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Bamboo vs Graphite
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 pcg |
#21 | |||
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Posts: 2955 06/14/2009 13:01 Admin |
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BlackHillsBill |
#22 | |||
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Posts: 2819 06/14/2009 13:26 |
Good point, Pat. I'm going to give up kabobs and eat kippers instead.
Just like my Great Uncle BlackHillsSaul, who became the famous missionary to the Sioux Nation, BlackHillsPaul, once he saw the light. But (and it's remotely possible I might have mentioned this before) that still didn't keep Formerly Saul's scalp from being exhibited in the tourist tepee at Mt. Rushmore by a warrior with graphite arrows. Yours anyway in the name of variety, BHB |
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DrakeBob |
#23 | |||
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Posts: 1365 06/14/2009 13:40 Formerly Drake |
I scabbard my rapier and stand down. Or... whatever the proper terminology is.
Piscator Non Solum Piscatur
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Flyman615 |
#24 | |||
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Posts: 3269 06/14/2009 13:49 |
Personally, I've always been partial to the classic Orvis Superfine graphite arrows.
And there's not a clunker in my quiver! (Sorry, Dave.) Best regards,
Last Edited By: Flyman615 06/14/2009 16:22.
Edited 1 time.
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 FWdB |
#25 | |||
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Posts: 437 06/14/2009 14:50 |
DrakeBob wrote: Narrow minded vs. broad minded and the suggestion that graphite is inferior to bamboo, only good for hauling fish in, which also says something about the people using it. BTW: I honestly believe that some fishermen ARE better than others, but that doesn't depend on what gear they use, so as long as you don't say silly things like that, I promise not to accuse you of anything... 
Wilfred de Bruijn
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Boo.fiberglassflyro... |
#26 | |||
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Posts: 155 06/14/2009 15:03 |
I once started off narrow minded fishing only graphite. Then one day, for whatever reason, I bought a bamboo rod. Maybe it was to "experiment" or
dabble in the things forsaken [as people did in the '60's and '70's] to become "broad minded" if you will. Later in years, possibly
due to nonfulfillment or maybe increased tolerance of bamboo, I broadened my mind once again. This time it was fiberglass. What a rush! I could see and feel
things never experienced before and without the aftereffects of feeling broke and broken of bamboo. The glass could due things never done before with bamboo.
Things like chucking large flies, tossing sink lines, fighting from the tip and/or butt. My rod [and mind] would bend and when it was over everything was
straight, again. No sets and no aftereffects! Nowadays, I find it all good. Yes, broad minded, but, around my spouse I stick with open minded.
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DrakeBob |
#27 | |||
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Posts: 1366 06/14/2009 15:48 Formerly Drake |
Wilfred, I would never say such a silly thing, so we won't be accusing each other of
anything. In fact, some of the most skilled anglers I've ever known were bait fishermen but that's another
thread for another time. Maybe I'll introduce it some time next winter when everyone is in a better mood… Bob
Piscator Non Solum Piscatur
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BlackHillsBill |
St. James Infirmary Revisited | #28 | ||
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Posts: 2821 06/14/2009 15:48 |
Now, when I die, bury me in my chest-high waders,
Put on my bulging vest, my slouching Stetson hat, Then heap boron, glass, and graphite pieces across my chest, So all the bamboo boys will know I went out standing pat. And of course broad- and open-minded, too, Another generation still using my old bamboo.
Last Edited By: BlackHillsBill 06/14/2009 16:23.
Edited 4 times.
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Pete in Vermont |
The problem of discussing cane vs. plastic is . . . | #29 | ||
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Posts: 37 06/14/2009 17:02 |
The problem of comparing cane to plastic is the same as comparing a rifle to a shotgun or a revolver to an automatic pistol. All four of those firearms
"shoot" just as all rods "fish" but they do it in different ways. There really is no adequate comparison between a double-barrel shotgun
and a M1911 .45 automatic pistol. Even if there were, you get into the $750 pistol vs. the $4,000 sub-compact .45 built from scratch by a guy who has been
named "Gunsmith of The Year" at one time or another, and the $4000 Belgian Browning 12 ga. double. To people like me, every bamboo rod is different
and I can feel that difference. I have had the exact same model T&T rods made two years apart that were completely different as well as two exact same Gary
Howells rods made 10 years apart that were like night and day. Part of the joy of fishing cane is always looking for that "perfect rod" which is
something you do not get from machine-made plastic, boron, graphite or fiberglass rods. The 232nd one down the line is the exact same as the 2,186th rod when
buying a Sage, Scott, Orvis, etc. rod of artificial material. All rods will cast a line and catch a fish; it's just that each cane rod has its own
personality and feel. If that "feel" becomes an extension of your arm and your brain learns to drop the fly exactly where you intended, then
that's a rod you'll call a "keeper" and perhaps own for many years. And when it comes time to sell it--or your estate sells it--it will have
increased in value. Few if any synthetic rods ever increase in value. In fact, the reverse is true--the older they get the less they worth due to developments
in tapers and materials. But 1939 cane is pretty much the same as 2009 cane as far as being distinctively different from rod to rod made in the same shop.
