When we get the bamboo from China, it is still in it's raw form, but seasoned. We begin our process by flaming the pole or culm of bamboo. It is a tedious and delicate process, but one that enlivens the cane's color and it's spirit by creating a snappy, quicker action than is had in "blonde" rods. The bamboo is then split by hand into strips. Each strip is prepared by filing and pressing nodes, straightening and sanding. Then each individual strip is hand planed to precision of one thousandths of an inch before glueing and binding six of these strips to make a hexagonal rod blank.

Components for each rod get an individual touch. Our own cap & ring reel seats are made from nickel silver bar stock and various woods gathered right here in WV such as Wild Cherry, Box Elder, Walnut, Maple and many others. We even mortise the reel seat by hand with a chisel for that extra touch of TLC. Cork grips are shaped into either a western style, cigar or ultra-fine cigar shape. The guides are hand twisted from tungsten wire ourselves and wrappings are in fine silk. Our favorite colors are harvest gold, copper and chinese red, but will color coordinate to meet the customer's needs. Gorgeous agate stripping guides or a simple, elegant Mildrum stripping guide gives the rod it's visual personality. Our finishing protocol involves multiple dippings in spar varnish and polishing for a long-lasting protective coat that shines.

The real personality comes from the action. While the customer can get carried away in the craftsmanship and beauty of the rod, the most important component is not revealed until you line it up and cast it. Only then can you understand the poetry of a split bamboo fly rod.

THE TAPERS

Here is a taste of a few rod tapers that we've made and what we think of them. Keep in mind this is our own individual taste, everyone is different. Also, sometimes these rods are finicky and will truly come to life with one particular line taper or brand, but will get mad and pout when lined up with another.

Payne 98 - 7 foot 4 weight: "This rod is often listed as medium/fast action rod. I didn't find this to be the case. I'd say that with a 4 weight line it cast more like an underlined 5 weight. When the rod is loaded it tends to be a fuller flex action. This rod can be a challenge for the new cane fisher. But hey, this is the first rod I ever built and I may need to revisit it." - Lee Orr

Sir "D" - 7 foot, 2 piece, 4 weight: "A 7' versatile rod. Plenty of power, yet gentle on presentation. I throw big heavy wooly buggers with weighted nymph droppers on one and it will cast them like a dry fly. Great choice for a first bamboo rod. Great choice for an all around Appalachia rod. Roll casts very well. This is probably the biggest seller." -Philip Smith

7613 - 7'6", 2 piece, 5 weight: "This Dickerson taper is all the rage right now. It is a very powerful rod that might be overmatched for a lot of small appalachian streams (don't let the length fool you). I'm currently working on some tip modifications to ease this puppy up a bit." -Lee Orr

7613LT - 7'6", 2 piece, 5 weight: "This is Russ Gooding's tweak of the of the 7613. A fuller flex taper that is a bit more versatile. I used this rod exclusively on the Gallatin during the summer of '05. This rod is a dream on medium sized streams. I've also made this rod as a 3 piece and it worked very well." -Lee Orr

PHY Driggs - "A 7'2" rod for 5 wt. line. Fast action. Good rod for lovers of graphite. I really like this rod. It loads incredibly well close in and has a never ending power supply. The only drawback is that it will take some practice to lay a fly down gently since this thing is a real gun, but with a little bit of lawn casting you'll figure it out." - Philip Smith

6', 2 piece, 3 weight: "This is another Wayne Cattanach taper, he is "The Man" after all. This is a full flex rod that has plenty of reserve power. Great brookie rod, but short rods like this will require a bit of casting stroke adjustment." -Lee Orr

6'3", 2 piece, 3 weight - "Another Wayne Cattanach taper. Pretty similar to the 6032." -Lee Orr

7'6", 2 pice, 3 weight - "A W.C. taper, one of my favorite rods, especially for small streams ." -Lee Orr

6', 2 piece, 2 weight - "A Bob Nunley taper. I've made several of these for folks wanting a blue line brookie rod. Roll casts well, but don't try to get cute with big flies in big water with it. Do what it allows you and it's a nice rod and very accurate." -Philip Smith

5' Orvis Might Mite - "I'll never make that mistake again." -Lee Orr

PHY Smidgeon 6', 2 piece, 4 weight - "Fantastic rod. Probably the best 6 footer I have ever cast. Loads quickly, but I can still cast it over 60 feet without struggling too much." -Lee Orr

5', one piece, 3/4/5 weight - " This is a Darryl Hayashida taper. Neat little rod. Roll casts a mile." -Lee Orr

THE PRICES

Click Here for the current prices.

Yes, we know, these prices are much less than other rodmakers and also less than high end graphite. We want people to get over the cost and discover bamboo. We gaurantee that the craftsmanship of our work is not reflected in the giant price gap, but we tend to think that a lot of makers are a little full of themselves anyway. At these prices, we are making barely a few cents on the hour for our work, but we love it anyway. We don't expect to ever make a mint on this. If you think these prices are still astronomical, then please contemplate why you want a bamboo rod anyway. Remember that 50 to 80+ hours of work goes into a rod by the maker. It is a handmade instrument that embodies a part of it's maker. If you don't fish the rod, then spirits of deceased rodmakers will come back from the dead to haunt you. Our rods are designed for shock and awe of you, not your friends. We want you to fish it and giggle every time you do just like you did on Christmas morning when you were eight years old.

State sales tax of 6% is additionally charged, federal excise tax will come out of our pockets

CARING FOR YOUR ROD

Bamboo rods will last a lifetime and more if properly taken care of. There are lots of serviceable bamboo rods around today that are nearly 100 years old! Click Here to download an MS Word document about how to care for your investment.