I know there are a few of you who fish with a cane rod what i would like is a few recommendations of makers.I have made a few tentative enquiries from a couple of makers but there is nothing like a few endorsements from people who have actually gone through the process of buying one.
I have always fished with either fibre glass or carbon and as i am no spring chicken, i have got to slow down and i thought the action of a cane rod would be ideal for me plus the fact i would like to think that in another 50 years or so somebody else would be useing it to fish with can we say that about the carbon rods of today? Any help or advice you could give me would be great.thank you

Have a word with Mark Leggett at the "Alternative Tackle Company"
He sells split cane rods by a few makers, those by Tim Harris have a
good reputation & are cheaper (relatively) than other makers.
Good luck
Rudolf

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Illigitimi non Carborandum

I have had 2 builds from Gary Marshall in Derby (finecanerods.com) and 1 for my 7 year old daughter by Tim Harris.
The Marshall builds were a very good experience, however as he has a full book these days, you'd be unlikely to have one in under a year.
Tim's are also very good but delivery is much quicker, mine in under 3 months from the point of order/deposit.
The best if at all possible is to go up to see the builder of your choice and try out a range of tapers. The builder should be able to assist in this selection process, and may be able to even build a custom taper if required. New cane these days is anything but the steotypical slow heavy rods of yesteryear. These days there are bamboo ferruled, spliced joint (a thing from the past which has proven to be excellent for bamboo speys) as well as the traditional metal ferrules (n/s, bronze, titanium) rods with anything from parabolic to superfast.
Once having chosen the taper there is then the task of choosing all the fittings and finish that you desire. Grip shape, reel seat, wood spacers, wraps, varnish, and even number of pieces all are (normally) custom choices. Gary posted progress shots of the rods coming to life and throughout the builds, and the moment you pull that rod out of the sack, you'll never say a graphite rod is beautiful again.
Cheers,
Steve

PS Don't ever trust a website and get one in your hands (or someone you trust to do so) without placing an order. Name and reputation and price mean nothing in this world, I speak from bitter experience.

Gary Marshall at www.finecanerods.com is a builder of superb rods. Worth the wait. He will build exactly what you want as he listens to his clients. He also offers a money back guarantee if you are dissatisfied with your rod for whatever reason. He is not expensive, which is a problem because if he would only double his prices it would shorten the waiting list and the waiting time.

Book in and go and see him for the best results. He might even have a rod ready for sale but that is very doubtful as they all go almost immediately.

richard

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Who resides on the right bank of the Derbyshire Wye and is lulled to sleep each night by the mutterings of a weir, dreaming that "When the rivers and their inhabitants come first, we ALL win..."

Tim Harris made me a lovely cane rod and I an happy to endorse him. Cane is very different from carbon, and realistically its not better - and it is heavier .....but the first time i really got to like mine was after a couple of sessions when i put it on the grass as i was unhooking a fish......it looks like its a part of nature. Strange but nice. The other thing is that you can have it personalised which makes it special too. I wasnt able to test in advance though ( based in Ireland ) and that would be recommended.

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Irish by birth, Munster by the grace of God.

I fish bamboo 100% of the time in freshwater, and I do agree totally with what everybody else have said about the fact that you should cast the rod before buying it. I say "should" since this is not an ideal world, and you will end up, sometimes, having to buy a rod on "faith".

I do not own any rods from contemporary U.K. makers, but the ones mentioned above have great reputations and I'm sure you won't go wrong getting a bespoke rod from any one of them.

I do, though, own a few rods from contemporary U.S. makers, and many more that would be considered "vintage", with ages ranging from 40 to 90 years. Contemporary U.S. makers I would recommend from experience are Dennis Stone and Tim Zietak. These two make very high quality rods at an affordable price ($900-$1200) and are very approachable and accommodating.

Steve is right in saying that new rods from contemporary makers have actions that go from parabolic to fast. Additionally, production values are consistently high, with excellent bamboo quality and first-class fittings.

I must add that many, many "vintage" rods will also cover the same range of casting actions.

