Introducing – BANANA RODS

[Editor]

[FONT=&quot]We are delighted to have added the brilliant and unforgettably named BANANA RODS to our list of supporting fly fishing forum trade members recently. If you are looking for something a bit different to an 'off the peg' fly rod, and tailored to your wishes, then BANANA RODS could well be the answer you are looking for. Offering a unique concept in personalised rod building from their base in France, we asked them to tell us a little bit more about themselves and what they offer you as an individual fly angler. It's not just tailored trout, Spey and saltwater fly rods they make by the way, but predator and carp rods too![/FONT]

WHY BANANA RODS?

We chose “Banana” because it is easy to say it in any language around the world. Our monkey logo then was an obvious choice because it follows the theme and is very recognisable and memorable.

[HR][/HR]
OUR MISSION…

To thrill you!

From dreaming and visualising your fishing experience, planning each moment of your getaway and discovering extraordinary locations. The pleasure of fishing begins with imagining your next trip. To give life to your dreams and to make your passion an unforgettable experience, BANANA RODS will do what it takes… We will create the ideal fishing rod for you!

[HR][/HR]
IMAGINING THE BEST…

For each fisherman.

We design our products to meet two key requirements: quality and performance. You can therefore be sure that you have the best rod on the market, a luxury item created just for you. A rod perfectly crafted to suit your needs, your desires and your fishing habits. A unique item.

[HR][/HR]
A FISHING EXPERIENCE…

You will not forget.

Tell us about yourself, your desires and fishing habits. This will help us guide you towards the ideal model of rod for you, after which we will invite you to test your future Banana Rod in actual fishing conditions. Each type of fishing needs a specific, unique rod. Once you have chosen your model, you will be involved in its crafting – you will choose its look, colour and finish depending on your tastes.

[HR][/HR]
A WORK OF ART…

Hand-built in France.

Our experienced technicians at BANANA RODS produce each rod in accordance with strict manufacturing protocols, unique in the world of fishing rods. A veritable work of art, created to fit your image, because every angler is unique!

To our recognised traditional expertise, we add cutting-edge technologies and exclusive composite materials from our partner research laboratories. The combination of these complex techniques requires a rigorous methodology and extreme precision, worthy of the clock-making industry.

[HR][/HR]

[HR][/HR]
THE QUEST…

For perfection.

Keeping our promise of quality is our principal commitment, along with offering a product that is consistent from the design stage to manufacture. This is why we apply strict controls to the production chain, from A to Z. Our products, entirely developed and manufactured in France, are the result of BANANA RODS’ own specifications, our exclusive knowledge and expertise, and our ongoing attention to detail.

[HR][/HR]
DO YOU HAVE A QUESTION? DO YOU NEED ADVICE?

If you need help at any time, we’d be delighted to talk to you. Please just call a Customer Service Advisor on :

+33 238 14 26 54

Monday to Thursday : 8.30am to 4.30pm

Friday : 8.30am to 1.30pm

Website: BANANA RODS

Facebook: Banana Rods

[HR][/HR]

SHOWROOM : TRY OUT OUR RODS !

You’re welcome to come and try out our rods and choose the finish you like, just make an appointment.

Call us to book your trial : +33 238 14 26 54

BANANA RODS SAS
287, rue Aristide Briand,
45450 Fay-aux-Loges,
France.

Opening hours (By appointment) :

Monday to Thursday : 8:30am – 4:30pm

Friday : 8:30am – 1:30pm

[HR][/HR]Testimonials

“Again let me say thank you to everyone at Banana rods for your help and great customer service. I will certainly be recommending your company to my friends and fellow anglers.”

Richard​

[HR][/HR]

“Thank you for this nice work! Indeed I confirm this sensation with the fish! True jewellery!”

Gaetan​

[HR][/HR]

Source Article...

 

[weiliwen]

No drift boat fisherman in his right mind will allow a banana on his boat; so this name might be unfortunate here in the USA.

 

[westcoast]

banana ... yummy

 

[zjory]

Is there a market for this in Europe? In the US, this seems to be an undifferentiated offering in a saturated market that costs more than existing top tier offerings.

 

[proheli]

Looks like a great set up. Good luck!

 

[Editor]

Is there a market for this in Europe? In the US, this seems to be an undifferentiated offering in a saturated market that costs more than existing top tier offerings.

