March 2009

IBRA, The Italian Bamboo Rodmakers Association is a non-profit organization which was created in 2006 by Alberto Poratelli and Gabriele Gori with the intention to resume and spread the knowledge of bamboo fly fishing rod making.

It originally started up from the shear passion of a few anglers who met and discussed about bamboo rod making on the Italian Fly Fishing Forum on the Internet. The idea of eventually meeting in person met with an enthusiastic success.

This niche-market field is today witnessing a Renaissance (also called the "Bamboo Renaissance").
If bamboo fly fishing rods were the main stream products until the '70s, these rods were abandoned in favor of , firstly, glass-fiber rods and then of course with the new and lighter carbon-rods in the '80s. However, since the mid '70s, Hoagy Carmichael printed at his own expenses what was to become the cult-book of bamboo rod making: "A Master Guide To Building A Bamboo Fly Rod". This book originated a wave which is still spreading and growing today.

The headquarter is in Sansepolcro, Tuscany (Italy) sharing premises with the also young but pre-existent Tail Water Tevere association wich rejuvaneted the Tevere river (the same river which cross Rome and end's up in the Mediterranean sea) and so contributed to attract more anglers and tourists to this beautiful small city in Tuscany, Italy.

In Sansepolcro was born one the major Reinassance painters, Piero della Francesca, and the city has got what Aldus Huxley defined "the most most beautiful painting in the world" - actually a fresco - : "The resurrection". Moreover, the Franciscan friar and great Reinaissance mathematician Luca Pacioli was also born in Sansepolcro. Pacioli, a friend of Leonardo Da Vinci wrote, the comprehensive book "Summa de Aritmetica, Geometria, Proportioni et Proportionalita" which gathered all mathematical knowledge of the period, in 1494 (two years after Colombo discovered America).

The Italian Bamboo Rodmakers Association has been organising several national and international events in collaboration with the German and Swiss friends and is actively partecipating as an honour guest at different trade fairs.

The Bologna Fishing Tackle Trade Show, February-MArch 2009

The IBRA website is here.

From IBRA back to the fishing tackle unlimited webpage

From the IBRA back to the home page