Why are bamboo fly rods so expensive?

Why are bamboo fly rods so expensive? You hear this question time and time again from both fishers and non-fishers a like. The answer is quite simple, there are many many steps in both creating a cane blank and finishing a blank especially if the blank has all custom components on it. That being said there are makers that pride themselves on proprietary hardware as opposed to putting somebody else's mass produced hardware on their blanks. I typically like it when a maker makes all of his own components. It shows the mark of detail and his or her own point of view...which is why you are paying a premium in the first place!

If you take a look at “the manufactured bamboo rod” (probably not politically correct and I will take some heat for this, oh well my wife already yelled at me this morning for not lifting up the toilet seat after 35 years) they are typically pretty sparse from a cosmetic standpoint and you are paying a premium for the brand name and who really knows how many hands have actually made these rods? These manufacturers typically have their own line of graphite and fiberglass rods as well. Their bottom line is defaulted based on their ability to crank out a lot of rods quickly at a premium, their overhead is the spooky shadow of the dusty inventory that keeps them up at night. I own a few of these rods and they cast well no doubt, BUT are they worth close to 3k and up, in my opinion no.

The smaller craftsmen full and part time actually are putting out great products based on their level of customization, level of detail, and ability to afford to make most often a one-off product. They may have models of rods in their arsenal but are perfectly willing to do any customization if need be. Their prices are typically lower than the big brand names and you get a lot bang for your buck. All I can say is I am really glad these guys exist especially in this economy.

So why purchase a fly rod from a company that sells oooddles of other products to boot? Waders, beer cozies, knick nacks, glass and graphite rods, blanks, reels, etc...your guess is as good as mine. I would only purchase a bamboo rod if I could actually talk to the maker nowadays. Again if you are dropping 2k on a rod or more you should get the personal attention of the craftsman himself. The mark of the craftsman is what you are paying a premium for. If you are not getting that then what is the point of purchasing an expensive bamboo rod? If you could purchase a fully custom shotgun of proven and premium quality for less than the price of a high end Benelli I would not have to think long and hard about ordering one.

The notion of “you get what you pay for” in this end of the woods does not hold water, not by a long shot.
~Dave

Top 20 Bamboo Rod Makers List

 I have been fishing bamboo for most of my life. Started fishing cane rods in the mid 50's and never stopped. Many people ask me who should I purchase a bamboo rod from? Well, I've decided to post a list of notable rod makers names up all of whom I have had the joy of casting or owning their rods over the years.  I still keep in contact with many of them and enjoy fishing their rods.

I have found that the age of the maker has little if anything to do with the quality of the rod. The rod makers listed are all craftsmen that I have spoken with at one time or another at shows, rod maker gatherings, or over the phone. All of them are very reputable and make great rods to date. Unfortunately a few of them have passed away such as George Maurer. All of the makers listed I would consider custom makers. By this I mean that these makers do not sell rods that are plane Jane rods, mass produced, that show up in retailer catalogs for over blown prices. The list below represents not only top quality makers but also very reliable and honest.

Dave LeClair (A great Rod Maker and tool maker!)
http://www.flyandrodroom.com/index.htm


John Niemiera (A great ambassador and moderator for cane over the years)
http://www.niemieraflyrods.com/


R.K. Bolt (Great fishing and casting rods)
http://www.rkboltrodco.com/index.html


Ron Barch (To many the voice of the rod making community)
http://www.aldercreekrods.com/


Tom Morgan (A very innovative rod maker)
http://www.troutrods.com/bamboo.html

Chris Bogart Shenandoah Rods (Own a few of his rods and fish them heavily)
http://www.shentel.net/canerod/


JD Wagner (Prolific maker of fine bamboo rods)
http://www.wagnerrods.com/

Jenkins Rods (Sweet rods with great actions)
http://www.jenkinsflyrods.com/


The Chattahoochee River Rod Co. (Nice light weight rods)
http://www.bambooflyrods.com/default.html


Thomas Rod Co. (The classics repros)
http://www.thomasrodco.com/


H.L. Leonard Rod Co. (The Classics repros)
http://www.hlleonard.com/catalog.shtml

Clint Bova  (Beautifully crafted fishing rods own four of his rods love them all)
http://www.madriverrodco.com/
http://www.cjbovarods.com/

Chris Raine (Hollow built extraordinaire)
http://hollowbuilt.com/


RL Nunley (Another great maker and moderator for the rod making community)
http://www.rlnunley.com/index.html


Tom Whittle (Sweet action rods)
http://www.stonycreekrods.com/


Mike Clark (Colorado Dreamin')
http://www.southcreekltd.com/


J.C. Zimny (Great old timer own 2 of his rods beautifully smooth casting tools)
http://www.bamboorods.com./


High Sierra Rod Co. (Very fair priced rods, own his Brookie 1/2 pc.)
http://www.highsierrarods.com/


Don Andersen (Vast knowledge and great maker of high quality cane)
http://bamboorods.ca/rod.html


Harms Custom Rod and Gun (A lover of all things Garrison very experienced maker of fine cane)
http://wmharmsrods.com/

Moldy Rooster Neck~Hackle or No hackle

I was sifting through the refuse portion of my fly tying cabinet and came across a rooster cape that had some suspicious mold on it. Then I started thinking of the recent article in Fly Tyer Magazine about H1N1 virus and the possibilities of contracting it while tying flies. Hmmm maybe I should call hazmat? Or maybe I'm just over reacting to simple taxidermy mold. I decided to unwrap the neck and further investigate so I scraped a biopsy sized sample stuck it in a fly bin cup with a cover and tossed it in my car. I took it to my sons lab science hall. He teaches biology so I thought he may be able to enlighten me on my newly acquired specimen. He first put it under a stereoscope, then moved to the high power Nikon Optiphot 66 thing a ma jig. He quickly smiled and told me my offering was simply a type of black mold “Stachybotrys atra” He said that it is harmless unless fully inhaled, swallowed, or exposed to for long periods of time. He also said not to lick my fingers while applying dubbing because it could make me sick. So I decided I was going to simply wash the neck with warm dove soapy water. It did the trick. Stuck a little silica gel pack from the gun store in with it and now can sleep well knowing I'm not going to be found slumped over dead at my fly tying desk.
Dave