Bamboo and bluegills

[muppetmullet81]

Just curious if anyone out there in the warmwater fly world ever uses old bamboo rods for anything. I was given one last week by a relative and it has no markings on it as far as rod wt. or who made it. Its really pretty though and they used it for years. I was thinking of making it my pan fish rod and it just got me wondering what other people use their bamboo for.

 

[superbike1]

hey Brother, Not really sure about the bluegill on bamboo sounds fun but I wanted to respond since it has so many views and no answers. Doesn't seem usual around here. I did catch a lot of bluegills between rain showers on my graphite fly rod today. Awesome fun. Wish I had a 2wt or 1wt to do that on. Maybe later?:shocking:

 

[muppetmullet81]

Thanks for the response. I was starting to feel like I had done something to upset the whole forum. Like I said in the first post I was given this really sweet old bamboo fly rod the other day by a relative. It doesn't have any name or line wt, or anything marked on it. But its in great shape. From what I have read its most likely what is refered to as an occupied japan bamboo. Tons of these were made post WW2 and sold to american GI's. I don't know how strong it is so I was planning on just using it as my go to panfish rod. Somthing to play with, maybe teach the kids how to fly cast with. But it just got me wondering if there are many people out there that still use bamboo rods. And maybe if there were they might have some insight and advice.

 

[random user]

Will be watching this thread. Was wondering the same thing. Just recently pulled an old Heddon out of my closet. Have decided to fish it, but I am not willing to really push the rod, yet.

 

[williamhj]

Nothing wrong with using bamboo for bluegills, if anyone is offended they should find something better to worry about Did the rod come with line? If you have some reels laying around might want to bring a range out to see what feels right on the rod. Might start with a 6wt, just a guess.

 

[hailfly]

I'm just getting into fly fishing so I'm pretty ignorant of anything to do with it,
so keep that in mind lol . I had a chance some years back to buy a very nice bamboo rod from a guy and didn't because I didn't fly fish, wish I would have now.
Is there anything wrong with using a bamboo rod ? Just curious I think I heard somewhere that they were a good rod.
Kim Toth

 

[random user]

I'm just getting into fly fishing so I'm pretty ignorant of anything to do with it,
so keep that in mind lol . I had a chance some years back to buy a very nice bamboo rod from a guy and didn't because I didn't fly fish, wish I would have now.
Is there anything wrong with using a bamboo rod ? Just curious I think I heard somewhere that they were a good rod.
Kim Toth

Been looking into this; what I have found:

Generally bamboos are a much slower action than graphites and don't generate the line speed graphites do.

Biggest enemy of bamboos are storing them wet, damp or dirty and carefulnessly-challanged owners.

There are some potential ferrule issues which start out small but progress quickly and can snap the bamboo at the ferrule. Loose ferrules don't seem that hard to address nor dangerous if you catch them early.

There are a boat load of fishable bamboos out there, both old and new. With the older ones, you just have to go over them well making sure everything is tight be fore they are used. Seems like a good, ready to go bamboo rod can be had for just a few hundred. There are lots of old bamboos and not so many of them are they super rare/expensive models most desired by collectors.

Don't know much first hand, but I am pretty good with researching.

 

[nick k]

Here's what I'd use a bamboo rod for:

1. Whatever the hell I felt like using it for

 

[muppetmullet81]

So I took the old rod out this morning with 6wt line and a size 12 micro bugger and caught some gills. Some really nice ones at that. The line speed is way slow and I actually had a little trouble shooting the cast out. I don't know if it is to much line wt? Maybe I need to drop down to say 4 wt. Even with a smaller size 14 adams it just didn't cast well. I may just need way more practice if nothing else. But it is definitly a whole other type of rod compared to my graphite guns.

 

[nick k]

I'd say drop the line down. To my knowledge, most boo rods are lower weights.

 

[Rip Tide]

My first fly rod was a Japanese bamboo.... cost all of 3 dollars new in 1963 and I still have most of the pieces.
IMO the 9 footers are too heavy to use comfortably. You might take it along for a little fun, but I don't think that you'd want to use one all day.
I also have an 8 1/2 foot Japanese rod that was my father's first fly rod and I use that one often. It's a 6wt as was the one I had as a kid
I rebuilt it with new guides and a re-purposed nickle silver reel seat and it casts pretty darn well for a old cheap POS.

You'll find that most of these rods were 6wts or maybe a heavier "bass weight" 7. There's not a lot of variation
You'll need heavy reel to balance it out too.

