No other material looks like cane. New Split Bamboo Cast Rod Another Zhu original, which is a meticulously designed piece of work with Tonkin bamboo cane that we can’t get enough of. Yet another affordable choice, this one comes with a high-quality handle and is only one piece. Ultimately it is "just" a fishing rod, a highly effective and beautiful tool that will give many years of satisfaction and pleasure. Farlow of London. We also perform the highest quality repairs & restorations on fine antique rods. ... Of course, every maker has his own way of doing certain things and they may want to keep a few little secrets, but for the most part, the making of bamboo rods is more out in the open than it ever has been. Fitted with a 30″ cork handle, metal button butt cap, blued brass ferrules and a full set of ‘low bell’ rings. However, unbeknown to many, there are still in existence, and … Search your area for nearby makers. Foster's description of the range of handles available on their cane rods. Fishing Rod Maker: Tackling the art of a split cane rod-maker. when a fish is hooked the movements and power of the fighting fish is communicated back down the line into the anglers hand; hook a 10" wild trout on a good 7ft 4wt and you will see why so many people are talking about cane rods. Frank began attending the Rodmakers Gatherings and filming Hoagy Carmichael demonstrating how to build a bamboo fly rod using Everett Garrison’s … It’s on the shorter end at 5’1 versus the other rods (which are all around 7’). The all nickel-silver sliding band and cup reel seat is a direct copy of the American original, - you can see a similar reel seat used on a Leonard rod. However, on closer inspection, the Hardy bridge guides are handsomely wrapped with jasper silk tipped red where most other examples seem restricted to claret silk. You will find Foster's entry on the second page about two-thirds of the way down, in the Bronze awards section. Most split-cane bamboo fly rod makers use forms that are five to six feet in length. The Edward Barder Rod Company, UK: Barder-rod.co.uk – Pre-owned Rods and Tackle – “Craft: Split Cane Fishing Rod Maker Edward Barder” Bauer, Simon, Germany: Sb-canerods.de – Borriero, Moreno, Italy: Mbrods.com. Behold the beauty and handling of a classic Split Cane Bamboo Fly Rod. The Angler, The Artist And The Alcedo Atthis, This scathing attack can be aimed at none other than Hardy's of Alnwick - note "h. my underline...  What becomes even more interesting is Fosters report of their products' success at the London International Fisheries Exhibition of 1883. In … Local makers understand the needs of the local angler. It seems that Foster's weren't the only ones capable of extravagant claims, by 1882 Leonard had been making split cane rods commercially for 11 years... W Woodfield and Sons, Redditch. ... Tom was very pleased to leave his company name and his legacy to Calum Gladstone, his friend and fellow rod maker at Hardy Bros. Each cast is slower and deliberate, forcing you to slow down and become one with the setting around you. E.g. Basically,this is why I make and fish cane rods. Most new technologies begin by imitating that which has gone before, it takes time for a thing to be accepted as and for itself. Many bamboo and wood species were used as a building material before and during that period but bamboo soon became the popular and preferred material to use. Gallery. But if your temperament is running and gunning, bamboo isn’t for you. Hook a fish on a well balanced cane rod and the whole set up comes alive like no other material. No other material feels like cane. Throughout the 1950’s and 60’s the Company introduced many innovative rod designs such as the Peter Stone Ledgerstrike and the Fred.J Taylor Roach Rod … A wide selection of modern and classic tapers are offered. I've chosen to include this rod at this point because it too shows some influence of American practice, notably the cone-shaped winding check and the use of Chinese red wraps when most British rods were being wrapped in black or claret. How do you make the handle of a cane rod work like that of the more familiar wooden rod? Mortised rods were well known in the USA, you can see examples of them in the American Rods section. Welcome to Gladstone Fly Rods. Split Bamboo rod blanks; About R Chapman & Co. To make some sense of the rod making process here is a basic outline: Cane Selection, Initial Splitting, Node Staggering, Straightening and Flattening Nodes, Rough Planing, Pre-Beveling, Heat Treating, Taper Selection, Setting the Forms, Planing the Taper, Gluing, Sanding and Spline Identification, Ferruling, Grip Installation, Varnishing and Guide Installation, Proud smiles and satisfaction. Welcome to the Split Bamboo Rod Company, Makers of finely handcrafted Spit Bamboo Fly Rods. At 11′ long and in two sections it is perfect for most rivers that hold stocks of the hard fighting Barbel. No other material casts like cane. Fosters of Ashbourne, Pezon and Michel, Alex Walker, Marcus Warwick, JJS Walker Bampton, Playfair, Andersons, Ogden Smith, Allcocks and many more…. The first fish taken on the rod was a beautiful 2½lb grayling that rose to a diminutive size 16 Red Tag. Welcome to Ryan Burns Rod Restorations. Read Bob's New Book!!! line, or three piece general 11’0” bottom rod, or 9’ fly rod for 6 weight line. If you walk into any angling shop, the world over, there will be a sea of mass-produced carbon-fibre fishing rods, racks and racks of them, light-weight, space-age, efficient, and yet, inevitably, soulless. GLADSTONE. Experience the quality of a custom