"An Affair with Arundinaria Amabilis"
By D. W. Hildebrand
September 23, 2003 | Bamboo Fly Fishing

I am an addict. I have an unrequited thirst and desire for all things bamboo. I want rods, bobbins, and even wind chimes.

I believe there are several underlying misconceptions concerning bamboo and especially bamboo fly rods and that is what this article is intended to deal with. I will also attempt in my own way to give a brief history of other rod types and construction.

I frequently hear the statement that fly rod construction is bamboo, sometimes referred to as cane or split cane, versus carbon fiber (graphite). Let’s deal with that right up front. The discussion is interesting but is certainly not an us versus them argument. Actually, there is no argument. One is not better than the other, merely different. End of discussion.

Rods have been constructed of many different materials since man began angling. They have been made of greenheart, Calcutta and Tonkin cane, steel, fiberglass, graphite and carbon composite, and have contained many various additives. The type of construction has changed with the times and desires of the angling public.

Greenheart fly rods were mainly a solid wood rod favored in the very early fishing stories of this country. It was still an available rod in many stores until the late 1920’s to early 1930’s. It is a very dense fibered wood with an appearance similar to walnut. The rods produced from greenheart are normally of a very full flexing action with a pronounced sway and slow, methodical timing. There is still the occasional greenheart rod made even today.

One of the first bamboo culms used for construction of fly rods was Calcutta cane. Calcutta was the favored bamboo for rods constructed from the mid 1840’s until the early part of the twentieth century. The makers of Calcutta cane rods may have been some of the most versatile and constructive artisans of the early rod making era. Calcutta cane was frequently inhabited by boring worms and also frequently straightened prior to import over open fires which resorted in scorched areas on the cane and frequent burn markings. Staggering of strips was more to produce a series of unmarked sections for looks and strength than to determine the most aesthetically pleasing and efficient node spacing concept.

There were also rods constructed of steel. While not usually pleasing to the eye and of a stricter, more utilitarian construction, they served the purpose and can still be found in yard sales and at various antiquities auctions from time to time.

Then came the rods constructed of arundinaria amabilis, which is more commonly know as Tonkin Cane or Bamboo. Out of the several thousand varieties of this particular grass family, only Tonkin (sometimes called tea-stick bamboo by growers) has the strength and elasticity while still maintaining what is considered an acceptable weight after construction. Many assume that the bamboo is grown in the Gulf of Tonkin due to the name given this bamboo. The bamboo is actually grown in China’s Kwangtung Province between 1000 and 2000 feet above sea level. This plant grows to an amazing height in a very short period of time. The bamboo shoots grow from ground level to mature height in a few months. Only with age does it become thicker and more dense. (Sounds similar to our anatomy, doesn’t it?) After a period of two to four years the bamboo is harvested by cutting, stripped of leaves, scrubbed clean, and left to dry in the sun. The plant has been able to grow to such an amazing height and withstand winds and other natural hazards due to its tubular structure. This structure is interrupted from time to time throughout the length of the reed by internal membranes which happen at the same point as the external nodal ridges. Leaves also grow at the nodes. Connecting all the nodal areas are long, tough cellulose fibers held together by lignin. These are the “power fibers” talked about so enthusiastically by bamboo rod admirers. These are most dense (heaviest) at the outer layers under the enamel and least dense near the internal or pith side of the bamboo.

Why do fly rods have such strength whether constructed of bamboo, glass or graphite? In engineering terms, having the greatest strength farthest from the central axis is one of the main reasons. This is why bamboo makes a very suitable mode of constructions for fly rods and also explains why fiberglass and graphite rods are hollow. It is also why solid wood rods have been gradually phased out over time as their greatest strength is spread throughout the wood instead of concentrated in the outer areas or even in one particular area which could then be formed into an outer layer.

