Bamboo Fly Fishing Rods - Why They Are The Best

When it comes to fly fishing rods and the material that they are made out of, it is no question that bamboo holds up as the best. Making a fly rod out of bamboo is an art, and it must be cured, split and glued properly to make a good rod. If they are made right, they will greatly out perform any other kind of fly fishing rod out there.

There are a couple of kinds of bamboo canes that rod makers are using these days, they are male and female, and they are either Tonkin or Calcutta. But as of now Calcutta is becoming a lot harder to come by then it was in the past. Therefore a good amount of the bamboo fly fishing rods that are made, are constructed using a good piece of Tonkin cane.

Out of all the types of bamboo that are used to make a fly rod, it is said that the male Calcutta cane is the best. If you can not afford the best, then you could get a fly rod that is made from African cane. These kinds of bamboo fly rods are great and you will not go broke trying to buy one.

We assume that you know that bamboo is split and then glued together in order to utilize the hard outer enamel and reduce the diameter of the pieces. Some rods are made of bamboo split into six sections and some in eight, but the six strip construction is more often used.

So which one should you go for, the 6 or the 8? Although there have been claims that the 8 strip section rods hold up better, there is no absolute proof, and it all boils down to the quality of the cane that is used to make the rod anyway.

Eight strip rods are more expensive than the six strip fly fishing rods, and if the angler wants a round bamboo fly fishing rod they are preferable to the six strip planed down as planning certainly must injure a rod. As a general rule a well-made six strip rod leaves little to be desired.

A novelty in bamboo fly fishing rod making is what is known as the double built rods which are made of two layers of split and glued bamboo, one within the other. They are heavier and strong, and it is claimed, hold their shape better, than ordinary fly fishing rods.

An English innovation is the steel center rod which consists of a fine piece of well-tempered steel running as a core through sections of regular split bamboo. The makers claim this construction gives a rod of superior casting power with only of an ounce added weight. Friends who possess rods of this kind are enthusiastic admirers of this construction for heavy fishing.