any tweaks or to remove twist that may have developed. Since bamboo is a natural fiber, many anglers describe the feeling of gripping a bamboo fly rod as organic. 1 post pls help identify an unmarked VL&A rod pls help identify an unmarked VL&A rod. Share. Maybe you've heard that bamboo fly rods are extremely expensive and many builders … Exactly that their owners green, if that has been enjoyed for several hundred years be... 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