Fly Fishers Fancy Bamboo Fly Rods

Bamboo fly rods range is quality from not-so-good to the best-fly-rods-made-bar-none! Bamboo has been used to make fishing rods for thousands of years. Its sturdiness and flexibility are uniquely synergistic with the sport of fly fishing. If you are looking for your first rod or your ultimate rod, your best bet is to acquire a bamboo fly rod.

The earliest references in history of rod fishing come from both Egypt and China. No one knows which civilization was first, and it hardly matters. Both civilizations would have used a grass such as bamboo for the rod. The Chinese were already using bamboo for items such as bamboo plates, bamboo vases, and bamboo steamers long before that. It is enough to know that rods have been used for at least 4000 years. For most of that time, they were of simple construction. A line was tied to the end of a rod and used with bait attached to the end of the line. Sometimes the technique was as simple as just dropping the line into the river. Other times, fishermen speak of twirling the line and casting it out into the river. These are the earliest accounts of what would become modern fly fishing.

It wasn't until the 1700's, however, that casting was written about with an eye toward improving the technique of casting, and sometime between the mid 1700's and early 1800's the reel was invented. This extended the line down the rod and onto a gear box for ease in manipulating the length of the line while casting and in pulling the bait through the water after casting. So, it is safe to say, the modern fly rod technology has been improving for close to 200 years. During that entire time, the most influential high-end artisans used bamboo as the main rod material.

Today, the fly rod market is replete with low-end bamboo rods that can be purchased in almost any sporting good department. The first flood of low-end rods into the United States came after the end of World War II when servicemen returning from the pacific brought back hordes of cheap Japanese rods. Yet, even these very low-end rods are still in use today, after 60 years, pointing directly to the durability of bamboo as the base material.

Bamboo fly rods range in price from under $50 USD to over $2000 USD. Most bamboo products do not have such a huge gap between the lowest and highest prices. Products such as bamboo fountains, bamboo kitchen items, and bamboo fences stay relatively close in price from the lowest to highest quality. The rise in price of the bamboo fly rod is directly proportional to the quality of the engineering and artistry used in constructing the rod. High-end rods are generally made entirely by hand, usually by only one person. The lower end rods are generally manufactured on an assembly line by a combination of machine and assembly worker.

Whether your goal is to purchase a starter rod for your child, or add a classic, high-quality rod to your fishing arsenal, you can do no better than to purchase a bamboo fly rod