Good line for vintage bamboo rod?

[azflyrodder]

I'll be purchasing an old bamboo rod next month, and was wondering if anyone here has line suggestions for it. It belonged to my friend's grandfather, (we found it while cleaning out the garage) who most likely bought it back in the 50's, as that's the era most of the reels we found with it. It's in almost perfect condition, just a few small scratches in the varnish, and "VC" written in marker on the cork and rod sock. Not sure who made it, it has "Ted Special" written on the blank, along with the length (8.5 feet) and 4.5 oz, which confused me because it most certainly does not weigh only 4.5 ounces! That's all the info I have on the rod, I want to test a few line weights on it to see which feels best (it feels like a 5wt) and what wondering if I can use any line on it, or if a certain "vintage-style" line is recommended.

 

[scotty macfly]

Cortland Classic 444 Peach is a favored line among bamboo fishermen. SA Ultra Heritage is good, but I'd go up a weight with that one, but that's just my personal preference with that. You may also want to try Airflo Elite.

Also, if you want to, and can afford it, silk lines would be the way to go, but they are expensive and they need lots of care. But silk, not sylk, but real silk lines are great.
There is also 406 lines, and they have great reviews. Their lines are built for slower rods like bamboo and fiberglass.

You may also want to look at The Classic Fly Rod forum, where it's a forum for bamboo fanatics, just to see what they say.

 

[Ard]

Hi,

I've used DT lines on every one of them I've ever owned. The picture below shows a SA Mastery line in Gray. I don't know if they still make the gray lines but if they do I'd point to them.

The gray cuts down on reflected sunlight that more colorful lines produce. If you find that you have the right line on hand already but it is yellow or white it is a simple matter to dye the line coating. If you drop me a PM I can explain how, better yet I'll write it up and post it into me blog here. I've written full instructions several times over the years but they become lost, a search may turn some up.

Yellow makes a nice Olive green when you use brown dye and a white line can be anything you want. I've made lots of gray lines. A buddy back east who collected and used vintage cane rods liked to mix brown with red and make line almost a mahogany color for his old Edwards Quad rods.

When you say it doesn't weigh 4 1/2 ounces do you think it's heavier or lighter?

 

[dillon]

444 SYLK
The above line was designed for bamboo

 

[Rip Tide]

I like the Cortland "peach" 444 myself but the Hook&Hackle "High Floater' is basically the same thing at a fraction of the price.
Even the Cortland 333 works
Nice and supple.

The Cortland Sylk Lines... does anybody really like those ???
Maybe I didn't have the best experience with them, but they don't work for me.
I can't recommend them at all

 

[flytie09]

I use the Cortland 444 Classic Sylk. I like it.... others don't care for it. I see a 50/50 split pro/con on Classic Fly Rod Forum. But to each is own. It's soft, supple, not neon green, much thinner than a standard WF or DT, floats good, durable and casts nice. It's a little pricey and near impossible to find on closeout anywhere. $60 is standard.

The Cortland 444 Peach is another. Again, not cheap and near impossible to find below retail price which is around $60.

I'm just enough of a purist to use silk lines. Silk takes more the time to prep and dry them all the time. Unless this is a high dollar bamboo rod...... and you're looking to get gung ho into bamboo then maybe. But I can't see it.

I know of a few Silk lines out there.

Zhu - Silk Fly Line. These are cheap as far as silk lines go. Very mixed reviews on these. MSRP - $49.
Phoenix - We're talking $100 - $350 each....... but they will last you a lifetime and many more if properly cared for. I understand these to be the one of the best silk lines out there today. Silk Fly Lines and Leaders
Terenzio - These are also well known among the bamboo traditionalists. You can see he has many offerings. MSRP is $125-$200. Terenzio Silk Lines - handmade silk fly lines for fly fishing
Used lines - This can be a good way to dip your toe in the silk line game. Ebay has a few here and there. The problem is the quality of these lines is very suspect. If someone is selling these and doesn't know good from bad.... you might be in trouble. They get brittle over time if they were not cared for properly.

I have some silk lines from old reels that I tried to give away on here a while back. Noone would touch them. If you're interested I can send you one to tinker with. But I must say again...... researching how they must be brought back to life, treated and dried has me scared to even mess with them. But they're still in seemingly good shape. I couldn't guarantee what line rating it would be......

ft09

 

[flytie09]

Woops....

ft09

 

[tcorfey]

The only thing I consider on any of my Bamboo rods is how does the line feel for that rod. Bamboo rods like Fiberglass and Graphite rods come in many tapers and many different actions. The only line type I do not use on my Bamboo rods are heavy weight forward / shooting head lines. Like the Rio Outbound Short or Orvis Bankshot or Wulff Ambush lines.

The line I choose to use may have to do with the type of flies I am using, for example when dry fly fishing I many times use an SA Mastery Trout series line, for indicator nymphing or dry dropper I might use the Cortland 444 Peach or Slyk lines the former having a longer front taper the latter is thinner which works well on older rods with smaller guides. If I am streamer fishing or wet fly fishing a long belly line like the Wulff Long Belly or Orvis Easymend line is what I will usually use. Also certain lines feel better on a certain rod so that always comes in to play on line choice. Many older Bamboo rods can use a multitude of line weights and types don't limit yourself or your rod experiment a little. I test lines by casting to target and scoring myself. A zero for a direct hit, a 1 for a near miss and a 2 for way off. Then I count up my scores with each line and know which lines performed better for me. Have fun with it.

