As a teenager in the 50's my dad owned a sporting goods operation in the Seattle area. I would work in the store and dad would supply my hunting and
fishng needs. Since we handled Heddon rods they were the first I fished with.
Jim
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My First Bamboo Rod - What Was Yours?
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 wefishcane |
#21 | |||
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Posts: 761 06/05/2009 17:12 |
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rollcast |
#22 | |||
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Posts: 740 06/05/2009 18:43 |
In August, 1993, I was in Livingston, Montana, out of work with $240 to my name. I spent $200 on a seven and a half foot Battenkill with one tip. That was as
close to absolute broke as I've ever been, and one of the best purchases I ever made.
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Gnome |
#23 | |||
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Posts: 2183 06/05/2009 20:20 King of the Gnomes |
Spring 1968 A 9' Montague Clear Lake that I poorly restored in 1974 after I had tried to wear it out and pretty well had acheived that goal.
Still have the old gal;-) And Like Bob; It is also a thanks Dad!! Jeff |
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tiptop |
#24 | |||
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Posts: 572 06/05/2009 21:33 |
My first brush with ff was when I was 15 (1965) and got a very inexpensive fiberglas rod and automatic reel for my birthday. I knew absolutely nothing about
ff but really enjoyed pulling chubs and little rock bass from the riffles below a local reservoir using small ant and other tiny dry fly patterns. I can still
remember launching those chubs over my shoulder by accident. I was infected with the bamboo bug about 5 years ago when I attended a ff show in Detroit with
friends who fish bamboo. I bought a beautiful used Chris McDowell 7.5' 3/2 based on a Payne 198 taper. I still have the rod and fish it occasionally and
it turned out to be the tip of the sipping trout's nose.
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levertonhatches |
#25 | |||
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Posts: 572 06/06/2009 10:27 |
BHB -- great to see you on the board. Your post hints at a fine story -- I'll bet you are chock full of fine stories -- and being led gradually into the
magic of cane by your dad has to be the best way to begin. I doubt that my dad was ever in the same room with a cane rod. Sure wish I'd had the chance to
share one with him. All the best,
Martin |
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gmflyfish |
Rebuilt Shakespear | #26 | ||
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Posts: 1180 06/06/2009 10:56 |
My first rod was a shakespear I rebulit I then progressed to a 7'6" orvis madison. From then on I was hooked
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teter |
#27 | |||
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Posts: 1329 06/08/2009 11:38 |
A gigantic Montague Gaspe (9'6 and as many ounces) that belonged to my grandfather. He used it for bass and lake trout. About five years after he died, I
swapped his canvas shooting jacket to my little brother for the fly rod, which then sat in sad disrepair for more than 20 years. I tried it out once or twice
(with an old South Bend automatic) and couldn't figure out how it worked, though I caught a couple of little sunfish about as big as the extension handle
on the rod. Nine years ago, even after the guys at Orvis in Manchester told me it was worthless, I sent it to a restorer. When it came back, it was so
beautiful that I said to myself, "I have to get me some more of these bamboo rods."
And I did, but I still have L.B. Stratton's old Monty. P.S. That's Grandpa's fishing hat in my avatar. |
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softstick |
re: First bamboo | #28 | ||
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Posts: 607 06/08/2009 12:17 |
May of 1998 my brother and I were in the Orvis store in Bellevue, WA. From 1995 til that point I had been fishing mainly Sage. I was looking at the Orvis
bamboo in stock but was to afraid to ask if I could cast them. I then noticed the May 1998 issue of the now defunct Bamboo Fly Rod magazine which had an
article on Spokane builder Mark Ruhe. I must have read that article 50 times and looked at his website about the same. I finally called him and ordered his
flagship "Premier" model. Cost me $950.00 and I had never cast a bamboo rod before. Jumped in with both feet. That started the craze and I've
learned alot since then (I think).