Personal preference and "feel" of the road loading and then releasing on the forecast is either "perfect" for your arm length and muscle
strength or it is not.
Pete In Vermont
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cwood |
#30 | |||
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Posts: 610 06/14/2009 18:23 |
My cane rods are the most fun to me, in both fishing and casting; however, I love my older 8'4" 4 wt. 5 pc. Scott G rod almost as much as anything in
my arsenal. I can take it anywhere I trout of pan fish and have an enjoyable experience. It has a nice action, has a lot of memories built in from using it
over the years (almost 20 years), and just feels right. It's not my favorite rod, but it is a great rod and far from being clunky. I recently got my
first glass rod and it made me realize what a great material it is for a fly rod. It's light, has a full flexing action, and really lets a fish show off
while having enough butt to land it easily. Point being, there are great casting and fishing rods out there in many materials. Cane rods are the prettiest,
the most historical, the most mojo filled (to some, including me), and can be the best casting, but there are other good rods out there if your willing to
break down those bamboo barriers to experiment. On the other hand, life is short so fish what you have most fun with.
CWood |
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pcg |
#31 | |||
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Posts: 2956 06/14/2009 19:18 Admin |
And there is another wee difference in the two materials, that I've become increasingly conscious of, and that's weight.
I've recently become a Spey rod caster. Although Spey rods were made for decades from greenheart, then from bamboo & later fiberglass, almost all are made from carbon today--perhaps all are. And the weight differential is dramatic. Because Spey rods take tremendous energy & torque when casting, to the caster weight becomes crucial. Mojo & karma play a far lesser role when you're driving a 15-foot rod through 180 degree S-curves. |
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BlackHillsBill |
#32 | |||
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Posts: 2822 06/14/2009 22:27 |
I can well believe this, Pat. Being at that hunkering-down-and-banking-the-flickering-coals stage of my life and fly casting, I've avoided even graphite spey rods, and not merely because they would be superfluous on Spearfish Creek or at the Henry's Fork, the two places I fish most often, but also because I'm too chicken-hearted. Taking up a spey rod on one's 75th birthday requires greater macho and more accident insurance than I have. And, yeah, I'm aware that George H. W. Bush has a few years on me and continues to jump out of planes in order to celebrate the anniversary of his nativity. I'm learning how to live with the shame. In large part that's because I've adopted a healthy philosophy of limitations to match my other limitations. Its cornerstone is that a nice bamboo 7'9" or 8' 5wt or a 7' or 7-1/2' 4 wt seems to fit the bill perfectly, including the BHB bill of health. Rarely, when overcome by a vagrant and undeniable spurt of energy, I reach for a 6 wt with which to explore again the outer reaches of my universe. Whatever else its benefits, the bamboo fly rod has taught me the answer to the hard question asked by Robert Frost's "Ovenbird": What to make of a diminished thing? Remarkably there's still plenty enough. And more's the wonder--it's still lots of fun. |
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Boo.fiberglassflyro... |
#33 | |||
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Posts: 157 06/16/2009 11:57 |
if fishing all three glass, grass, and graphite doesn't open your mind at least it makes one versatile. versatility is a good thing.
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wb4tjh |
#34 | |||
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Posts: 514 06/19/2009 12:00 |
I have flyrods made from all three materials, and I love all them. I would hate to limit myself to just one material. They all have their place and specialized
use.
Bill Anderson, Sarsota, Fl. "Bamboo is the Benchmark in flyrods". |
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OnlyTrout |
#35 | |||
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Posts: 67 06/19/2009 14:16 |
FWdB - I count myself in the crowd that thinks bamboo is a superior rod to fish with. I say that because I know that it's easier for me to fish with
bamboo - to be more accurate, more delicate, less break offs on the strike. But in no way do I think that makes me or anyone else a "better"
fisherman than a graphite user. If fact, in terms of number of fish caught and size, there are hundreds, thousands of graphite users that outfish me, are
better insect indentifiers, stream flow readers, casters - than me. But for me cane works better. Nobody actually stated that fact you assume. I think you
have mistakenly made assumptions that aren't there.
