Split cane fly rods

[BrownTrout]

A buddy of mine asked me about them. I'm new to fly fishing and my knowledge is limited,so the best place to ask is here.

Are they a quality rod? Anyone know an approximate value?

Thanks

[braggadoe]

Bob clay makes high quality cane rods. they are very good. 1500$ to 2500$

[BrownTrout]

What about Scottie rods?

[cranky]

Don Anderson is a member on here,makes split cane rods. I think he lives in Rocky Mountain House. Other than a few PM's between us i dont know him personally but i guess he has a reputation. This is his website. http://bamboorods.ca/

[Don Andersen]

Brown trout,

The Chinese build them for <> $ 400+. Mid-range N. American builders are $1000>1400 and top of the line will run $3500>6500 with a wait time for most N. American builders of 3 months to 5 years.
If you are just starting, for a mid-range rod you can completely outfit to yourself with rod, reel, lines, leaders, waders and on and on.
For a flavour of pricing etc see http://classicflyrodforum.com/forum/

Regards,


Don

[greylynx]

Hey Don:

Does that Japanese gentleman still make cane rods in Edmonton?

I forgot his name..darn it.

[Don Andersen]

Grey,


I know of two guys who have built cane rods in Edmonton. Neither were Japanese.
Sorry, can't help.
I'm aware of only <> 10 guys who have even built bamboo rods in Alberta. Most only built a few. Several of them are quite elderly or dead.
Not a lot of folks build bamboo rods. B.C. has <> 8 still building rods. Sask as far as I'm aware has none, Manitoba has 1 - further east than that, I haven't a clue.

Regards,



Don

[Ronbill]

Originally Posted by Don Andersen

Brown trout,

The Chinese build them for <> $ 400+. Mid-range N. American builders are $1000>1400 and top of the line will run $3500>6500 with a wait time for most N. American builders of 3 months to 5 years.
If you are just starting, for a mid-range rod you can completely outfit to yourself with rod, reel, lines, leaders, waders and on and on.
For a flavour of pricing etc see http://classicflyrodforum.com/forum/

Regards,


Don

I agree with Don's comments above, but will also add there are some very talented up and comers on the rod building stage in North America and elsewhere and rods from these guys can be had for $600-$1000. Notables include: Bill Critchfield (sells on e-bay, own website and through Len Codella's Sporting Collectibles in the U.S., Lew Parks (sells on e-bay and own website), and Don Recker and Steve Pennington (both sold through Coldwater Collectibles in the U.S.).

The same can be said for some very experienced builders, as some sell for under $1000 new and/or slightly used - for example: R.W. Lancaster and A.J. Thramer (both sold through Len Codella's Sporting Collectibles in the U.S.) and Steve Kiley (sold through Coldwater Collectibles in the U.S.). All of these represent great deals given the amount of time that goes into building one and the level of experience these gentlemen have.

I would also add that unless you have knowledge about vintage split cane rods, it's best you stick with newer rods built by current builders to avoid the multitude of potential issues associated with vintage cane. Current builders most often warranty their work and repair for free of reasonable cost.

[Lornce]

I fish split cane a lot. Love the action and quite honestly the fish fighting ability. They are like all rods, high quality if produced by a knowledgeable builder. Or they can be really great tomato stakes if built with someone without the know-how. Don builds a quality product.

[Ronbill]

Lornce,

is that one of Don's rods in the pic?

And nice blog by the way.

[BrownTrout]

I appreciate all the thoughts and info passed to me on these remarkably interesting rods.

My next questions are: if my buddy were to sell me one of his 80 yr old Scottie rods, a) what should I be paying as a fair price?, b) should I consider buying one?

Thanks Clay

[Lornce]

Originally Posted by Ronbill

Lornce,
is that one of Don's rods in the pic?
And nice blog by the way.

No, not one of Don's, its a Bill Edwards rod. I own eight Bamboos now new vintage some new.

[chucky]

Originally Posted by BrownTrout

I appreciate all the thoughts and info passed to me on these remarkably interesting rods.

My next questions are: if my buddy were to sell me one of his 80 yr old Scottie rods, a) what should I be paying as a fair price?, b) should I consider buying one?

Thanks Clay

It depends in which state the rod is in and how well it was kept. If it's in a bad state it might be that the glue is gone and it will delaminate at the first cast! They're fun to restore, especially if it was a good quality rod in the first place. The original maker and its state will determine its value...
Back in Scotland i got decent old split cane fly rods for under 50$, but if it's a Hardy or similar the prices jump!

[Ronbill]

Originally Posted by BrownTrout

I appreciate all the thoughts and info passed to me on these remarkably interesting rods.

My next questions are: if my buddy were to sell me one of his 80 yr old Scottie rods, a) what should I be paying as a fair price?, b) should I consider buying one?

Thanks Clay

Clay, the main factors on vintage rod pricing will be collectibility/rareness, build quality, current condition and length.

Rods built by the historical American "Masters" of split bamboo like Leonard, Payne, Thomas, Edwards, Gillum, Garrison, and Young (and their disciples) will cost much more out of collectibiltiy and rareness as in most cases there are fewer made examples circulating around.

That brings us to quality as most of the "Masters" produced rods of exceptional quality and durability. In contrast, Rods built by the large tackle supply companies (South Bend, Horrocks Ibbottson, Montague, Heddon) will generally run less, as these companies produced high volume of often lower quality rods. But there are exceptions to this as Leonard was a high volume builder of generally good to exceptional rods as was Granger (later bought by Wright and McGill), Hardy, and even Sharpe’s of Aberdeen (which I feel is undervalued).

Rod condition is straight forward - mint original condition will rightfully be of higher value. Value goes down with declining condition - though a high quality refinishing/restoration will also increase a rods value to a point. Main considerations on condition are: how structurally sound the actual cane remains, are all sections full length, are the sections relatively straight or do severe sets (bends/sweeps) occur in any sections, are there any hook digs in the flats, are ferrules snug fitting and firmly seated on the cane. All of these can be remedied, but the more issues the lower the value. Good deals can be had on high quality rods with some of these issues. However, it will cost you to have the rod repaired/refinished/restored. If you can do the work yourself - great, you'll save money - otherwise expect to pay several hundred for major work.

As for length, you need to understand that these days, shorter and usually lower line weight rods (4 and 5wt rods in 6.5' -8.5' length) are in greater demand - and thus value - than longer (9' +) rods. This results from the fact that back in the day, long rods of higher line wt (6 and 7wts) were the norm. Few builders made light-line short rods. So in the vintage split cane market short light-line rods are valued much higher than longer rods out of rarity. This situation has changed now as all contemporary rod makers produce more shorter rods than rods of longer length.

If you want more information on bamboo rods and general cost of repair/restoration/refinishing check out the link in my signature.

[BrownTrout]

Thanks again. I love that I can ask a question and get a fountain if information.