---------- Post added at 11:50 AM ---------- Previous post was at 11:44 AM ----------

Will be watching this thread. Was wondering the same thing. Just recently pulled an old Heddon out of my closet. Have decided to fish it, but I am not willing to really push the rod, yet.

Bamboo is tough. You could probably run over it with your car and not break it
Try that with a plastic rod !

 

[random user]

Bamboo is tough. You could probably run over it with your car and not break it
Try that with a plastic rod !

If I hadn't shaved the front tow clips off the frankenwagen, I'd probably try it. (Did get her down to 1,990 lbs.)

What would I need OX tippet or something heavier?

 

[muppetmullet81]

Caught my first bass saturday with the bamboo rod. It wasn't very big. Maybe a pound. But it was a largemouth just the same. It fought like a 5 pounder though. I did move down to 3 wt line and the rod casts so much better now. Its just such a cool little rod.

 

[itchmesir]

So I took the old rod out this morning with 6wt line and a size 12 micro bugger and caught some gills. Some really nice ones at that. The line speed is way slow and I actually had a little trouble shooting the cast out. I don't know if it is to much line wt? Maybe I need to drop down to say 4 wt. Even with a smaller size 14 adams it just didn't cast well. I may just need way more practice if nothing else. But it is definitly a whole other type of rod compared to my graphite guns.

It's bamboo... Fish it like one... Slow down the pace... Bamboo is slow but also versatile... Meaning with a simple switch of line wt you can slow or speed up a bamboo rod... You could probably cast 4 or 5 different wt lines and they all work with the rod for different actions and applications but in the end a 5wt bamboo will allow one to either throw nymphs or steamers and then when the time comes ever so gently lay out a dry for risers...whether it's a #12 Adams or a #24 trico spinner


Also throwing a more supple line like Cortland classic peach or sylk will help make bamboo cast a ton better

I'd say drop the line down. To my knowledge, most boo rods are lower weights.

modern day bamboo may be found in smaller wts more than the average bamboo of times past because today's anglers want smaller at rods... Maybe it's the additional bend that gets them all excited... And some are built for very specific purposes but most bamboo is 5wt+... Most of the bamboo rod makers of the time lived out west fishing the big trout rivers out there... Old bamboo under 5wts is tough to come by because there just weren't enough made... And you'll pay a pretty penny for them as well because of their scarcity... Also as I mentioned above... The 5wt bamboo is very versatile and times were simpler then... You didn't need nor could the average joe afford 4-5+ rods... One 5wt bamboo rod could do it all

 

[Rip Tide]

I agree, there's no way that that rod is a 3wt.

I have 2 of the Japanese bamboo rods and they're both 6wts.
Of my 2 other vintage cane rods, one is a 6wt, the other is a 7, and that one is only a 7'6"

 

[muppetmullet81]

Ok. Well I will put the 6wt reel back on and just keep practicing. You must forgive me for being over cautious. I have 5 other fly rods and I can use them at any time. I guess I'm a little afraid of damageing or breaking this rod because it was a gift from an old family member. Though he fished it on plenty of big rivers and streams for years. I guess what i mean is I can afford to break one of the other rods. If I loose this one its not replaceable.

 

[itchmesir]

Ok. Well I will put the 6wt reel back on and just keep practicing. You must forgive me for being over cautious. I have 5 other fly rods and I can use them at any time. I guess I'm a little afraid of damageing or breaking this rod because it was a gift from an old family member. Though he fished it on plenty of big rivers and streams for years. I guess what i mean is I can afford to break one of the other rods. If I loose this one its not replaceable.

It may not be replaceable but unlike graphite it can often be fixed... But just because it's old doesn't mean it can't take a whooping... Just don't do anything silly like trying to yank a fly out of a tree and always put it back in it's case when transporting it from house to hole and vice versa... Also always remember to let it air dry after a day of fishing when you get home

Also try a wf line with a long belly or a dt... These help bamboo load a lot better... Try a dt5... Wf6... Dt6... Sure one of those will match well... I really like a H&H classic dt5 on my boo

Btw... Can you give us any info on the rod? That may help us help you find the line best suited for that rod

 

[muppetmullet81]

I wish I could. It only has two marking on the whole rod one that says handmade, the other says japan. Its a 3 piece rod. There are some imperfections in the bamboo but I read that it is pretty normal in bamboo.

 

[Rip Tide]

Knowing how long it is would be a good place to start.
Any rod longer than 8 foot is at least a 6wt

 

[itchmesir]

My GG Champion is 8'6" and tosses a dt5 wonderfully... Though I'm sure it could handle a wf6 just as well