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riverfloggin |
#36 | |||
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Posts: 78 06/20/2009 13:40 |
A South Platte trout snapped my bamboo rod right in the middle of the top section. It was most likely my fault but I can't be sure because I was watching
the fish not my rod tip. I still landed him though, 18" bulldog of a rainbow.
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darrelll |
#37 | |||
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Posts: 117 06/20/2009 14:58 |
Well, graphite (plastic) rods have a valid use...
SW fly fishing... I have a few big Salmon rods such as my Manitou, Gaspe and I might a FE Thomas or some other high end salmon rod that might be used for SW. But, they are all HEAVY! Several years ago, I bought an 11wt and a 14wt graphite 3 or 4 piece travel blanks to build and a couple super duper gold disc drag SW reels but have yet to try SW Big Game FF yet. I had dreamed of fishing 100 lb Bluefin tunas or even 30lb Yellowfin tunas but I'd never gotten around to building the rods. This winter, I'm going to Hawaii and have started reading up on FF in Hawaii. This might be fun to try there. I'm not thinking of Big Game on this trip but on the flats and lagoons for bone fish and other tropical fish. Forget the trout and bass plants, besides you have to buy a permit to fish fresh water and need no license to fish the ocean. Sweet! I think this is where graphite has a distinct advantage... the Big Game fly rods. The rod blanks hardly weigh an ounce more than a trout rod, whereas a cane 14 weight rod will weigh substantially more and I get tired FF with a 9' 6wt cane rod in under an hour. Off topic... I've caught lots of fish in the past when I was in Hawaii... we used throw nets! The locals thought I was a local and befriended me and near lunch time, they hand me their throw net and order me to catch lunch! I've fished on a 6pac boat elbow to elbow with the crew where we would go about 3-5 miles out to a bouy where there was some kind of structure and in about one hour I landed about 22 schoolie sized yellowfin and bigeye tunas 10-25 pounds. My arms were killing me. There's no limits unlike Mexico or California on tuna. We were done fishing in under 1.5 hours it was so sick. I was kinda bummed as I really wanted to go for Wahoo (Ono) or Marlin, but the Captn didn't want to burn up a lot of gas, trolling big game as this sweet spot of his is highly profitable for him. I was only allowed to keep 1 fish and it fed 9 of us plus I had to pay him $250 for that 3 hours of fishing... When we pulled up to the dock, a fish broker met him and hauled the catch away to the fish market to sell immediately. Now THAT's fresh! Only fresher fish I've had is when we would sashimi a freshly caught tuna within minutes of landing it when fishing tuna down in Mexico. But the meat is so bloody, I'd sometimes rinse the sashimi in the bait tank before dipping it in the soy sauce and wasabi... Yes, I keep both in my saltwater tackle box at all times. A elderly (late 80's) long time family friend past away a couple years ago and before then it was on his bucket list to go tuna fishing one more time before he left this world and so I took him fishing with me and we caught some nice bluefin tunas up to about 45 lbs. All of his fishing buddies were gone over 10 years earlier and he had no one that went fishing until he asked me to take him fishing. He had such a great time on our 1.5 day trip, plus you could tell he was still a great fisherman. He had a couple custom made bamboo saltwater rods that were made for him long ago as he was an affluent man and avid fisherman when he was younger. I would love to own them, but have been too bashful to ask if the family still had them. Damn... I've started watching the tuna fishing counts... time for some Bluefin! Sorry for rambling... |
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baetisrodhani |
#38 | |||
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Posts: 70 06/20/2009 19:02 |
Pete in Vermont wrote: Hi to all and thanks for this fascinating and contraversial topic ! I like this quote from Pete, not because I know anything about guns, but because it questions the main issue at hand, it would seem to me: are we fly fishing for cold-blooded performance, efficiency, to embody preternatural prowess through technological achievement... ? Or do we rather seek an experience that involves us in the world of the stream we tentatively immerse ourselves in...? I will compare rods to wines, and thus go back to Pete of Vermont's thoughts. You can buy and drink remarkably even and faultless wines from the Southern hemisphere: no matter the year, always the same, just as good... Efficient. But they will not lead you to commune with the land that bore their grapes or the men who created them; they will not lead you to the pleasure you maybe sought... You can also buy and drink wines that distinctly belong to a part of the world they stand for and reveal: as such, they are not clones, but partake of the weather, the temperatures, and the different people involved in their elaboration at different times... They will procure pleasures that belong to another range of feelings... So with bamboo rods: it's really a question of taste, and where that taste will carry you. Tight lines to all, whatever rod you get those fish on ! Giles |
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