I caught my first fish on a cane pole. It was a 10-foot stalk of ordinary bamboo that had been aged on the side of a tobacco barn. At the tip of the rod, my great aunt, Sister Wall, had attached about 15 feet of ten-pound test, a cork bobber, two split shot and a size 6, long shanked hook. This simple piece of equipment was a fishing machine.
The reason? For children, especially, it’s much easier to set the hook with a cane pole.
Those under 10 have a hard time understanding the concept of setting the hook – jerking with enough authority to sink the barb of the hook into the fish’s mouth. They will wave the rod around if you so remind them, but few realize that you need to put power and speed behind a hook set. Otherwise, the fish gets off – unless it swallows the hook. And that’s no fun at all.
Another problem with traditional fishing equipment is that when a child – or anyone – attempts to set the hook, they are really jerking against the resistance of the bobber. This alerts the fish with the bait in his mouth that something is askew, and he spits it out. With a simple bamboo rod, all the child has to do is lift the pole straight up and the fish hooks himself.
Bamboo is an interesting plant. It is actually in the grass family, but those who plant it often live to regret it. It is almost impossible to get rid of once established. When conditions are ideal, some species of bamboo can grow 24 inches or more in a single day and can reach heights of up to 100 feet. And while it’s growing upward, bamboo roots are spreading beneath the soil to grow even more stalks of the strong, flexible plant.
There is a marked difference in local bamboo and that used to make fly rods. A bamboo known as Tonkin cane, grown in China, is prized by rod builders because of its wide diameter, strength and flexibility. Tonkin cane is relatively easy to split and join back together in thin strips. The result is a rod that produces smooth, fluid casts and amazing control. Interestingly, not all bamboo fly rods have value.
I frequently get calls or e-mails from people who have uncovered a cane fly rod in their attic or picked up one at a yard sale and think they have the fishing equivalent of a Picasso. Unfortunately, that’s seldom true.
The great majority of bamboo rods from the 50’s era came from Japan, where bamboo is widespread. There was nothing wrong with the bamboo itself, but the Japanese at that time lacked quality metal and the ferrules they used were not much stronger than aluminum foil and split easily.
The bamboo rods of the early years that will make collectors sit up and take notice were brands like Leonard, Garrison, Payne, Granger and others. What makes those old fly rods even more valuable is their length. Anything in decent shape that is 7’6” or under is extremely valuable. That’s because there weren’t many of those shorter rods made. The great majority were 8 feet and sometimes 9 feet or more. In the art of collecting, the fewer things there are, the more valuable they become.
Folks with patches of bamboo on their property are usually more than eager to share a few stalks. Simply saw off a manageable length of cane at ground level, and if it’s green, put it in the sun and let it dry out. Be careful not to allow any bend in the rod that is aging or it will result in a “set”. That’s why many of the older fly rods came with two tips, so that a “set” would be less likely.
If you rig up a kid’s bamboo outfit, use a cork or imitation cork bobber. Unlike the round plastic bobbers, the long, thin cork floats will go straight down with little resistance when a fish takes the bait. I can remember my great aunt advising to “wait until the cork is out of sight before lifting.”
That advice still holds true. And for a young and old alike, bamboo poles are still fishing machines.