Allow me to take a "production" rod-maker as an example. Orvis. Orvis still makes bamboo rods, all of them impregnated, rather than varnished. The new rods are very nice aesthetically with a crisp medium-fast casting action, but are perhaps somewhat over-priced. Vintage Orvis rods, on the other hand, are IMHO the best value in bamboo.

Orvis made a huge number of rods over their 175 year history, and some of their rods are considered real classics among bamboo rod lovers, e.g., the Orvis Flea 6-1/2' 4wt at 2oz, or their various Battenkill models from 7' to 8-1/2'. They made rods to suit a myriad of casting actions -- I have a 6-1/2' 3/2 2-7/8oz Rocky Mountain Special that would be fast by any consideration (this is the rod I hand to my graphite-wielding friends when they scoff at my "slow" bamboo rods. Their eyes invariably widen when they try it out), and the aforementioned Flea is just a lovely, lovely medium-slow rod that requires no effort to place the fly where you want it. Since all Orvis rods, except for models before the mid-1940s, are impregnated, they're practically water-proof from the get-go and endure better the careless angler.

So what is "best value"? For example, an 7-1/2' 2/2 3-3/8oz Orvis Battenkill from the 1960s or 1970s in excellent condition can be bought from reputable dealers for $650-750. If you settle for a single tip section, there are bargains galore. The Orvis 99 2/1 7' 3-1/2oz, for example, a nice medium-fast 4wt, can be found for $400-500.

And that's just Orvis. Then there are the other blue-collar classics like Granger, Heddon, Phillipson, etc. Blue-collar only because they don't command the premium, staggering prices of a Payne, Garrison, Gillum or Dickerson. But wonderful rods in their own right.

From the U.K., Sharpes rods are amazing value and great casting rods, though a little heavy. Their impregnation process comes from Orvis, and they made blanks for both Orvis (the Equinox range) and Leonard (the Duracane range). Many of the tapers, especially in the Fario range, come from Pezon and Michel, and these would be considered properly parabolic, staggered ferrules and all. And then there's Hardy. The 7' Marvel. The 7-1/2' C.C. de France. Amazing rods where form and function find the perfect fit.

I apologize for an over-long post. You can probably tell by now that I love bamboo rods. If you haven't already done so, you might want to browse the Classic Rod Forum, where bamboo reigns supreme, and where many bamboo rod-makers from all over the world hang out. You will get to see great examples of their work, and if you wish, ask any number of questions. Answers are always forthcoming.

One thing about bamboo rods: you need to use the "considered" cast, where you wait to feel the rod loading on the back-cast, and feel it load you will, which I must say is really satisfying. Coming from graphite you might, in the beginning, produce power too quickly on the forward cast (tailing loops galore, and I speak from experience !), but because bamboo rods transmit so much "feeling" it doesn't take much to adjust to their rhythms.

Finally, and this is no small consideration, compared to graphite rods, bamboo rods tend to hold their value over a longer period of time, with some of them actually increasing in price.

All the best and welcome to the slippery slope,
Kenneth

I have cast the Tim Harris rods and thought they were really good and great value for money too.

I also have a couple of rods by Luke Bannister. A 7ft 4wt Superfast and a 7ft 3wt Garrison. I love fishing both of them and am really pleased with them. He is a great fisherman and a real gentleman.

Worth having a look at the Alternative Tackle site though as there is some interesting stuff on there.

Pete

Eat, Sleep, Fish

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www.devonschoolofflyfishing.com - Fly Fishing in Devon

I love using my Tim Harris bamboo, an extension of my arm

Mick

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"I will give him seven feet of English ground, or as much more as he may be taller than other men"
http://derbyshireonthefly.blogspot.com/

Hi,

Another vote for Tim harris. Brilliant rods, still a reasonable price, and a gentleman to deal with. I loved the whole process, choosing different actions, finishes, components etc. And the finished rod is lovely.

Damian F

I have a Michel & Pezon, it was my uncles,
Cost a fortune new in the 60,s.
It is a thing of beauty, wonderful craftsmanship.
It is cr-p compared to a modern carbon rod.

I think this sums up cane rods.
Nostalgic nonsense.

Move on!