It all starts with a 12 foot culm of bamboo

Bamboo Rod Build, Part VI, Hardware Selection
 

With my annual Christmas shopping out of the way this morning (go to Best Buy early, drop a bundle, and get out before the crowd descends) it's time for some more decisions to made about our rod. We've got to get some hardware ordered if this rod is to be ready for Superboo. Although hardward and wrap color choices have no bearing on how a rod will cast, it's a very important step in adding a personal touch to a rod.

Below are some past choices I've made for rods I have built:

Spacer wood, L to R: walnut; maple burl, rosewood; zebra wood; cedar; cork; cocobolla; tiger maple; zebra wood; zebra wood; zebra wood; cork. As you can see, I'm a big fan of zebra wood.

Although sliding bands work fine on lighter rods, I prefer a positive locking screw nickel silver reel seat on 7.5 ft rods and longer. I also prefer the more modern looking uplocking reel seat for longer rods.

As far as cork grips are concerned, I like the simplistic look of a standard grip, but superfine (reversed halfwells) are nice too. All my grips are flor grade now.

Hook tenders should be saddle and ring, IMO, although most of my earlier rods have a standard loop tender.

Wraps: I prefer earthtone shades of gold, tan, brown. I also love the look of cardinal (deep red) wraps, which are very classy and appear jewel-like when the sunlight hits them just right. Bright red is okay, but just a tad on the gaudy side for my taste.

Nowadays, wraps on bamboo rods are almost always silk, preferably Gossamer (6/0) or Naples (4/0). Unlike the modern graphite fly, where wraps tend to be bulbous or football shaped, the look we are trying to achieve with bamboo is as flat and understated as possible. That look is just not possible with nylon. I also like tipping (5 turns maximum) to compliment the wraps.

Winding checks should be hex shaped and nickel silver.

As far as stripping guides are concerned, I prefer low profile tungsten carbide over agate. Less is more with bamboo, IMO, and agate strippers are just a bit too gaudy for my tastes. But if someone has a nice understated agate stripper they want to donate to the cause, we can talk.

I'd love to hear the opinions of others on this subject.