I only have one bamboo. Its old but refinished. With the original guides, which means it won't shoot line worth a damn. But I love the feel of a fish on the line. But i'ze po' folks. I have to protect this rod so it only comes out once in a blue moon. I have lots of fishing partners who take too much pride in showing off their bamboo, or Winston, or Sage. I've cast them, but I don't see THAT much difference. Not for the price. I would contend that an economical, not cheap, rod say in the $100-150 range is as good or better than the $700 Sages of just a couple of years ago. Maybe the guides aren't as good, but the rod's feel is! That's the range you'll find me in. Just like my old golf game, spend enough bucks and you can add 10 yards to your drive or 10 feet to your cast. But you'd be better off if you spent the effort on improving your technique. Jack Austin
"Jimmy D. Moore" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: Hey Gang, how bout an old fashioned VFB/FFW discussion? One like we used to have on "spine vs spline" and "furled vs mono" leaders. Those continued for days, until everyone had their say. Are you partial to bamboo or had you druther fish with graphite, boron, etc. I'm a bamboo man myself because I get more feel of what's going on down my fly line and even the fly and with the fish. The smoothness with which a bamboo rod casts compares to sipping good scotch or sour mash. To enter this discussion you must have fished a bamboo rod. If you haven't, shame on you! The quotes below refer to fiberglass fly rods, but by substituting graphite, etc. where glass appears the rest will be pretty much the same. Sparse Grey hackle said this about glass.. " Not untill someone plays a glass stradivariius in Carnege Hall will I fish glass." Pretty strong stuff! OK, why Bamboo? Why Graphite, etc.? You tell us. I must confess, I do fish graphite on occassion. "As to glass or bamboo, I've always preferred bamboo and am still considered a holdout. I've fished with many glass rods that I've designed myself for the manufacturers, so one would think that I've arrived at the perfect rod at least for myself. Not so.. When I think glass, I unconsciously begin to push hard and slash at the water, fighting the elements. Bamboo, on the other hand, sets me calm and quiet, and I find that if I "feel" the rod and almost go along with what it wants to do with the particular rig that I have attached to the line at the moment, my efforts are more than rewarded." "Tactics on Trout" by Ray Ovington "In other words, with a glass rod, which is round, the tool accentuates casting errors by heading the motion in the direction of the error. ... With bamboo, on the other hand, the construction of sides tends to keep the motion going more in a straight back-and-forth pattern." "In the second place, bamboo is solid and fiberglass is hollow. This gives a cane rod more sensitivity and feel. If your rod is transmitting casts, fish or whatever through its whole diameter, it is going to tell more of the "story" than if the impulses are being carried only through the shell." "Fly Tackle" by Harmon Henkin Tight Lines, JIMMY D
