MAINE - Life in the Slow Lane
Scott
I know of two people who do Bamboo and I will see if I can get them on to help answer your question. May not happen right away, but I will try to get them on the site to help.
Lee
Scott,
You could also try asking these guys the same question.
http://clarksclassicflyrodforum.yuku.com/
Paul-
Hi Scott,
You're right, other than the sentimental fact that the rod had been used by your grandfather, it has no real value, especially with a single broken tip. There are ceratin older cane rods, made by well-known makers, that have very real value, but unfortunately, they are in the vast minority. For some reason, many out there have gotten the impression that all older bamboo rods are valuable.Take a look on ebay sometime at "bamboo fly rod" and you'll see the vast majority sell for very little money. Sounds like the rod is missing nabout 2-3 inches off the tip. You might try adding a tip-top, and then spacing the first snake guide down about half way between the second snake guide and the tip-top. You might have a serviceable rod there...tthen again, it's more likely to be heavy and unwieldy. Oh well, nothing gained; nothing lost...
As for conditioning, there's nothing really necessary other than to clean up the guides a bit. Try a few different weight lines and see which best loads the rod.
For those who have never cast a well-made bamboo rod, it can a life altering and subsequently a bank account draining experience! I fell so bad for the lure of the cane that I starting making my own a year ago.
joel
Thanks Joel
That was a very informative post. Joel I hope you like the site and will contribute from time to time. Please keep in touch so we can get together this summer for that trip to the mountains.
Lee
P. S. Joel check out he photo album Misc. and Friends under my photo album, there are four shots of you with some pretty nice fish.
Joel,
Thank you very much for your response. I may try the tip-top you mentioned or I may just hang it on the wall. I'm still new to the sport and probably would get more fustrated trying to use the old stick. Welcome to the site.
Lee, thank you for finding a great source to answer my question.
Scott
Just wondering if anyone has experience with bamboo rods.
I found an old rod at my mothers a few days ago which I think belonged to her father. The tip of it has been broken off and I'm sure it is long gone. The rod is about 8' long and the break is about 3" above the last eye. I can't imagine the rod was a high class rod to begin with.
Can the last eye be removed and have an end eye put onto the end? In addition, should there be any conditioning done to the bamboo since it has not been used in 30 plus years, or should I just hanging it up on the wall for decoration?
I have a perfectly good rod to use now, it's more of a "getting back to basics" or a heritage thing now.
The only information on the rod is: Actionrod Model 71990, Bass Artion.
Thanks,
Scott
scott