Regards,

Tim C.

 

[planettrout]

I have tried a number of different lines and have settled on these:

PT/TB

 

[redietz]

The Cortland Sylk Lines... does anybody really like those ???

I love them. No better line made for cane, IMO.

 

[fredaevans]

444 SYLK
The above line was designed for bamboo

For an 'over the counter' line the 444's are excellent.

 

[azflyrodder]

Thank you all for the advice! I'll definitely check out the classic fly rod forum. Ard, it feels like it weighs more than 4.5 ounces, but the more I think about it, that may just be because I've never held a bamboo rod before, and it feels so much heavier than graphite. It seems a lot of people like the Sylk lines, I'll try one or two. I'll mostly be making sort casts with small streamers (up to around size 8 or 10) and wet flies on small streams for wild brown and brook trout, and was afraid that there may be a chemical in newer lines that might hurt the rod. Thanks again for all your replies, I can't wait to start catching beautiful fish with an equally beautiful rod! There were also several boxes of old flies, all on fairly thick pretied leaders. This whole thing is getting me excited to fish the way they did before my parents were even a thought!

 

[pnc]

Think I saw double taper lines mentioned in replys. I to believe such would work best for you.
Have bamboo rod I found in a consignment shop. No clue as to line weight (then or now). So went ouf with 5 reels all different weight lines, shortly after getting rod. Rod worked with every line weight. Just kept bending as line weights increased. The amount of line carried was surprising no matter the line weight. Ok, when I put a 6w line on, played out line. Had time to run in & make sandwich after last backcast. And take a bite before picking up rod for forward cast. Rod is s l o o o w. Part of the fun !

Good luck have fun......... pc

 

[redietz]

Ard, it feels like it weighs more than 4.5 ounces, but the more I think about it, that may just be because I've never held a bamboo rod before ... It seems a lot of people like the Sylk lines, I'll try one or two.

Some, but not all, makers gave the weight of just the cane, before adding a reel seat. Yours may indeed weigh more than 4.5 all up. It might be interesting to weigh it and find out.

Be aware that a Sylk line may be just a bit lighter for a given weight than you're used to. They're true to spec (no "weight and half" line) and at the bottom end of the allowable range.

 

[geordie41]

The weight stated on the rod is indeed just for the rod not the reel seat ect ect . Regarding the lines the Sylk is probably a good starting point,I find them a little light for there rating. Your rod may have very small guides so modern plastic lines may struggle to pass through easily. If that is the case then it's well worth getting yourself a decent silk line . I use both modern plastic and silk lines on my bamboo rods . Silk lines take a little more looking after and cost a fair bit more than plastic lines . If you look after your silk line it will last you a lifetime ,it also gets better with use .

 

[moucheur2003]

The Cortland Sylk Lines... does anybody really like those ???

I've got a Sylk DT4 on my bamboo 7' Orvis Battenkill and it's great. I think Cortland did a good job of mimicking the look and feel of the old silk lines with modern, low-maintenance materials.

 

[GManBart]

Royal Wulff seems to be winning over a lot of bamboo fans with their long belly and triangle taper lines. I have a TT on the way to try on my Orvis Madison 7' (HDG).

 

[huntschool]

From my (new) limited experience, each rod has its own likes and dislikes relative to particular types of performance. Back in the day we just put a DT line in the weight suggested on the rod and had at it. Today we have a myriad of options including real silk (not my cup of tea as to maintenance) I am lazy now.

That being said, I fish the "Sylk" lines, the TT lines and some of the modern lines. Each has its own place on the rods I use them on. I know this does not make buying a line any easier thats for sure.

Orvis rods, as an example seem to be considered as over rated meaning the line called for is one or even two sizes big. On mine I have found that to be true and it just complicates things when one is lining a rod. On the other hand, new made boo rods that list one size seem to have hit the mark, basically. Then there are those new rods that list two line weights like 4/5. Some say that means a 4 DT and a 5 WF while I have also heard it the other way around. Go figure.... It still comes down to what you like on the rod for how you fish..... easy, Right ......

Best bet is still to find a shop that as some lines spooled up on reels for you to try or go to a clave and ask questions and try some lines on YOUR rod. If you do your home work and go in with some idea of what you think you want you may just find a diamond.

Just some old guy thoughts.

 

[rsagebrush]

Generally I like real silk on my bamboo's, I have them in full and half weights from #4 through 6wt. Cortland Sylk is another excellent choice and I don't think they run light, just thin. TT and Wulff Long Bellies are good lines too. As with all rods you have to find a line you prefer on an individual rod as bamboo like all other rods run the gamut on actions too.

 

[patrick62]

I just bought a 406 DT5, I love it.

I have a Sylk, it didn't strike me as anything special.