The third attribute in designing a rod is correct tip stiffness for each line size. One half the batch is slid past the other so the nodes of one side are offset a few inches from those of the other. The rod tapers, or actions, listed below have all proven themselves to be good rods for their intended use in the past & are among the more popular ones rod clients have requested. Many of the same rods that I have on this web page are listed in these books (and more) and are probably the more authoritative versions of these rods. In line sizes 2-weight through 4-weight I think double taper lines provide more load and make better presentations and making it "feel" more like traditional action rods should. Anglers came from all over the United States to fish the Madison River and nearby streams, and I regularly guided many of them. Amherst Scarborough 8653 3/2 8.5 ft 5 wt 95 is actually 91 station. Bamboo Has Weight. First, they say the manufacturer designates this rod for this line size and I shouldn't change it. After Zac left Gerri and I were looking for an experienced bamboo rod maker to help with our rods, and as you might surmise there are very few, if any, around much less have the experience we required. This experience gave me a unique opportunity; one few rod designers have had. I believe they are my very best designs. As he taught me to cast and to fly fish, he often let me use it, and I became enamored of its precision and grace in presenting a fly. Each bamboo strip is hand-milled using the Handmill that provides the proper taper and consistency between strips. By fishing with many of these rods and watching them in use, I soon developed a sense of which designs worked best. This is true for me even of two handed rods up to 13 ft. and 9 ft. #10 weight Tarpon rods. I worked with a CAD drawing expert at the local machine shop that makes the Hand Mill parts to design a power milling machine to rough cut a taper on our bamboo strips. Tom Morgan was the owner and rod designer at Winston from 1973 to 1991 and his legacy at Winston and for the entire fly rod industry cannot be overstated. Nonetheless, if it performs better with a heavier line and you enjoy it more use the heavier line. We Build on Tapers from Payne, Winston, Orvis, Garrison, PH Young, Phillipson, FE Thomas, Dickerson and Leonard. Sep 17, 2020 #12 Many bamboo fishermen like the lines sold by Hook & Hackle. Of course, Jason is a very experienced bamboo rod fisherman which adds greatly to his enthusiasm for rod making. Bamboo rods perform unlike any other rod available. Hand Built Bamboo Fly Rod: Winston Taper 6’ 3wt. This work gave me extensive experience working with bamboo, designing rod tapers, and creating rods. He loves the action of our rods and is excited to learn my design techniques. I have carefully designed these rods to have the correct stiffness for good feel and yet have sufficient power for a wide range of casting distances. These small diameter tips have the suppleness needed to form loops correctly while casting. The Art of Bamboo, A Winston Tradition Since 1929 Each Winston bamboo fly rod takes up to two years to complete. I. ibookje Well-known member. 102 likes. This rod is based on a classic Winston rod, 6’ 3wt, 2pc with 2 tips. They load, cast, and respond with a sweetness and finesse that cannot be … This model was introduced in 1950 when Jim Payne developed a new set of faster dry fly tapers. Summers, R.W. Payne 101 7’6″ 5wt: Without a doubt, this is the most popular rod I build, and one of the most popular bamboo rod tapers in existence. Shortly thereafter, graphite was introduced as a rod-making material, and it quickly replaced fiberglass. They also protect tippets when setting a hook and playing fish. Top Ten Tapers, Twinsburg, Ohio. I always wonder about their true motives. We carefully select our bamboo for straightness, strong power fibers, density, and lack of cosmetic blemishes. $2,750.00. When I bought Winston in 1973, the company was making fiberglass and bamboo rods. This revolutionary mill allows a bamboo rod maker to cut bamboo strips easily and accurately to carry on the long tradition of making bamboo rods without a major investment in a power-milling machine. Most rods created decades ago still retain their original casting and fishing capability. Of course, any of these tapers can be "tweaked", or adjusted, to meet your needs. Remember that respect and civility is the goal of this board. Reactions: Bambooflyguy. When he came to pick up his mill, I asked him if he knew of anyone I could hire to help me build Hand Mills. We had our varnish cabinet and system set up but Jason refined the processes to provide coatings that required much less polishing than before. Jason was really excited to have the opportunity to build great rods for us. This presorting provides bamboo poles which have a much higher overall quality than I have seen before. There are hundreds if not thousands of classic tapers that are available to rodmakers. Check thm over carefully for typos before using. I’ve actually never had a bamboo fly rod. They are considerably cheaper than the premium American-made bamboo rods. For my graphite rods, I have selected medium modulus graphite