handcrafted fly rod. About. We are full time rodmakers, not hobbyists. We have dedicated ourselves to the art of handcrafting split cane flyrods for the discriminating angler. A Martin Bamboo Fly Rod. Possibly by another Redditch maker, Martinez and Bird,at first glance there is nothing particularly remarkable about this rod. The Snake Rod and other stories from the rodmaker's bench. Millward of Redditch. There are more … Redditch became a centre for fishing tackle manufacture and wholesaling through the manufacture there of sewing needles. Welcome to Brandin Split-Cane Rods - I design rods with primarily two qualities in mind, smoothness and power. A page from Foster's catalogue describing their graduated winch fitting. Including; Reels, Boxes, Lines, Nets, Wading Staffs, Priests, Rod Building and Repairs.. Norman Agutters Split Cane Fishing Rods and Tackle There is a sliding brass band reel seat, but instead of one band being fixed, both can be moved allowing some leeway in the placement of the reel. This extended to suction ferrules as well as split cane itself, and led to a whole gaggle of bizarre development in British rod making one of which is the steel centre. Bamboo, cork and nickel silver combine to make a stunning object; a well finished cane rod is often referred to as a work of art, it is not. “JJ” as the rod is called, is perfect for fishing the many small becks in the Yorkshire Dales and is a testament to Gary’s craft as a cane rod maker. Custom Split Bamboo Fly Rods. John MacPherson of Inverness. New Custom Rods, Repairs and Restorations. Welcome. It was common for highly respected ‘rod makers’ to buy in completed split cane from specialist makers. Established in the late 1940s by Charles and Ronald Chapman, the family firm of R.Chapman & Co. has been synonymous with the manufacture of bamboo fishing rods and blanks for over fifty years. The need to dry silk lines both during and after a fishing session led to some remarkable and some familiar innovations. That rod is still in service today,it is also pictured in the photo below. For stream and river flyfishing there is no better material. The key-stock is sold in twelve foot lengths, so a single piece can be cut in half to create two six foot long sections. This was considered preferable to laying the rod on the ground during the prolonged periods when fishing was suspended because the silk line being used was being dried, often by draping it over bankside bushes to dry out in the sun. There seems also to have been a family connection with another important London manufacturer/retailer, Sowerbutts, whose coarse fishing rods are often seen on the secondary market. Broms, Stefan and Mats Öberg, Sweden: Scandcane.com Frank Payne began building fiberglass and graphite rods in the early 1980’s and was introduced to bamboo by Dave Brandt (legendary fly tier and an illustrator of A Master’s Guide to Building A Bamboo Fly Rod by Everett Garrison & Hoagy B. Carmichael). Behold the beauty and handling of a classic Split Cane Bamboo Fly Rod. Split cane rods were developed in the USA in the 1870s. The British generally use the term "split cane." Bamboo Rod Makers Welcome to bamboorodmakers.com. Rod Repair Service. Split bamboo fly rods, hand made from Tonkin Cane in Australia by Nick Taransky. Find local bamboo rod makers. Further, if you look at the first page, it was Hardy's that gained a Gold award for their trout rods AND there is no specific reference in the book to steel-centred fishing rods of any type. They were less frequently seen here, though as you can see from the enclosed advert, from Foster's 1887 catalogue, cedar inset handles, as well as leather covered handles, were offered. This "open" attitude leaves me indebted to … The first step in building your fly rod planing forms will be to place the two bars onto a flat surface and clamp them down (in this case, … Famous makers of these rods over the years such as Hardy, Farlows, Milwards, Chapmans, B.James, Walker Bampton and Allcocks are just a few of the names that are sought after by collectors. Split Cane Fishing Rods and Game Fly Fishing Tackle Specialist Makers of Split Cane and Bamboo Rods and Tackle. The answer is to combine the two. This site accesses and is available to all bamboo fly rod makers. My name is Don Green, I have been making and restoring bamboo rods since 1978. The rod also has proprietary bayonet lock ferrules. Home ABOUT BRANDIN RODS ROD CATALOG RODS AND REELS CURRENTLY IN STOCK MODELS IN DEVELOPMENT CARE OF BAMBOO RODS NEWSLETTER LINKS STREET-LEVEL PHOTOS E.C. The company was established in 1887 and came to offer all manner of fishing requisites. Until this time rods had been made from whole cane or solid wood, and the split cane rod was a big improvement due to its lightness and flexibility (the ‘carbon fibre of the day’). All of my rods are built to order and you have control over everything from grip shape, guide colour and shade of silk as a standard. Of course, once they began making fish hooks, it made sense to expand into other fishing goods and so Redditch became the major centre for the trade. Telephone: 0115 9736550 Split cane fly fishing rods from other quality makers apart from those brands already named such as Hardy and Farlows. Another indication of an early date is the use of pigskin on the handle. Hardy Victor No1 Palakona 8′ split cane spinning casting rod with makers bag & tags £ 199.00 Rare Hardy “The No.1 Victor” Palakona Spinning Rod, No.E63048 with a built date 1947, 8’ 2 piece Palakona split cane, burgundy whipped clear agate guides throughout and tulip end ring, lock fast