Posts Tagged ‘bamboo’

Choosing The Right Fishing Rod

November 26th, 2009

fishing rods

The varieties of fishing rods and the materials from which they are made are many. Choosing the right type of fishing rod is in large part dictated by the fisherman‘s preference of material, and many swear that a rod constructed of bamboo is far superior to other types of materials. In days past, bamboo rods were hand-made, a skill many people today are trying to replicate. But is it really worth learning how to make a bamboo fishing rod?

Bamboo is itself an extremely versatile material. When used as a type of wood, the bamboo harvested must already be several years old so that it possesses the strength needed for its new purpose. When used in making fishing rods, the bamboo needs this strength as well as flexibility to become the tool favored by many fishermen for its excellent performance. Being durable and lightweight, it was the primary material used for many years in fly fishing, and continues to be a popular choice in fly fishing rods and also casting rods. Many rods fashioned years ago remain in good shape and continue to be enjoyed at favorite fishing holes, proving their durable nature.

That being said, learning how to make a bamboo fishing rod can be quite a daunting task, and definitely not one to be undertaken by a complete amateur. The process sounds simple enough, but the time and labor involved in accomplishing the steps is what will make or break the resolve of the craftsman. In brief, the steps are as follow: A quality piece of bamboo first needs to be found. The bamboo must be cut into strips that will compose the rod sections, bound together to retain their shape, and then dried to remove any excess moisture present. This is done the long way by air drying, or more quickly by using large ovens. After completely dried, the strips must be glued together to form the tubular shape of a rod, then dried again. Sanding and planing of the rod surface brings the rod to its final stages Sounds easy enough, right? Consider that one rod can take between 60-80 hours to complete, not to mention the expense of procuring the right tools and equipment for making the rod.

Still want to try your hand at creating your own bamboo rod? There are sources that offer bamboo rod kits. With much of the difficult and time consuming work already done for you, you will be able to finish off the rod with step by step directions and be casting off with your “original” bamboo rod in about one week’s time.

Bamboo fishing rods are gaining in popularity once again, creating more production from fishing equipment manufacturers. While a bamboo fishing rod will cost more than graphite models, the bamboo is a very attractive and effective fishing tool. With more and more bamboo rods becoming available on the market, learning how to make a bamboo rod may seem less important than simply owning one.

Look for more information about fly fishing at our site at our fishing site.

Fishing Rod Building Basics Video

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Fly Fishing Rods

November 23rd, 2009

Being able to cast a fly fishing rod is one of the pure joys of fly fishing. It is a skill that requires practice in order to master. But when you get good at it, your casting is fluid and effortless. Looking at the back of large brook trout sitting underneath a low lying limb and then placing your dry fly just in front of his nose is a satisfying experience. Placing your fly line exactly where you want it to go increases your chances of catching a trout.

Here are some beginner fly fishing techniques to help you learn how to cast your fly rod for the first time.

First, put the rod at your feet and stand in an open area with at least 20 yards of space both in front of you and behind you. Pretend you are holdign a paintbrush in your dominant hand, and stand comfortable with your dominant foot just slightly in front of the non-dominant foot. Keeping your upper arm relaxed and your elbow bent at 90 degrees, begin to move your forearm, wrist and hand forward horizontally, with the imaginary paintbrush at about the level of your waist. Imagine the paintbrush is dripping with paint and you are trying to flick the paint forward without scattering any paint out to the sides.

In order to do so, you’ll move your forearm smoothly forward with the paintbrush held out to the side. If you flick your wrist forward too early, teh paint will spray everywhere. In order to keep the paint on the brush, you’ll want to minimize swinging the handle of the brush as you move your arm forward. As your forearm moves ahead, you’ll flick your wrist forward at teh last second, trying to fling all the paint on the brush straight out in front of you.

As you do this forward flicking movement, shift your bodywieght forward onto your front foot. This entire motion is one fluid movement.

Now you’ll reverse the process.