There are many sources of information on glass and graphite construction and thus I will not attempt to pass myself off as an expert in these areas. Suffice it to say that both are laid up or wound about a mandrel which allows for the tapering and variance in fiber makeup that makes the rod action work in the desired manner.

Now on to some common misconceptions and theories on bamboo fly rods.
First, they are more fragile than composite rods. I have personally taken a glued up bamboo rod blank and walked down the length of it on a concrete shop floor. Did it break, crack, or in any other way become damaged? No, it didn’t. I have also been told of a maker that takes a section of glued up rod section which has been sanded to a point on one end and takes a hammer and drives it through a board. Try either of those with a composite blank. Now tell me which is more fragile.

They require more care than composite rods. Perhaps, in some views, they do. You should not put a bamboo rod in its tube wet. They should be wiped off and allowed to dry. They are not a use it and forget it tool. They do occasionally “take a set” or bend slightly due to playing extraordinarily heavy fish on one particular side or being leaned against a wall while assembled for a long period of time. These are fairly easily straightened by a competent rod maker and the sparing use of heat while applying some force in the direction opposite the bend.

Pieces of Eight

The author has begun taking creation to the next level.

You cannot cast as far with a bamboo rod. Bunk! Maybe not if your name is Rajeff or a one of the very few tournament casters that is able to get the absolute ultimate out of a composite rod. In my opinion, 99% of fly fishers are not in that category regardless of their skill level and the thought that a particular taper or construction will make you a tournament caster is ridiculous and perhaps a bit vain. Bamboo rods held all distance records for a large number of years and there are many able fishers out there that get all the distance they want or need from bamboo. Fly fishing is not all about distance and to make it so is to trivialize and thereby make minimal many of the most important attributes of our sport.

How you fly fish can be determined by many different factors. Some, but not all of these are fly selection (wet, dry, nymph, streamers) size of water fished, line size and type, distance needed to effectively present the fly, fresh or salt water, and weather. Is one particular rod construction the optimal one for each of these variables? I would certainly think not. You certainly don’t take a Corvette on an off-road adventure any more than you see off road vehicles drag racing.

If I get one prevailing comment from first time bamboo rod users, it would be: “Wow! I didn’t know these things had this much power or were so crisp!” They are certainly not all soft or all noodly. That is a very major misconception. A fine bamboo fly rod can be constructed using a virtually infinite taper. A few thousandths of an inch here and there can change everything.

Another common comment is the touch or feel of fishing the rod. I truly believe that bamboo rods protect fine tippets better than the equivalent composite rod. I frequently feel that these rods have a “soul”. They have a feel in hand that I cannot personally attribute to composite rods. They are easy on the eyes. The fibers, the varnish, the smell when the tube is uncapped along with the fact that there is an indescribable romance associated with this particular tool. Some envision the lone rod maker in his shop or basement methodically splitting, straightening, planning, gluing up, varnishing and personally overseeing each step of the construction of this instrument. I am not saying many similar steps don’t take place with composite rods, it is merely the one craftsman vision that prevails in cane rods.

I am not certain who said it, whether it was Traver, Schweibert, or another, but my favorite quote concerning bamboo rods, loosely paraphrased, is “When the New York Philharmonic starts playing plastic violins, then I’ll start fishing plastic rods”.

In this day of instant gratification and hurry up and get it done, I find the slower, more rhythmic pace of fishing a bamboo rod adds to the entire experience and allows me to slow down and enjoy the entire outing not merely whether I catch fish or not. My connection with the water and the fish is more alive and I feel more at peace. I have not yet seen a bamboo fisher standing in midstream with a cell phone clipped to his vest or talking on one while fishing and hope not to. Once more, in my opinion some things have a place in the equation or belong and others do not.

I am certain some of my comments here have angered, dismayed, or utterly alienated some of you. If that is the result, then I apologize. That was not my intent.

Are bamboo rods for everyone? No, and I am grateful they aren’t. I will say that until you try one, you’ll never know.