Bamboo Fly Fishing Rods

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History & Construction of Bamboo Fly Fishing Rods

I couldn't have described it any better than Kuan Chee Yung (blog linked below)..."A good modern bamboo rod is a work that is always created at a loss. As every artist knows, selling our craft is like removing a pound of flesh. It is a product that is the labor of calm passion, created after some 60 hours of delicate work. In some strange way, the high value is also translated to the fish as the ritual of fishing becomes more than just catching fish. It is an investment in a lifestyle that suggests a future in Eden, with leaves of green and flowing clear water."

In the late 1800s, a handmade bamboo fly fishing rod could sell for the outrageous price of $15. Today a high end hand made rod taking 60 hours to craft may cost $1500 or more.

Ready to learn more about bamboo fly fishing rods? Then you're in the right place, keep reading my lens! You'll learn about the history and construction of the split cane bamboo fly fishing rod. Before you know it, you'll be ready for one yourself!

By the way, this web page has an excellent collection of Bamboo Fly Rods already organized for you to browse, so check out the eye candy...then come back here to learn more!

The original Wooden Fishing Rods 

Made of Ironwood and Greenheart, two very dense and water resistant woods.

Prior to the civil war, fly rods were made of woods such as Ironwood and Greenheart. Ironwood is a tree that grows in the dry Sonoran desert, can grow up to 45 feet tall, and can be as old as 1500 years! It is an evergreen tree and is renowned as being one of the world's densest woods, hence it's name. The tree has great value as an ecological habitat as well as for medicinal and other practical purposes.

Greenheart is a South American tree with dense wood that is water resistant, and was frequently used in underwater applications such as wharves and bridges. It is an obvious choice for fishing rods.

These rods were made of sections that were spliced together, and if you are lucky, you may still be able to find an Ironwood or Greenheart fly rod for sale on ebay.

These dense, exotic woods made for long and heavy rods that required two hands to cast and use. After the American Civil War, some people began to experiment with new material that made much lighter, more flexible, more resonsive fly fishing rods.

The First American Bamboo Rod 

Built in Easton, PA...only one rod by this maker is know to still exist!

Dr. James Henshall, author of Book of the Black Bass (1881) notes that the first known bamboo fly fishing rod was made in 1848 by a man from Pennsylvania named Mr. Samuel Phillippi, a gunsmith Easton. This evidence is supported in verbal testimony from two well known fly fishermen of the time. Charles Luke and Charles Murphy, both of Newark, NJ as well as Mr. W.W. Bowlby of New York City.

All three men credit "Old Sam Phillippi" with having made the first split cane bamboo rods by hand in his gunshop. Old Sam's rods were made with three joints, and the butt was made of ash.

Standing on the shoulders of giants, the first giant being Old Sam, further refinements were made in the bamboo fly fishing rod. The first refinement was made by either a Mr. EA Green or a Mr. Thaddeus Norris. Their rods were constructed fully of Bamboo without the ash butt.

Still further improvements were made by none other than Mr. Charles Murphy who had credited Old Sam Phillippi with being the inventor of a split cane bamboo fly rod.

Mr Murphy began to produce 100% split cane bamboo fly rods for trade around 1863. By this time the design of the bamboo fly rod was being refined and the market was big enough that commercial manufacturing could begin to take place.

 

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Bamboo Fly Rods for Sale 

First Commercial Makers of Bamboo Fly Rods include HL Leonard...still in business today!

By this time, several makers of split cane bamboo fly rods were producing rods for trade and even teaching skilled craftsman the techniques for production.

Early bamboo fly rod builders included Mr. H. L. Leonard, Dr. A. H. Fowler, Andrew Clerk & Co and their successors Abbey & Imbrie. Other manufacturers ridiculed these visionaries, calling the market for bamboo fly fishing rods a "Phatom and False Idea"

While the true origins of the split bamboo fly rod may never be known with 100% certainty, the consistance with which the early notable men of the era agree is reassuring.

As Perry F. Frazer wrote in his book, Amateur Rodmaking, 1914, "Phillipe was undoubtedly, indubitably, and manifestly the first to build a four-strip or six-strip split bamboo rod."

According to Tom Kerr, author of oldrods.com, The only known Phillipe rod lives in the Pennsylvania State Museum in Harrisburg, PA. In Tom's own words, "It's the single most beautiful piece I've ever seen."

Bamboo Fly Rod Sites 

My personal picks for great bamboo fly rod sites

Fly Fishing Reviews
Angled Reviews is a fly fishing blog and gear review website. Auctions and sales for all types of fly fishing equipment
Fly Fishing Club Singapore: Bamboo Rods and Fly-fishing: An Introduction
Fly Fishing Club Singapore. A Newsletter for Fly Fishing Club Singapore. Written by Fly Fishermen for Fly Fishermen.

Great Books on Building Bamboo Fly Rods 

You'll want several of these on your fly fishing bookshelf!

Fundamentals of Building a Bamboo Fly-Rod

Amazon Price: $23.10 (as of 12/05/2009) Buy Now

Fishing Bamboo: An Angler's Passion for the Traditional Fly Rod

Amazon Price: $11.21 (as of 12/05/2009) Buy Now

Handcrafting Bamboo Fly Rods

Amazon Price: $18.21 (as of 12/05/2009) Buy Now

Splitting Cane: Conversations With Bamboo Rodmakers

Amazon Price: $19.77 (as of 12/05/2009) Buy Now

A Master's Guide to Building a Bamboo Fly Rod

Amazon Price: (as of 12/05/2009) Buy Now

Hey, tell me about your bamboo fly rod! 

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  • Reply
    Lexi Lexi Mar 13, 2008 @ 9:11 pm
    Nice lens! I fly fish a lot and don't actually own a bamboo rod. But we used to enjoy visiting Keith when he had his bamboo fly rod shop here in Ennis, Montana. He has since passed away but I will always remember him explaining the intricacies of fitting the bamboo parts together, it is quite an art!

    Five Stars for you!

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by SuzanneMarie

Hi, my name is Suzanne, I love to fly fish and spend my summers in Colorado Hunting for native Greenback Cutthroat Trout. Bamboo and Antique fly rods... (more)
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