that is lightweight yet very strong. Give someone you love a wonderful surprise of a hand made Bamboo Fly Rod. He is just the rod maker we were looking for to continue our tradition. I started guiding when I was fifteen and guided on a regular basis for fourteen seasons in Montana. Shipped with USPS Priority Mail. I've tried the Rio line and other lines, but the Sylk has worked the best for my rods---Winston, Howells, Aroner. During the more than forty years I have been fly fishing, three major influences have helped form my rod design philosophy: my own personal fishing experience, my guiding experience, and my experience as an owner of the R. L. Winston Rod Company. The poles are then cut to the proper length. In addition, Gerri wouldn't have enough time to build the graphite rods and do all of the bamboo work. I fished almost exclusively with bamboo rods until the early '70s. The heat treating is enough to color the bamboo into a rich, warm color. The 14/64 step-down ferrule fit is very good. This was a great combination to help produce the Hand Mills because he understood how bamboo strips had to be cut for rods, and he was familiar with machinery. His attention to detail is refreshing to see. 7 1/2 feet, two sections with two tips. 612 Griffin Drive, Unit B Bozeman, MT 59715. Messages 317 Reaction score 19. Even though the bulk of our rods were made from composite materials during my tenure at Winston, we continued making fine bamboo rods. Winston has been making BAMBOO rods since 1929, when Robert Winther and Lew Stoner first began innovating using split bamboo cane. This machine will taper cut the butts and tips until they are enough oversize to safely heat treat. All of the preparation work is carefully done to maintain the integrity of the bamboo. The rod weighs 4.15 ounces with the screw-locking reel seat (which adds ½ ounce). For many of today's anglers, bamboo rods bring back memories of bygone years, of a time when fishing was simpler, perhaps less demanding. Headwater bamboo rods offer four different rod families, which gives you access to 14 different tapers. Call to check what tapers we have in stock for building - 732-610-2911. For tight spots and switch fishing, the 11’6” fits the bill. We have developed a new technique that greatly improves the straightness of the strips. This is the village where the botanist F.C. Custom hardware and … We specialize in hand crafting split cane bamboo fly rods using vintage tapers. Because I fished a variety of streams, I assembled a broad collection of rods well suited for each particular type of water and condition. The next step is to heat treat the oversize tapered strips. From an early age, my passion was fly fishing, and I explored most of these waters and learned many of their secrets. As it turned out he had just left Sweetgrass Rods in Twin Bridges where he had worked for over three years doing everything associated with building bamboo rods. Lots!of!things!can!have!an!impact!on!the!performance!of!a!bamboo!fly!rod.!The! Vintage Tapers. I take great care in my work and use the highest quality materials. Then they made four for me three of which I sold to friends. Upon reaching the river, the bamboo is scrubbed by hand using sand from the riverbank. My partner, Glenn Brackett, and I cast every bamboo rod we made before it left the shop. For those of you wanting to chase bigger trout with bigger flies, or you want something that’s more of a do-it-all bamboo fly rod, then a 5 or 6wt is the rod for you. Summers Model 82 or sometimes referred to as... View full product details . When Bill first started sorting the bamboo, he couldn't believe the high rejection rate I insisted on for blemishes and cosmetic defects. Bamboo fly rods and rod news bamboo fly fishing rods how to evaluate an old bamboo rod 3 winston bamboo fly rods building a bamboo rodMaking A Bamboo Fly RodHow To Make A Bamboo Fishing Pole The Professional WayHow To Make A Bamboo Fly Fishing Rod Plans WoodworkingTools You Ll Need To Build A Bamboo … This experience gave me a unique opportunity; one few rod designers have had. Anderson Don 510/52 7.8 ft 5 wt; 7' 9" First, the twelve-foot long poles are matched for tips or butts in groups of six to twelve poles with the same node spacing. Bob Summers has built and repaired quality bamboo fly rods since 1956. Just because they are bamboo doesn't mean they are great rods, but the material certainly has the potential to be made into wonderful rods. On his computer we started drawing it piece by piece until it was finished. The fiberglass rods are rolled on mandrels with a similar taper to those I used on my original designs. By observing the streams, the fish, and the anglers, I learned the finer points of effective angling, and I could see some rods worked much better than others. $2,750.00. Bill and I started putting together our bamboo shop with Bill working under my direction since I couldn't do the physical work. The fine bamboo rods created in the past have continued to increase in value over time because of their intrinsic value and the fact the craftsmen who made them are no longer alive. Although this ferrule design allows for good production efficiency, it doesn't let the rod transmit