Dan |
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tight loops |
#29 | |||
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Posts: 277 06/08/2009 12:22 |
7 1/2' 2/2 based on a Paul Young Perfectionis, by John Channer of Durango (recommended by Mike Shay), that I cast a with a DT4 . Superb fly-rod that is one
of my favorites. John now has 5 or 6 rods floating around South Africa. A hugely under-valued maker - can't say enough about his rods.
Tom |
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tedgolden |
#30 | |||
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Posts: 2874 06/08/2009 12:46 Moderator |
In the summers of the late 50's, I was frequently seen on my bike, three piece rod sticking up like a radio antenna. Sneaking into the pond at the
exclusive private golf course while avoiding the hirelings who tended the greens and didn't like little kids running around waving a stick. On a good day
it would be 10 AM before they ran me off. On a bad day they might threaten to call the cops. No sense of humor, those guys. But the pond was full of big
bluegill and a few bass. The rod was an old DE (Diamond Edge), probably made by Montague. A few years later I found a better use for their groomed greens,
with a winsome lass and bottle of cheap Champagne. Somewhat later in the day, of course.
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TheMontyMan |
My first bamboo rod was a Montague Rapidan... | #31 | ||
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Posts: 130 06/09/2009 23:09 |
I had been fly fishing prolifically for a few years, and was kinda looking at taking my game to the next level. I didn't know what that was until my wife
received a Rapidan from her father for Christmas. His father had bought it, and fished it, then passed it down to him. He did a beautiful job of restoring it
before passing it on to her. I bought a Rapidan on <the big online auction site> to match hers. I fished it for most of a summer, and started looking
for an upgrade. I decided to research the Montague line, looking for a higher grade rod or two. That research sparked my bamboo addiction, and the rest is
becoming history, and will become a book (or two).
I still have my first old Rapidan (plus about 175 other Monty rods), and hope someone will appreciate it when I pass it down. . . . Rex TheMontyMan |
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 oldtrout |
#32 | |||
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Posts: 91 06/13/2009 00:41 |
Sometime between 1974 and 1976, ordered a Walton Powell Golden Signature (Two butts, two tips) through Chuck Stranahan at Hat Creek Anglers.
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WatercolorMan |
#33 | |||
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Posts: 1417 06/13/2009 03:47 |
OldTrout
nice start, Walt was a lots of fun and made a great rod |
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bluejayee |
#34 | |||
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Posts: 781 06/13/2009 23:53 |
Hi Guys, My first experience with a 'fly rod' was a telescoping steel rod which belonged to my best friend's dad. I was 10-12 years old. We were
at Harvey's lake in the Wyoming Valley of Pa. I was try to cast when the tip section flew off hit the fly, broke the fly off and went sailing out into the
cove by the bridge. We swam forever trying to find it. I had to go into his house while his dad was watching TV and say, "Mr. Shamanski, I lost your
rod..." He said, "Oh, that's OK it was just an old rod." Whew! He was an intimidating, drinking sort of father. I was scared.
My next fly rod cost $3.33 in the basement of Sears on Main St. in Ann Arbor Michigan. My first bamboo was an Orvis 7', 2pc. I think it cost $65 at Ambercrombie & Fitch in San Fransisco in 1965. My last was 10', 3pc. Divine from that E.... place. It's a wreck @ $50. Cool rod but a lot of work. I'll do it someday. Jay Edwards |
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gofish60 |
#35 | |||
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Posts: 2004 06/15/2009 10:52 Registered User |
First bamboo, a hand me down 8 1/2' South Bend 6wt. with a Medalist reel from my Dad in the 40's. They were always around, even when most of his
friends went to fiberglass in the 50's. We fished all of the famous WI and Upper Michigan waters, but mostly way up North. We were looking for big trout,
and had big rods. Didn't even know there were trout in the Driftless area until much later.
