Any of you bamboo nuts use heavier wt rods?

[clarkman]

like a 7 or 8wt (not true heavyweights)?

I dusted off my 8' 6wt (well, it's closer to 7'10" due to stupidity on my part a number of years ago--don't ask as I did that right before I was going to sell it--Thramer blank). and used it for my streamer rod last weekend. I had it paired with an Airflo Streamer Max Short cut back to ~210-220gr head and damn, that was fun. It handled the line just fine (the majority of my casts were of the short & quick variety). I'll probably use it for some of my smallie fishing this summer. But, that got me thinking, you just rarely see 7+ wt bamboo in that 7'6"-8' range out there. Anyone use one for such heathen activities like streamer (the real ones, not the little buggers...) fishing?

 

[Dave Westburg]

You're onto something Clarkman. I have four 7 weight bamboo rods. A 9'6 Granger 7 weight, two 9' Phillipson 7 weights and a 9' Sharpe's 6/7 weight. These rods are perfect for large bull trout tailouts.

Longer bamboo is out of fashion so can be bought at great prices. Smooth and powerful. I use 6 and 7 weight bamboo on the Cowlitz where I may tangle with a steelhead when fishing for cutthroat. Here's Greg Armstrong playing a cutthroat on a 9' Granger.

I fish a lot of 9' 6 weight bamboo from float tubes and my first choice saltwater rod is a 9' 6 weight Wright and McGill waterseal which has the backbone for a 6 weight beach line.


Here's my most recent bamboo addition. An Eddie Bauer 8'6" 7 weight. I expect to give it sometime on the water this year.


Northwest rodmaker Tom Fulk made quite a few 8' 7 weight bamboo rods for the Fidalgo fly fishers. They used them for chironomid fishing to turn over the bobber. He even called one of the 7 weight rods the Pass Lake.

 

[Para_Adams]

I second the 9' 7 weight Phillipson as a great larger water rod, good for bulls and searuns on the beach. I'd like to try it on bass sometime too.

Dave, at the risk of hijacking this thread, do you know the maker of that Eddie Bauer Itchen? That cork reminds me of a Powell.

 

[Tim Cottage]

I have an 8wt Orvis Equinox that I used to use for summer steelhead. Like most Orvis rods of it's day it cast's a 7 wt line the best. It's been so long since I've used it I can't remember if it is 8' or 8'6".

 

[Dave Westburg]

I'll bring along the rod for you to look at the next time I see you. I like it best with a 7 weight line. Found an identical rod to mine on the Classic Fly Rod forum site and it's script has the words Eddie Bauer Inc Seattle. The Classic Fly Rod Forum poster said the rod was bought at Eddie Bauer's Seattle store in the 70's. When I took this rod to Mark Frey to work on he thought it was a Sharpes. I just got a letter from Eddie Bauer's retired brand historian saying he's not sure who made the rod but that they did import rods from Europe. Am going to try to look through the Eddie Bauer catalog archives to see if I can find a reference to this rod. Les Johnson who used to run Eddie Bauer's fishing department is dead. Am also trying to track down Jere Crosby who also worked in the Eddie Bauer fishing department to see if he knows anything.

 

[Para_Adams]

I'll bring along the rod for you to look at the next time I see you. I like it best with a 7 weight line. Found an identical rod to mine on the Classic Fly Rod forum site and it's script has the words Eddie Bauer Inc Seattle. The Classic Fly Rod Forum poster said the rod was bought at Eddie Bauer's Seattle store in the 70's. When I took this rod to Mark Frey to work on he thought it was a Sharpes. I just got a letter from Eddie Bauer's retired brand historian saying he's not sure who made the rod but that they did import rods from Europe. Am going to try to look through the Eddie Bauer catalog archives to see if I can find a reference to this rod. Les Johnson who used to run Eddie Bauer's fishing department is dead. Am also trying to track down Jere Crosby who also worked in the Eddie Bauer fishing department to see if he knows anything.
View attachment 8986

You might try asking Leland Miyawaki, he was close friends with Les and I wouldn't be surprised if he knew just based on his deep expertise in local fly fishing retailing. Mark Frey is probably right, but darn it that seat and grip sure looks like an old EC Powell and the thread and cane colors look like EC Powell to me too. Probably just coincidental but my curiosity is piqued for sure. I'll try to reach out to Rich Morrison, he's THE Powell expert. I know he was on the WFF site...