ferrule, 16” shaped cork handle with alloy screw winch fitting. This button could be removed and replaced with a butt spear which could be thrust into the ground to hold the rod safely in an upright position. Boström, Kennet, Sweden: Rackelhanen. The belief was that a correctly tempered steel core, particularly in the butt section, would enable a fishing rod to recover more quickly during the cast, and would store more energy as a result, leading to easier and longer casting. ... to meet the rod makers (in this case Harry, Jeff & Mark); hear them speak , … Fishing with a fly rod, the way we know it today, started between 1790 and 1845. Although Redditch grew significantly as a centre for tackle making through the nineteenth century, there had been a tradition of tackle makers and sellers in London since Izaak Walton's day. Andrew Davis split cane course rods and fly rods are hand made to order in the UK. “JJ” My Perfect Small Becks Split Cane Fly Rod Each one is carefully hand-made, one-at-a-time, to meet the desires of the most discriminating fly fishers. This is the Frontispiece from Foster's 1887 Catalogue, clearly showing images of medals gained at the 1883 Exhibition, yet there appears to be no correlation with the published jury result. a barefaced lie? Every rod that I make is entirely hand made, no Carbon & Glass Rods. Aside from the content reproduced here, the 1883 Exhibition Catalogue is a fascinating document available as a .pdf. These blanks were sometimes made to the preparation and taper specification of the shop, but many appear to have been of a generic type for a purpose, e.g. The guides have been replaced but from the ghosting seem likely to have been snake guides rather than the Hardy bridge guides seen on other similar rods of the time. This one has earned its place here through another example of imitation, in this case, USA made cane rods. Pictured at the right is a photo of my wife and I fishing with my first handcrafted rod. Bamboo, cork and nickel silver combine to make a stunning object; a well finished cane rod is often referred to as a work of art, it is not. Over 30 years experiance with the Famous Hardy Brothers and Tom Moran. Fly Rods. This extended to suction ferrules as well as split cane itself, and led to a whole gaggle of bizarre development in British rod making  one of which is the steel centre. Each of our custom fly rods are hand split, planed and finished in the English tradition by our highly experienced rod makers. The Taw made in Devonshire using traditional hand tools and techniques to produce the very highest quality bespoke split cane fly rods. Even though split bamboo rods had been imported from the USA since the late 1880's, there seems to have been an inherent mistrust of the medium among the British manufacturers. ... and the rod maker will split it up to two dozen times to make the tapered strips that will be glued together to form a blank section. Hand crafted to an extremely high finish, they are a joy to fish with. In the right hands it will cast a long line accurately and delicately. A split-cane fly rod begins with a stalk of dried bamboo, known as a “culm,” whose walls are made up of three parts: a thin outer wall called the enamel, the dense power fibers that give the material its strength and recovery rate, and finally the chalky pith. two piece 8’0” spinning rod for 8 - 12 lb. Why splitcane? In Stock. There are many cane rod makers in the USA and in mainland Europe, especially in Italy – unlike the UK these countries have very active organisations, arranging … The Bamboo Fly Rods History The story of the split cane bamboo fly rods actually starts just before the American Civil War. The F. D. Kretchman Rod Co. started in 1993 and today crafts the finest Split Bamboo Fly Rods . An Interview with Edward Barder from The Edward Barder Rod Company. The "heyday" of bamboo fly rod production and use was an approximately 75-year period from the 1870s to the 1950s when fiberglass became the predominant material for fly rods. It has even been suggested that this might be by an American manufacturer, possibly Horrocks-Ibbotson rather than being  British-made. The answer is a simple one. These are the two relevant consecutive pages from the Jury's adjudication. Bamboo Rods. As a parting shot, I include this page from Hardy's 1951 Catalogue, making reference to their 1883 Gold Medal. This Hardy rod is actually slightly earlier than the one illustrated above, serial no 59858 makes its manufacture date 1902. Even though split bamboo rods had been imported from the USA since the late 1880's, there seems to have been an inherent mistrust of the medium among the British manufacturers. I have a small split in the tip of one of my rods just above the top ferrule (not the tiptop). Here is a case in point. Homer's had an address on Forrest Gate in London, and were better known for their taxidermy than for their tackle. Split cane fly rods, also known as bamboo fly rods, are often viewed as beautiful keepsakes, too often stored behind glass cases and admired rather than fished with. As an individual maker, I can design and build each rod exactly as I feel it should be. Ultimately it is "just" a fishing rod, a highly effective and beautiful tool that will give many years of satisfaction and pleasure. Most British made cane rods were equipped with a threaded socket in the butt of the rod, usually fitted with a rubber button. Our efforts are focused on making the best rod that we can, using only the finest available materials. It will tuck short neat roll casts into the quiet places where trout lie.