I think like in any market zjory there is always an element that enjoy being able to personalise their equipment to an extent if they can afford to do it. It has parallels to some degree with Abel reels for example with their beautiful customised paint jobs, i.e. you pay for the extra service involved in making a more unique product. Also I am thinking of my days in San Diego where getting highly customised rod wraps was quite a popular thing to do, probably as that was not overly expensive but many of them were works of art in their own right too and stood the owners fishing rods apart from the rest.

I can easily see fly (lure and carp) anglers who happily pay thousands to travel the world after their favourite species going the extra mile and being interested in this type of product. Can we all afford it - of course not sadly, but as you say there are a lot of top tier offerings already in the rod market, the difference here is the personalisation options and they seem to offer some unique technology they say.

Thanks for asking!

Paul

 

[sweetandsalt]

If they have hopes of penetration in the North American fly fishing market, they will need to participate in the Fly Fishing Shows here to reveal the performance characteristics of their rods. As we've established in the Aesthetics thread, while fine finish craftsmanship is appreciated even yearned for, angling performance is the first priority.

 

[oldskewl808]

They aren’t aware bananas are considered bad luck?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[sweetandsalt]

It happens, my most memorable permit I caught while wearing a yellow shirt. However, I've retired it from fishing and, out of respect for boating guides, neither wear yellow or bring a banana on a boat. If this interesting new company was to build me a flats fishing rod, the customization I might request would be for them to delete their name and logo from it.

 

[sweetandsalt]

I'm not a superstitious person at all...but my boat Captain might be.

 

[dynaflow]

Re: Introducing - BANANA RODS

While many may think there's better names for a startup rod company (and there is of course) I'm going to support Forumite jangles here,the banana thing is ancient superstition.If you believe this you believe in Santa Claus too,and if your Guide/Boat Captain is into it as well think seriously about parting with your hard earned.
FACT CHECK: 'Bananas on a Boat' Superstition

 

[dynaflow]

Re: Introducing - BANANA RODS

...and while I'm at it (lol) a banana is one of the best things to eat if you're a fisherman as they're rich in Fibre,Antioxidants and Nutrients that makes for an ideal combination that prevents cramps.That's why top tennis players eat them between games.
Potassium: 9% of the RDI
Vitamin B6: 33% of the RDI
Vitamin C: 11% of the RDI
Magnesium: 8% of the RDI
Copper: 10% of the RDI
Manganese: 14% of the RDI
Net carbs: 24 grams
Fiber: 3.1 grams
Protein: 1.3 grams
Fat: 0.4 gr

 

[sweetandsalt]

We may not pay much attention to it on our side of the pond but there is a major European fishing show, EFFEX, that all our big rod makers participate in. Regularly, Sage, Loomis or Winston come away with some sort of best in show acknowledgment. At the core of international marketing is informing the angling public about material science and fabrication advancements and perhaps most impotently, the creative design person(s), their background and philosophy. Banana will need to reverse this process and participate here in North America but first should lay a groundwork to inspire interest.

Here through our Forum I became aware of Stickman Rods. This is a one man custom shop with partnerships in blank fabrication that is not available in shops, only by direct order. Akos, its Hungarian owner/creator participates here periodically, most recently in the Sanded/Unsanded thread and several of our hard core rod aficionado members have acquired rods from him, sight unseen. One, eastern caster, is a friend of mine and one of the absolute finest casters I know as well as being a Master IFF Certified type. When he and a few others heap accolades on a rod, I want to know more. Last year his T8 accompanied me to Edison where it competed with the major league new class of flats rods ultimately being selected to bed a core component of my springtime southern Andros trip...it caught a bonefish literally on its very first cast.

Stickman is a one man operation and does not intend and can not produce more rods than it currently sells but Banana seems to have broader aspirations. OK, Banana, who are you and what do you have?

[PS: There are more than one US rod makers who started with a name that changed and altered their marketing presence.]

 

[weiliwen]

I would like to know if there is a US distributor of these rods, and also would love to read some expert reviews.

 

[Lewis Chessman]

Bonjour, Banana! I hope that, if you are following this thread, the air of scepticism isn't off-putting. Much of it is born from an ardent passion for our petite branch of the sport and with many members it's our life's focus - which is why we're here, after all. It's probably why you're doing what you're doing, too, and good luck to you. I think that those who have been around a bit have read all the advertising spiel too often before and are understandably wary of website words. As so few will be able to cast your rods at the moment, the next best thing would be if a member of staff could engage with us and answer technical questions as they arise. I sincerely think you'll garner more honest interest and pave the way to expanding your business if you do.
Personally, I'm interested when small companies manufacture their blanks in-house - it suggests to me that they will strive for the highest quality and performance. They will soon fail if they do not, after all.