 

[Dave Westburg]

You might try asking Leland Miyawaki, he was close friends with Les and I wouldn't be surprised if he knew just based on his deep expertise in local fly fishing retailing. Mark Frey is probably right, but darn it that seat and grip sure looks like an old EC Powell and the thread and cane colors look like EC Powell to me too. Probably just coincidental but my curiosity is piqued for sure. I'll try to reach out to Rich Morrison, he's THE Powell expert. I know he was on the WFF site...

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Some more pics of my Eddie Bauer rod. The made in England makes me rule out Powell.

 

[clarkman]

I have no idea about any of those, but seeing all of those pics is really cool.

 

[Para_Adams]

ahhhhh yes, I missed that critical piece of the puzzle, LOL. I'm 100% certain this rod was made by EC Powell in London while on vacation and while riding on a double decker bus heading to a Beatles concert. Or not.

 

[kmudgn]

I have a Headwaters Victory bamboo rod in 7wt. It is certainly not the best casting rod that I have, but it will toss a heavy weighted fly like a tungsten bead # 4 wooly bugger with ease. I have taken some really nice LL Salmon and big Browns with it. I got it for cheap on ebay, but I can't recommend it as the fit/finish is just mediocre (sections often come apart) and the action is "clunky"

 

[Dragon Mo]

I usually prefer to fish bamboo rods 8 1/2 feet or shorter, think Phillipson 6 wt... but I have fished a 9 ft. 7wt E.C. Powell on occasion (and on the Cowlitz to boot) The hollowbuilt rod takes a lot of the work out of casting a 9 ft boo...

 

[PhilR]

I have a heavy philipson as well, which I used in that steelhead a couple of years ago on the sf. Handles that ambush just fine. But it’s a beast!

 

[clarkman]

I have a heavy philipson as well, which I used in that steelhead a couple of years ago on the sf. Handles that ambush just fine. But it’s a beast!

I forget, did you end up adding an extended butt on that?

 

[PhilR]

I forget, did you end up adding an extended butt on that?

No, just use it as is.

 

[Banned user]

It seems to me that the naturally heavier makeup of bamboo rods would make larger weights increasingly tiresome after a day on the water, but I'm no bamboo expert, so I may be way off. I do recall hearing something to that effect on the Orvis Guide Pod Cast once. It was postulated during that broadcast that 5-6 weights were the sweet spot for bamboo.

Again, I'm no expert, as I own but one bamboo rod, made here in the USA but from a Chinese blank. It's a 7'0" 4 weight, and I like it a lot, but it's no $3,500 rod.

 

[clarkman]

yeah, weight is always an issue, that's why I'm most curious about shorter lengths.

I fish a TON of heavyweight glass rods (up to 12wts) and never have an issue casting my 10wts all day long (actually easier on the body since they literally cast themselves...to a point) but they're also typically on the shorter side of things (7'9"-8'6" max).

keep in mind, I'm also asking about 7-8wts....not exactly what one would consider true "heavyweights"

 

[Pez Vela]

I've got a 12wt I like for the salt...

 

[G_Smolt]

I've got an M. Shay 8' 8wt "Parabolic 16" that has gotten some salmon love in the past, mostly for cohos, and mostly in smaller or still waters. I haven't dusted it off in about a decade, but I might have to revisit it for topwater humpy season this year...

 

[Matt B]

I've got a 12wt I like for the salt...

Do you chase sailfish with that? Got any photos of it in action? That’s cool. What does “#11 3114” refer to?

 

[Pez Vela]

Yes... sailfish (pez vela) and marlin, great fun! The #11 means it's the 11th rod I've built, and the 3/14 is the month/year I built it. I fast talked (a trade actually) .. Glenn Bracket (Sweetgrass) into making the blanks for me. I also have a 10wt rod/blank made by Steve Kiley that I use for dorado when we're in the Baja. The bamboo works great, just keep the rod tip down a little...