the flow of energy in a smooth and continuous manner. Many of today's graphite rods have a thin-walled tip fitting over a smaller diameter, thick-walled butt. This means the rod loads and unloads when casting in a uniform manner from tip to butt without any "kicks" or "hinges". The bamboo is then dried, sorted, and bundled into groups of ten poles for shipping. Naturally, they always brought with them their favorite rods, bamboo rods made by Winston, Orvis, Leonard, Powell, Payne, Phillipson, and Paul Young. As a result of these experiences, I assembled my own collection of bamboo fishing rods including an old Heddon, a Phillipson, an Orvis Battenkill, and several Winstons. For the nearly two decades I was an owner of Winston, I designed and built fly rods from bamboo, fiberglass, and graphite. The general message seems to have been: Go big. For graphite rods, another important aspect of this smoothness of feel is the ferrule design. These are the tapers in David Ray's library, in the order that they appear. I offer this list to give you an idea of what is possible & what others have previously chosen for their custom fly rods. The balance of the pole is used for tips or butts depending on how the original selection was used. Many of my design ideas came from the desire to build a rod for myself for a particular type of stream or fishing situation. Gerri and I love his enthusiasm, excitement, and great desire to build the best bamboo rods possible. In my opinion, because of its inherent heavier weight over other materials, bamboo is the most challenging material with which to design rods to achieve wonderful action. Big wind. Quick Shop Summers, R.W. However, it has always been my contention bamboo rods should reflect the highest standards of materials and workmanship. Fly rods made only from graphite fibers (without Boron) do not have this same energy. In order to keep the rods lightweight, the butts and tips are hollow-fluted, which makes them not only lighter, but also more responsive. I grew up at my parents' El Western Motel in Ennis, Montana, home of the famous Madison River. We purchase our bamboo through a broker who travels to the tiny village of Aozai in the Guangdong Province of China where he hand-selects it. Bamboo as a natural material is also unparalleled in its strength and resilience. Yet, some anglers, including myself, still think fondly of bamboo rods as wonderful instruments for casting and fishing. I've come to believe there are three main rod actions: traditional "fast action" with a stiff butt and a flexible tip, "slow action" with a stiff tip and flexible butt (or a rod that is overall too flexible for the line weight it is casting), and "progressive action" with a uniform increase in stiffness from tip to butt. Custom Fly Rods. Bamboo Fly Rods Lines for bamboo rods? The list I have compiled below is only a very small handful but represent what I think is a good cross section of lengths, actions and configurations. At the time I had no idea one day I would own one of the famous companies in fly-fishing, the R.L.Winston Rod Company. I'm posting this under fishing bamboo rods because I think the top ten list for collecting bamboo rods would be a little different. The three of us would work cooperatively to build the rods. In the beginning, most of the rods were bamboo, but these were gradually replaced by fiberglass. For the nearly two decades I was an owner of Winston, I designed and built fly rods from bamboo, fiberglass, and graphite. For me, bamboo is the ideal material for making fly rods. We continually refined the rod tapers and production methods to improve the quality necessary for great rods. I remember my extreme jealousy when my grandpa gave my older brother a beautiful hand-crafted bamboo rod. We worked together and he did a lot of good work for us. As many of you know, I grew up in southwestern Montana with its abundance of great trout streams and it was there I learned to fly fish. Today he continues this tradition in his New England workshop and also sells classic and vintage fly … It is important to point out "fast action" has taken on a new meaning in recent years when applied to graphite rods. Shop owners tend to recommend weight forward lines over double taper. The taper of the stiff rod is often good so by putting on a heavier line the rod will load more and "feel" like it should. Name/ Designer: Winston Model: Caneus Length: 7 foot Pieces*: 2-piece Weight: 4 weight Action: Mid flex We specialize in hand crafting bamboo fly rods using vintage tapers. Remember my previous observation most rods today are too stiff or fast for their rated line size. The poles no longer have grower's marks that have been scraped on the butts with a knife or heat straightening areas that are damaged when the poles are heated over a fire then bent over an iron stake to straighten them. Made … Great rod action is one of those things in life you know you like when you feel it, but it can be difficult to describe. – Model 8689. Big flies. Women’s rods in greenheart and bamboo where in the 12-14' range, men’s rods where 14-20' balanced with a reel that weighed about a pound. Howard's favorite rod was a Leonard bamboo. I am confident you