Fly Rod Parts and Types

The vast majority of bamboo fly fishing rods are 2 pieces hexagonal shaped cane rods.

However, the cross-section can be of different shapes: from "square"- to "thirteen"-sided rods. The first ones are called "quad" rods, then you have "penta" (five sides), "hexa" (six sides), "epta" (seven sides), "octa"(eight sides"), and even 13 sides (this latter idea was inspired by bow-making tecniques)!You can also have the same shapes but with a "hole" inside, a "hollow-built" hexa for instance.

Philipp Sicher and friends of the Swiss Bamboo Rodmaking Club made a good example of these rodbuilding possibilities and showed it during the Waischenfeld gatherings in Germany in November 2007.

The rods above were made in a week-end using a Tom Morgan hand mill! You can learn more about this special tool in my

rodmaking tool page.

A very special part of the rod is the ferrule, the "metallic" (usually nickel-silver) "tube" which joins together the 2 or 3 parts of a bamboo rod.

As usual in bamboo fly parts, a new vast chapter can be opened about this topic. It's important to know that this subject is very critical because the area where wood and metal meet is a - theoretical - weak point of a fishing rod.

Ferrules can also be "hand-engraved" to expand the esthetic qualities of a cane rod.

In order to better understand what to look at in a bamboo rod, you should perhaps read Rolf Baginski's advises on buying a vintage bamboo rod.

snakes guides, wrapping threads, reel-holders, cork, or wood rod-handles, hook-keepers are but other bamboo fishing rod components that are awaiting to be explored...

Below are some cane rods and wood reel-holder made by Ulf Löfdal (I hope my spelling is correct) exhibited at the Waischenfeld gathering. The reels are industrial ones, I think.

(continues...)