A history of bamboo fly rods

A history of bamboo fly rods

This is a brief history of bamboo fly rods and how they evolved. How they are constructed. Why fishing with bamboo is so damn enjoyable and asking the question. Does bamboo have a future in modern day angling. 

I’m writing this not as an expert on bamboo rods, but as an enthusiast. However I might add, In January 2024, I completed a one week course learning how to build a bamboo rod in Georgia USA with Bill Oyster

What were rods made of before bamboo?

In the beginning, around the late 1800’s, during the industrial age, rods were made of solid wood. It was easy to mass produce solid wood rods, using machined lengths of Greenheart and other woods like maple.  These rods were heavy but reasonably priced. One of the down sides, was the tip sections tended to break easily.

In the second half of the 19th century some enthusiasts, usually gunmakers, began to explore and experiment with alternative materials and rod building methods. Primarily by using bamboo species becoming available from India – initially Calcutta bamboo, or Dendrocalamus strictus. However, unlike Tonkin bamboo, this bamboo species had a thin culm wall and many prominent nodes.

Furthermore, rather than continuing the precarious business of sold wood rods, at some point, someone stumbled upon the idea that to strengthen the tips sections of solid rods, they could form a stronger tip section of 6 tapered strips of bamboo. 

As rods developed, some of the earlier rods had a butt section from solid bamboo and a stronger tip section from tapered strips glued together.

The early bamboo fly rods

In Japan tenkara rods were and are made from whole bamboo culms, but for our Western fishing styles such rods were not really suited, so rod builders experimented with joints and sections  split and glued together for added strength.

Initial some of these rods were just two strips, then three, and finally four strips. (Nowadays 6 strips) 

Because Britain, had far eastern colonies, more bamboo arrived in Britain than than America. Therefore these early rod building experiments were done primarily in England and Scotland.

Why is Tonkin bamboo used for bamboo rod building? 

One of the popular misconceptions about bamboo fly is that they are incredibly delicate fact, this is not the case.

Tonkin bamboo does in the wild what it does in a fly rod. In the wild 40 foot lengths bend in the wind and snap back to a straight position. On a fly rod, the rod bends, loads and delivers a cast, returning to a straight position.

Tonkin bamboo is renowned of rod building due to its strength. This bamboo has unrivalled power fibres running the length, which when the bambooo grows, are capillaries to carry water up the plant. 

Early experimentations into bamboo rod building with 6 strips

In the beginning, early experiments with rods  made from six strips were done in America Some of the early rods by a gunsmith from Pennsylvania, called Samuel Philippe. This was around 1850. Unfortunately, none of his rods survive, although one or two made by his son, Solon Philippe, are kept in the American Fly Fishing Museum in Manchester Vermont.

And with that growing market, more rod makers began to emerge. Companies like Heddon and Montague, South Bend and Cross, Orvis, Leonard, Powell, or Granger all began to capitalise on the growing demand for fly rods. These were followed by the likes of Winston, Phillipson, Wright & McGill, PH Young, and others.Likewise in England, Hardy, and Ogden Smith, Allcocks and in France Pezon & Michel. 

The 1930s to 1950s of the 20th century were the golden years of splitcane. And if it hadn’t been for the embargo on Chinese imports in the 1950s (due to the Communist revolution) that heyday would undoubtedly have continued for a while. The glass fibre rods that were being developed during those days (the solid fibre rods invented by Dubois, or the hollow rods according to Howalds later patent, and later still the woven hollow rods)  were, at the time, significantly inferior to split cane rods. 

Production rods during the Chinese trade embargo on bamboo

During the bamboo trade embargo, the only way for US companies to service demand, was to continue the development of glass fibre rods. In addition other rods made from reinforced plastic,  were predecessors of CARBON FIBRE. 

However in England, the bamboo kept coming. And Hardy had a good stock of it, maturing on their shelves.

A good introduction into how rods were made industrially in the 1950s at companies like Hardy can be found in this fascinating documentary on the building process for fly rods at Hardy in Alnwick. 