will find them to be exceptional casting and fishing rods. Many of my design ideas came from the desire to build a rod for myself for a particular type of stream or fishing situation. This just isn't true. The fiberglass cloth is E-fiberglass with an epoxy resin.The Tom Morgan Rodsmiths fiberglass, graphite, and bamboo rods represent the accumulation of my many years of fishing, guiding, and rod designing experience. Only a few tapers that have proved to be popular with fly fishers are built. Particulars For your consideration is a Don Schroeder hollow built quad bamboo fly rod. The Fly Shop. However, we saw a great opportunity for Bill to devote some time to building bamboo rods in addition to working on the Hand Mills. Medium side of medium fast action. !!!!!Abasic!look!at!bamboo!fly!rod!tapers!!! We meticulously monitor the heat-treating to make sure each batch is evenly colored and has the correct tempering. My early associate and finally a partner, Glenn Brackett, and I greatly valued the tradition of bamboo rods, and we were clear we wanted to continue their heritage in Winston's history and the sport of fly-fishing. This rod is similar to the later The tube has a few small dents which do not affect its purpose. We specialize in hand crafting bamboo fly rods using vintage tapers. Under normal circumstances, my rods won't cast a line one size heavier than they are rated to cast. Most of today's rods have fast action, regardless of their bending pattern, because they are overall stiffer than rods of previous eras. Bamboo is the heaviest material made for fly rods, making them perfect for when you’re looking for accuracy and precision. They aim to make good quality split cane rods accessible to the general angler. a great fly rod is always a great fly rod. Peales Master Guide Posts: 656 Joined: 06/11/07 23:00 Location: Minnesota. Moderator: TheMontyMan. However, from my experience, there are three attributes in rod design most prized by knowledgeable and accomplished anglers, regardless of the rod material. I would like to offer two suggestions for anglers who find their rods stiffer than they would prefer. From there, the poles are either floated down the river in rafts or carried on boats. We first taper the double-wide strips to the height we want for heat treating, taper the sides to the correct width then split them into two strips by using a 60-degree cutter down the middle. Best Bamboo Fly Rod. Angler's resistance to this is usually two-fold. McClure, who is the Westerner who named this bamboo Arundinaria amabilis in the 1920s, identified as the center of the Tonkin bamboo region. Now graphite blank-making technology has become very sophisticated, and it allows me to design very small diameter tips. Headwaters Bamboo Fly Rods has been around since 2002. They can be absolutely great fishing rods! The taper is as found in Gould’s Tips and Tapers. The other even more powerful resistance is the angler is afraid of damaging or breaking the rod by using the heavier line. What this means for anglers is faster mid-sections to dictate line … If you like tapers, you will find The Lovely Reed by Jay Howells and Fundamentals of Building a Bamboo Fly-Rod by George Maurer and Bernard Elser to be indispensible. This board is for discussing the collecting of bamboo fly rods, both classic and modern. The individual mandrels I have designed provide precise tapers to best utilize the material for each line size. The rod is in excellent original condition. – Model 82. The other option most anglers won't accept but should, is overlining the rod by one or two line sizes. $2,750.00 Add to Cart. In line sizes 5-weight and above for floating lines I think the long belly weight forward provides the best combination of short to medium performance while offering greater distance if wanted and they provide more load. Consider that, and the vision R.L. 2x2x2 node spacing. In the middle 1990s, I invented and then completed the design work for the Morgan Bamboo Hand Mill. Perhaps the greatest reason is bamboo rods have been the foundation of our modern fly fishing heritage since the late 1800s. The rod weighs 4 oz. However, because of our rigorous selection, we still only use five to ten percent of this bamboo. The resulting strips are the straightest we have ever seen. Big fish. Develop a rod that will address the most challenging fishing situations (probably the easy part), and give it that classic Winston feel (the hard part). Moreover, there is a substantial market for used bamboo rods created by master craftsmen from previous eras, and, happily, many of these rods are still fished. As with any rod making material, proper design is crucial. Bamboo rods have an inherent charm because of their natural material and are often especially beautiful with their jewel-like hardware, subtle thread colors, carefully wrapped guides, graceful cork grips, and wood seats. I heard Jason Fox might be available and gave him a call. At the beginning of our rod-making business, we didn't think it would be practical to build bamboo rods since we would have to make a power-milling machine, a daunting task. In 2011 Bill moved on and we hired Zac Sexton as Bill’s replacement for our bamboo rod