I feel I must say, though, that this 'banana in the boat' superstition is not limited to the USA. I've met it myself in Scotland and from otherwise rational gillies. Personally, I'd never heard of it until 2013 when a chap was honestly upset I'd brought a banana into the boat. He was an ex-national fly fisher and otherwise moderately well balanced but 'bananas in the boat was a big 'Non!' to him. I've asked others about it since and they've said, 'Yup, it's a no-no.' It wouldn't matter to me but, as Obelix once observed, ''These Britons are crazy''
Whether this minor faux-pas is enough to make you rethink your branding I don't know. I doubt it, but if you weren't already aware, I'm certain it will put some folk off.
All the best to you, I look forward to casting your rods one day.

sweet&salt wrote:

[PS: There are more than one US rod makers who started with a name that changed and altered their marketing presence.]

It would take a sage to name just one of them, though.

 

[sweetandsalt]

I view the Banana in Boat thing not as a superstation (though no doubt that is its origin) but as, is so relevant in our sport, a tradition.

I have reviewed the Banana web site which is very attractive, however, as Lewis suggested, please participate in this introductory thread. Many of us would like to learn more about your fabrication process and material science beyond your employment of off-axis fiber wrapping. Most importantly to me is who is your rod taper designer and what is his/there philosophy and background.

 

[Editor]

Interesting questions gentlemen, thank you. I will see if I can persuade someone technically minded from the company to answer, although it may well be via me I suspect.

Paul.

 

[dr d]

hi s+s,


perhaps you´ll have a look on babylon blank website - technical division...may be a little more light in the French darkroom...

they seem to work together rather engaged.

maybe a new star or perhaps only a shooting star - i don´t know.

it´s a variant of bihelix a.s.o.

in my opinion france will be the first market, gb will not be a succes in the future - perhaps they try it in us?


nice week.


thomas

 

[Marjorie Banana Rods]

Hello, thank you for your interest in our brand and especially in our name
We already heard about banana superstition. At first, we chose "Banana" because it was easy to say it in any languages. We launched our brand 10 years ago in France and after that in Europe and it seems not to be an issue here. It can happen to have some comments about that but when people know more about us, they finally do not pay attention anymore at our name. I hope it will be the same for you.

 

[Marjorie Banana Rods]

I will try to answer to all of you as much as I can :

About our fabrication process : First of all, almost the entire rod including the blanks is manufactured in our state-of-the-art factory in France. This is a key point for us, enabling Banana Rods first to stay ahead of the new materials coming out evey year and second to maintain a high level of control and traceability on every product that leaves the factory. Banana Rods is very unique and innovative in its concept. 10 years ago, we were the very first manufacturing company to solely focus on super high-end rods. Everything from the ground up was dedicated to producing a product that would out perform any competition. Every step in the process is dedicated to making the best product. That is very different to a process focusing on value. We only focus on quality and price comes as a result, not the contrary. That’s the main difference between us and the rest of the trade.
The products we make take longer to build, use more expensive material and components. That’s what people expect from us. Anglers from all over the world come to Banana Rods for one thing only: buying the very best rod for their fishing.

About US distributors : We do sell rods through a select range of shops(not in the US yet), but most of what we sell is direct. It allows us to give every angler an individualized buying experience. Buying a new set of rods is something very important for an angler, especially when you come to us, and we want to make sure that we have all the information required to provide you with the best advice possible. What we want is for you to enjoy every second of your relationship with your rods. To provide that quality of relationship, time and expertise are required and who best than the manufacturer to know best its products!

The other thing to consider is that selling direct to the angler allows us to offer an unmatched value to the angler. Even though our rods are high end, they value is exceptional. We strongly believe that we offer the best value for the money in the rod market, mainly because we sell direct. It allows us to use better carbon fibers, better components, spend more time on each rod and provide a better overall service.

About our partnership with Babylon : Yes we work together but it is two different companies. Banana's blanks are not the same that Babylon's blanks. We do not use the same technologies.

About to be present in the US and especially in shows : We hope we could be in a show soon to present our range.

Thank you again about your interest and all of your questions. Do not hesitate if you need more information. Have a nice day !