Jim Butler tries bamboo rods for the first time
As a relative newcomer to fly fishing (around a year and a half) I have tried to immerse myself into the sport as far as I can, work and home life allowing. I have really enjoyed the fishing and the whole learning experience that has gone with it, meeting fellow anglers and some fantastic professionals, all of whom have helped me immensely along the way.
One of the things that I have found a bit bewildering is the vast array of tackle that is available, and the many reasons that various people have for using a certain rod or line or fly etc etc. A simple internet search for a fly rod will bring many results with differing rods for differing styles and differing line weights and, of course, differing materials. It is entirely understandable that tackle manufacturers will try to be at the cutting edge of new developments in materials and technology but, for me, this sometimes can have the detrimental effect of muddling the issue (I am but a simple man!).
Take the humble fishing rod, do I choose a glass, carbon, graphite (is this a ‘real’ material? – discuss) or good old fashioned cane. And what sort of action will I need to cover the kind of fishing I’ll be doing?
As I have said, I am a newcomer to the sport and cut my teeth on stillwaters, fishing with #7/8 lines using 9’ or so rods and catching (or trying to at least) stockies weighing anything from 2 to 9 lb. I really enjoy a day on the water, in a boat pulling in some large fish but if I’m absolutely honest with myself it all feels very, very slightly ‘artificial’ (apologies if this offends but I think it’s the nature of the stocked fish that makes it feel this way).
I am very fortunate to live in Devon where we have some lovely water to fish very close at hand, both stillwater and rivers and streams and it is the latter that has really gripped me, I feel more drawn and excited about a day fishing for small wild brown trout on a stream than I do a stillwater (that’s not to say that I don’t enjoy stillwater fishing, of course). There is something very magical about slowly making your way up a small stream or river, waders on, listening to the rippling water passing by and sharing that environment with the likes of kingfishers and beautiful little fish (there is a stark beauty in a sub 10” wbt with bright red spots) – this feels very natural to me and recently has had me hankering to get closer to the ‘natural’ aspect of the sport.
One thing that did interest me was watching a video on the Westcountry Angling Passport website whilst looking for new beats to fish; this particular video featured a prominent cane rod builder fishing with one of his own rods. Now, I’ve seen cane rods in antique shops and a boot fairs for quite a while but, to be honest, always thought that they were old fashioned and probably not fit for purpose. My view of cane rods was also dampened when I looked into the cost of purchasing one – slightly out of my league!
A chance discussion with someone at work one day opened up a whole world of possibility for me. You see, I have a work colleague who, unbeknown to me, makes and repairs cane rods; this piqued my interest and we started to chat about the virtues etc of fishing with cane. After some discussions, and my interest developing even more he agreed to bring one of his rods in for me to try, and so it was that I had my first practice cast with a 7’ #4 cane rod; it was a thing of wonder.
As a former carpenter, I love the fact that this rod had been crafted by hand, by someone with an obvious passion for what he does and can really appreciate the work and hours that has gone into making it. The added bonus here is that my colleague makes these as a hobby and so wasn’t asking that much, relatively, for the rod – I snapped up the chance to own it and bought it on the spot.
So, here I was, the owner of a wonderful, short, light line, handcrafted cane fishing rod and very excited about my first trip on the river with it, which didn’t come too long after buying it. It did take some getting used to, in terms of the cadence and rhythm of the cast and once I’d, kind of, mastered it I was off and running, although a friend recommend that I may need a heavier reel to balance the rod better than my Orvis Battenkill II. Another round of internet searching found me a reel with the right weight to balance the rod and I now have a set up that is, as near as I can get it, balanced. It plays fish fantastically and has a real ‘life’ about it that I just haven’t felt in other rods (I have tried quite a few in my short fishing career). By the way, try searching for a low AFTM reel with a bit of weight to it – not an easy task I can tell you!
I now feel that my fishing has had another facet added to it, yes I still own an 8’6” carbon rod and a long nymphing rod, which I will happily use when the situation dictates it, but I’m more than happy to go out with my cane rod. It gives me a feel that other rods don’t, it makes me feel like a more ‘natural’ fisherman, it is admired by everyone that sees it and tries it out and it has made my fishing even more enjoyable than it was previously – it’s amazing what a change, such as this, can do.
Would I recommend fishing with cane? Absolutely. I know that some deride cane as being outdated and too heavy, but it has a ‘life’ and ‘feeling’ that you may not get from a top of the range rod made from the latest composite material – give it a go, you may well be surprised!