But despite the shortage of bamboo in the USA, it did not completely die out. There were stubborn enthusiasts and artisan rod builder who made rods by hand. Equally companies that had thrived in the bamboo era but changed their business focus, like Winston and Orvis. Continued to offer bamboo rods. Perhaps out of a sort of nostalgic sentiment and to echo the heritage of the brand. 

But bamboo rods seemed destined for a certain, albeit slow, demise. Until, that is, in the early 1970s the book ‘A Master’s Guide to Building the Bamboo Flyrod’, by Hoagy B. Charmichael and Everett Garrison was published after the death of Garrison.

Garrison was a railway engineer who started making bamboo rods as a hobby in the 1930s. His engineering background, added with his quest for perfection, gained him great respect as a rod builder. He published a book which explained his approach to building bamboo fly rods in minute detail. Arguably this marked the start of a renaissance in bamboo fly rod building.

History of bamboo fly rods, J H Leonard the grandfather of rod production?

In the 1870’s the bamboo rod company J H Leonard, developed a beveler machine a machine that cut tapered section to fine tolerances. This in turn allowed him to increase the production of bamboo fly rods. 

Also in the early days, the surface apexes of these hexagonal rods were sanded round. This I think was for more aesthetics than practicality. 

However, somebody at Leonard came up with the idea to leave the rod in a hexagonal shape. From that time forward, marketeers proclaimed hexagonal rods to be the strongest. Because the best of the power fibres of the bamboo were still intact, the rod was stronger and cast more effectively.

Leonard was thought of as the grandfather of bamboo rod production. Because many fine American bamboo rod manufacturers cut their trade with Leonard and left to Strat production on their own. Hiram Hawes, F.E. Thomas, E.F. Payne, and  Fred Devine to name a few. 

Around this time, as well as large rod manufacturers, Leonard, Peek, Orvis, Winston smaller more bespoke rod makes began to spring up like John Payne and  Grainger. At that time in the USA there were probably around 150 bamboo rod builders in the USA, as well as the bigger manufacturers. 

Production bamboo fly rods

Cheaper mass produced rods by companies like Montague, rods Horrox Ibbitson Shakespeare can be picked up for a reasonable price. But in the main, these rods aren’t worth bothering about

The real sought after gems are the rods from the Goldenage 1930 – 1960 (that’s when fly rods became modern in their lengths, tapers and actions). With that in mind, a 9ft 6 weight will cost a third of a 71/2 4 weight by the same maker. Therefore 9ft rods, by reputable bamboo rod builders are very reasonably priced. You can pick up 9ft rods by Payne, Devine, Leonard and Hawes for under $500

9ft was the popular length for most old bamboo rods. Strangely, most modern day carbon fibre rods are 9ft too! 

Why did the production of bamboo fly rods slow down in the 1950s?

By the 1950s, many of the companies making budget priced low end, bamboo rods had disappeared. fly ‍rods and glass fibre rods became more prominent … ‍The ‍rise ‍of ‍glass ‍fibre ‍as ‍rod ‍building ‍material, ‍as ‍a ‍replacement ‍for ‍bamboo ‍might have been accentuated by the ‍(American) ‍trade ‍embargo ‍against ‍China ‍which started in 1949. This meant that Tonkin bamboo was less readily available.  ‍

Bamboo was the main material used to make rods right up until the 1950’s until glass fibre rods began to make an appearance. Fibre glass rods, rose quickly in popularity and then became the material of choice, for factory productions rods. 

At this point, the only bamboo rod manufacturers were smaller bespoke operations. It was thought that higher end rods should be made of bamboo and less expensive production rods of Glass Fibre.

Its maybe time to talk about the difference between, hand planed rods, and machine cut rods. Many die hard bamboo enthusiasts swear that hand planed rods are better constructed and cast better. In fact some consider the purest form of rod construction. 