making. Intended for regular use on the water, your Top Ten Taper rod will also become a treasured heirloom for generations to come. 5/6 line weight. This, in itself, gave me an opportunity to cast several hundred bamboo rods, in addition to casting many customers brought to the shop. During this part of my life, I fished almost exclusively with bamboo rods. Bamboo fly rods allow the angler to feel the motions of the casting, making them suitable for the most delicate and subtle presentations as well as for fishers who appreciate the slow and versatile motion of the rod. 5/6wt Rods. These rods are expensive and are the cream-of-the-crop. They are very affordable ($35) and often on sale for just $25. If you there is a taper that you have, or have only heard of, that you don't see below but might be interested in, don't hesitate to let me know. Thomas & Thomas Experiences. It is extremely important for a rod to bend sufficiently to communicate to the angler how the line is behaving during casting. In my opinion, many anglers of today's generation have never learned the joys of fishing with truly great rods that bend and flex as they should and thereby communicating back to the angler how the rod, line, leader, and fly are performing. I hired Bill immediately. He made over 100 rods at Sweetgrass from scratch. This is what makes a rod feel sweet when you cast it. My rods have a continuous taper from tip to butt with a spigot ferrule designed to preserve the taper. – Model 82. Having the opportunity to work under Glenn Brackett and Jerry Kustich at Sweetgrass Rods was an exceptional opportunity to learn bamboo rod making under masters. So, as it turned out, my invention of the Hand Mill allows us to build fine bamboo rods. Each rod is tested and approved by fish before it's sold. Not only did he make bamboo rods, but he also had a degree in industrial arts. There have been countless rodmakers pursuing the craft of designing and building rods to match their ideas for the perfect casting and fishing rod. Click Here for Rod Raffle He left in late spring of 2013 to pursue a job at a guest ranch in southwestern Montana. My first fishing experiences were with an old Montague bamboo rod, when I fished for cutthroat trout in a small mountain stream in southwestern Montana, when, lacking finesse, my only thoughts were how could I fool a fish by sneaking a grasshopper into the stream without being seen. Enjoy! I also own 4 other Winstons, a BIIT, 1 BIIIX, and 2 BIIIX LS rods. Our Boron III designs incorporate multiple materials and multiple tapers giving you a great fly rod that is accurate at a variety of distances with little effort while still optimizing presentation. I've talked with hundreds of anglers about their rod preferences and, I've spent years thinking about rod design principles and talking with other knowledgeable rod designers about different actions. AIR TH 6wt: Built in 3 different lengths including 11’6”, 12’6”, and the new 13’3” tapers, these 6 weights dial anglers into specific fishing applications. Jason varnished somewhere in the range of 6-700 rods. Winston tasked their rod maker with when developing the Boron III Plus line of performance fly rods. This is very important, as anglers tend to use lighter tippets and smaller flies to fool wary fish on many of the heavily fished waters. Combining our proprietary SuperSilica lightweight resin system and Boron III material with modern progressive tapers, Winston Saltwater AIR rods deliver the celebrated Winston “feel”, along with balanced, fast graphite recovery rates, for incredible line speed and presentation, making them our most versatile rods in saltwater environments. 19 posts • Page 1 of 1. George Grant was making casts with a Greenheat rod of 55 yards or so, about hundred years ago. For all-around summer steelhead, the classic 12’6” adds versatility to both Skagit and dry line applications. With proper use and balance of design concepts such as hollow-building, reduced weight joining methods, and cutting edge component use, I never any more feel the need to reach for graphite. A great many poles are rejected in China because they are not straight, have large areas of damage or discoloration, have shallow power fiber depth, or are not dense. Building the world's best bamboo fly rods and celebrating the history and craftsmanship of fly fishing. The anglers came from around the United States, and they fished with a broad variety of rods. Give the Gift of a Fly Rod . Since 1973 Marc Aroner has been building high-performance bamboo fly rods for anglers around the world. Some of this time was spent in drift boats, but more time was spent on streams wading beside anglers and watching them fish. Post by Peales » 12/17/10 13:24. I have been building fly rods for 40 years. 612 Griffin Drive, Unit B Bozeman, MT 59715. This saves a substantial amount of time final cutting them on the Hand Mill. An engineer by training, Garrison's approach was characteristically precise and mathematical, and many of his tapers are still used today. In those days, I often showed our motel guests where to fish, and gradually I grew into an early career as a fishing guide. 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