Imagine that the brush is soaked with paint again. Slowly bring your forearm backwards, keeping your upper arm loose and relaxed, and letting your forearm guide the rest of your body. Slowly rotate your shoulders back while keeping the brush angle still so that the paint doesn’t spatter. As you bring your forearm past your body to the rear, again flick the paintbrush backwards trying to flick the paint straight behind you.

You can see that with each movement forward and backwards, there is a slight pause at the extremes while you allow the momentum of your forearm combined with a flick of the wrist to throw the paint directly in front of you and directly behind you.

Practice this motion with just the body over and over again. when you feel like the motion becomes fluid, move your forearm from a horizontal position close waist level to about a 45 degree angle, like a pitcher trhowing sidearm. Practice the motion again, and slowly progress until the movement is done directly overhead.

Take frequent breaks so that your arm doesn’t get tired and your form stays good.

Feel like you’ve got it?

Time to pick up the fly rod and try it for real!

About the Author:

David Griffin spends his summers fly fishing in Colorado. At his website Angled Reviews, you can learn everything you need to know about catching trout, casting a fly rod and destination fly fishing.

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com – Beginner Fly Fishing Techniques – Learn How to Cast a Fly Fishing Rod

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Posted in Best Fishing Stories!, Fishing, Fishing Equipment, Great Fishing!, Great Story!, Places to Fish, You Need a Fishing License!

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Bamboo Fly Fishing Rods

November 22nd, 2009

Beyond a doubt the best fly fishing rod material is good bamboo properly selected, cured, split, glued, and correctly proportioned. It possesses strength combined with lightness, resiliency, pliancy, power and balance in greater degree than either steel or solid woods.

Formerly anglers and rod makers could draw fine distinctions between male and female Calcutta and Tonkin ” canes,” but under present conditions good Calcutta is very rare and the word ” Calcutta ” is be¬coming merely a trade term. Good bamboo of all kinds is more difficult to obtain and a good piece of Tonkin is better than an indifferent one of Calcutta. Male Calcutta, however, is supposed to be superior to either the female or Tonkin. The cheapest split cane is known as steel vine or African cane. It is light colored and makes up into good, inexpensive bamboo fly fishing rods.

Six Strip and 8 Strip Bamboo Fly Fishing Rods

We assume that you know that bamboo is split and then glued together in order to utilize the hard outer enamel and reduce the diameter of the pieces. Some rods are made of bamboo split into six sections (hex¬agonal) and some in eight (octagonal) but the six strip construction is more often used. Some makers claim that the eight strip, being more nearly a true cylinder, possesses better action but this seems to be more theoretical than practical, while the tiny tips of an eight strip rod are likely to be ” soft” due to the comparative amount of glue necessary to hold the pieces together. Eight strip rods cost more than the six strip and if the angler wants a round bamboo fly fishing rod they are preferable to the six strip planed down as planing certainly must injure a rod. As a general rule a well-made six strip rod leaves little to be desired.

Special Feature Bamboo Fly Fishing Rods

A novelty in bamboo fly fishing rod making is what is known as the ” double built ” rods which are made of two layers of split and glued bamboo, one within the other. They are heavier and strong, and it is claimed, hold their shape better, than ordinary rods and are popular for sea and salmon fishing but unnecessary, I believe, in single hand fly rods. An English innovation is the steel center rod which consists of a fine piece of well-tempered steel running as a core through sections of regular split bamboo. The makers claim this construction gives a rod of superior casting power with only of an ounce added weight. Friends who possess rods of this kind are enthusiastic admirers of this construction for heavy fishing.

An American maker supplies a rod of ” twisted bam¬boo ” which he claims equalizes the strain and pro¬duces better action. I have never tried a rod of this type so am unable to pass on its merits, but Perry Frazer, in his ” Amateur Rodmaking,” speaks well of it.

To get more fishing tips then make sure you visit http://www.fishingcenterguides.com

Will M has been fishing for over 10 years and picked up a lot of good tips for catching many types of fish

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