First serious bamboo purchase was in the late 70's when I bought a minty 8' Payne at a flea market for $10, and after fishing it a few times, I was hooked, and started buying every bamboo rod I could find. In the middle to late 80's, my only competition at most of the flea markets and lure, decoy and gun shows was Clark Davis, and we became good friends because of our mutual interest, and we both had several 55 gallon fiber barrels full of them. Gradually gleaned and weaned, and have sold most of them off, and am down from literally hundreds 10 years ago to about 25 or so. Still all I use for trout and most smallmouth fishing. gofish |
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cwood |
#36 | |||
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Posts: 613 06/16/2009 08:12 |
First Boo rod was a nice casting Hardy Phantom 8 ft. 5 wt. Fished it long and hard, but eventually sold it to get my first Heddon, an 8.5 ft. 2f Black Beauty
and then it was all down hill from there. I went on a Heddon kick for several years before venturing into contemporary makers. That's when the gates
opened and I realized cane rods really have no comparison. A couple Heddons, my Phillipson, and the few contemporary rods I own can cover any fishing situation
I put myself in.
Last Edited By: cwood 06/16/2009 08:21.
Edited 1 time.
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nwdlj |
#37 | |||
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Posts: 35 06/17/2009 11:48 |
I'm like bobeegee and am really enjoying this thread. I do notice that with no exceptions, there are no regrets expressed about getting the first boo
rod...that probably goes without saying in that this group is composed on enthusiasts to begin with but still, to put as much time, effort and resources into
these wonderful instruments says something to me at least about how we view fishing...its about more than just catching fish, its about how we go about it and
what we hold as values in what we do....not trying to be philosophical but I guess I am, and oh well, its fun reading about everyone's experiences in this
subject....dj
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cebfishing |
#38 | |||
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Posts: 518 06/17/2009 21:19 |
My first fly rod was a hand-me-down that my grandmother gave me. It had been my grandfather's and he passed away when I was about 6 years old. About the
age of 8, I got the rod and was very proud and happy. It is an unmarked montague, 9ft with a sliding band. Nothing fancy. Rewrapped it about 20 years later. It
was they only rod I used for many years, trout fishing most weekends in northern Wisconsin and ocassionally for pan fish, northern, and walleye. Both tips are
still full length. For a couple years I fished with a fiberglass rod in the 70's, but acquired a Phillipson in the early 70's at an auction for $10.00
and went back to bamboo and used those two rods until about 6 years ago when I began collection bamboo.
Chuck |
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slate river |
#39 | |||
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Posts: 105 06/17/2009 21:21 |
nwdlj...well said. The true definition of fly fishing for me has always been "about more than just catching fish."
Bob |
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JimP.fishnbanjosplace |
#40 | |||
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Posts: 36 06/17/2009 21:39 |
My first bamboo rod was my first fly rod a Japanese import that was both a fly rod and a bait casting rod. It was identical to the rod the author in the book
"Casting a Spell"began with. I taught myself how to cast a fly with that rod along with some very willing bream. I had a blast with it. When it was
in need of repair I called Orvis. The gent on the line broke my heart when he said "That rod is not worth what it would cost to fix it." I got over
it but not easily. Then, my wife, working with a dealer bought my first nice rod, a T&T 7 1/2' for 5 wt Impregnated "Classic". What a
magnificent rod it was and still is! I loved that rod and succumbed to the addiction. I could not help myself. Bamboo rods mesmerized me. I bought more rods
than I could ever fish. After a period of selling and reorganizing have started buying again...Yikes!!
JimP |
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- Members Corner
- Forum Announcements
- Collecting Bamboo Fly Rods
- Fishing Bamboo Fly Rods
- Rod making, restoration, repairs and discussion on those related topics concerning bamboo rods.
- Rod and Reel Makers Forum
- Information About Makers & Manufacturers
- Taper Exchange
- Appraisals & Identification of Bamboo Fly Rods
- Ephemera, empherma and Ephemerella.....
- Book Talk
- Photos, paintings, written stories and talents.
- Classic Reels
- Collecting and Tying Classic Flies
- The Cooks Kitchen
- The Classic Fly Rod Classifieds
- Technical Support
Quick Reply
The Orvis database by Greg Reynolds Finally available again!!
Check out the Paul Young Rod Co. database which is owned and maintained by member Robert Golder (quashnet).
Paul Young Rod Co. database by quashnet
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