The difference between a machined process and hand planing

Machining a taper into a section creates sawdust and rough edges. Whereas, hand planing creates smooth shavings. I know when I made my own rod, which was hand planed the sections fitted together so smoothly it was impossible to see the joins once the sections were glued. Still, you have to keep in mind there have been many machine cut rods that cast well, and equally hand planed rods that are real duds.

In the long run, it’s not just the quality of the rod that counts, but how good the taper is. All things been equal the taper is the heart and soul of a bamboo rod. It’s the defining factor on how the rod will cast. Tapers were calculated with maths and trial and error. Many tapers are closely guarded secrets and many have stood the test of time and remained unchanged since the late 1800’s.

If you really do want to geek out on tapers, take a look at this useful link to some interesting variations on bamboo rod tapers. https://www.bamboorodmaking.com/Tips-files/Rod_Selection-files/Payne_Tapers.html

Whats the best line for bamboo fly rods?

Firstly bamboo rods, prefer softer, supple fly lines. In fact rods manufactured in the golden era, were made with silk lines in mind, therefore the eyes are smaller diameter than modern bamboo rods. 

In my experience, the Barrio GT90 is a superb match for the bamboo rod I made. It really makes it sing. The good old Cortland 444 is very popular too, as is the Cortland Sylk line which is sized for older/smaller bamboo rod eyes. 

Secondly there are still bamboo enthusiasts that prefer traditional silk lines. The English company Phoenix, fly lines, still make lines.

How do you clean a silk fly line?

Wash thoroughly with hot water and detergent. Rinse thoroughly with hot water. Dry with newspaper or paper towels. Air dry for 24 hours. If line still feels tacky repeat process. When you are satisfied that the line is clean, you then treat it with Red Muslin,

Who are the best modern day bamboo rod builders?

John Bradford, Rod, maker, and restoration expert, from Texas

Charlie , Jenkins. Mike Clark and Bill Oyster. Bill actually hosts excellent bamboo rod building classes, but you can expect to wait over a year to find a slot. 

There are many superb artisan bamboo rod craftsmen around the world, often with different styles. Dr. Henk J.M. Verhaar  in Holland, actually uses bamboo ferules and impregnates rods with a vacuum process, using a methylmetacrylate resin. 

Interestingly, some of the Hardy Palakona rods had an ingenious metal spike concealed on the butt section of the rod. You could screw it in and then spike the rod into the ground so it stood upright and visible.

Are bamboo rods good for beginners?

To begin with yes they are. The slower casting stroke of bamboo is slightly more charitable. It’s easier to feel the rod loading on the back cast, whereas, sometimes, with faster, graphite roads, beginners may have to look behind them to see when the rod loads.

Bamboo absorbs minor, casting flaws rather than magnifying them

In fact, a good bamboo Rod will feel alive and friendly, where is a good graphite will feel a bit detached and efficient.

John Geiriach wrote “the weight of a bamboo rod acts like a hammerhead seems to telegraph the loading of the Rod, magnifies the leverage, seems to do more of the work while I do less”

A bamboo rod lobs nymphs more gracefully than a graphite, even when fishing straight nylon, Euronymph style without a fly line. On that subject, I was easily able to fish a small creek euronymph style with my 8ft 5 weight bamboo rod. I could really feel everything at the business end, and had less tippet wrapping round the end eyes. 

Is bamboo durable and a strong material?

Bamboo is an incredibly strong material and most rod breakages occur around your car or river bank. With slamming in a car door coming out top of the list, followed by stepping on the rod when laid on the ground. 

Summary – do bamboo rods have a place in modern angling?

Finally don’t take my word on it. Go on to eBay and buy a £100 bamboo rod, something like a Martinez and Bird 8 or 9ft. Or an old Palakona, or even a Sharpes of Aberdeen. Balance it with a reel and line that work and take it out on the river and just enjoy the experience. You really will be surprised how enjoyable it is and how connected you ar etc the art of fly casting. 

Who knows it might even spar a deeper interest and then god help you..

Tight lines and good luck!