How many of you have fished with split cane rods?

[dezza]

Seriously!

For myself I have fished in my life, in addition to split cane, with greenheart and lancewood rods, as well as Spanish Reed and East India Cane.

And you?

I'm giving away my age.

As regards split cane, which is made from Arundinaria amabilis, I have even attempted to make it, although quite honestly you need a heck of a lot of patience, and a bit of cash for the tools of course.

But the way I see it is that the split bamboo section of fishing tackle manufacturing has never been more bouyant. Companies like Edward Barder and Winston, regularly charge up to £1500 or thereabouts for a basic split cane rod, and they get away with it. And not only that, but anglers are prepared to wait up to 18 months for the rod to be made, after paying for it up front.

These must be amongst the best business term in the world, all for a bit of bamboo!

This stuff must now be worth more than gold!

But back to my first question: "How many of you have fished with a bamboo rod, whether it be whole or split?

 

[Cakey]

yes I have.........................

 

[Graham Marsden]

But back to my first question: "How many of you have fished with a bamboo rod, whether it be whole or split?

I have, and built my own, and I wouldn't give it room in my rod bag in place of a good, modern carbon rod.

 

[Peter Jacobs]

But back to my first question: "How many of you have fished with a bamboo rod, whether it be whole or split?

Well, I certainly; Have, and, Still Do from time to time, and I enjoy every moment of it too.

Unlike modern carbon rods a cane rod seems to have "life" and is a lot of fun to use.

I'm not saying that I'd use a cane rod everytime I want to go fishing, but on certain days, on certain rivers, for me it is just . . . . . right.

 

[Stealph Viper]

I haven't fished with a Split Cane, infact, any cane rods, or Centre Pins or Mitchell 300's, so you can count me out of your nostalgic Threads

 

[Chris Hammond ( RSPB ACA PAC}]

My first rod, given to me by my father, was an Allcocks fly rod. I had no idea of it's sublime quality and used and regularly broke it for everything that swam in our local pond. (Just stunted rudd actually.) I sold it for 50p to a mate's sister at about age 12 and bumped into her some thirty years later and brought it back for a fiver. It is parked in my collection somewhere awaiting a refurb for nostalgia purposes.

A few years back I brought a Hardy Greenheart rod, and a couple of split cane rods at auction, feeling sure I'd got one over the collectors in bagging them for a fiver. I wrote to Hardy for some history and an idea of the precise whippings, eyes etc. I then spent many hours re-whipping the appropriate snake eyes on it and varnishing it as per Hardy's instructions. It had those beautiful twist-lok ferrules on it and looked immaculate when finished.

A while later I found out from a dedicated collector that such rods have literally no value whatsoever, and are only of use for hanging on country pub walls. I gave it away to a friend along with a hand made Redditch centrepin, apparently made of aircraft metal by a factory worker, presumably in his spare time and for his own use.

The other split cane rods are kicking around somewhere. As I understand it they are worth no more than garden canes. I found it quite surprising given their condition and ages. Not much fishing tackle has the antique value you might think it's age and rarity would command.

 

[Jeff Woodhouse]

Well, I certainly; Have, and, Still Do from time to time, and I enjoy every moment of it too.

And in summer, they're supporting his runner beans.

(oh sorry Peter, Insert big stupid smiley whatsit....)



I have used split can and though not made one I did rewhip a few. Fortunately they held together and I didn't have to reform them. C-r-a-p though, as GM says, carbon far far better now!

 

[Ben Haigh]

I haven't fished with a Split Cane, infact, any cane rods, or Centre Pins or Mitchell 300's, so you can count me out of your nostalgic Threads

ditto.

i look at it like classic cars. you will appreciate it if you knew it, (or more importantly loved/desired it) in its time, but if you didn't, you will see it for what it is, outdated and substandard relative to modern equipment.

Take the mgbgt, massive fan base, people love these cars. to me, too young to have seen them on the road other than as a restored classic, they are a piece of cr*p, slow, heavy and unreliable. i'll take a z4 coupe thankyou.

 

[dezza]

I thought I'd get old PJ in on this thread.

I tend to agree with Graham and that in all honestly, a decent carbon rod is far superior to cane.

However there seem to me to be a whole lot of people ordering split cane rods these days, especially in the USA. I am told that such makers as Winston, Thomas & Thomas and Orvis have never been more busy, Could this be a result of "A River Runs Through It?" But as Brad Pitt is now a vegan and massive supporter of Peta, I wonder how?

But lets' look at the facts regarding split cane.

If we consider short fly rods designed for accurate close range casting on streams, there is no doubt that split cane still has an edge. The reason is that this material is capable of bending under a very small line load.

There exists a property in good split cane that is hard to describe, but it may have a lot to do with the fact that the modulus of elasticity of split cane does not change as it is bent.

Compared with a tubular section utilising glass fibre or carbon which does.

 

[Mr Cholmondeley-Corker (PaSC)]

but it may have a lot to do with the fact that the modulus of elasticity of split cane does not change as it is bent.

How do you work that one out Ron?

 

[Alan Tyler]

Definitely a fan! Almost certainly because they were unaffordable objects of desire when I was a boy, which then dropped in price when glass and carbon came along. Glad I bought a few, 'cos they've returned to "unaffordable" status!

Long cane rods, because of their weight, are definitely museum pieces, or once-a-year specials (extra glucosamine for a fortnight beforehand...), but at 11' or less they are great for casting light baits/flies, because they will load against their own inertia, and they are a joy to play fish on.

Any of the Norf London /South Herts brigade for a vintage fish-in?

 

[dezza]

How do you work that one out Ron?

As a tube is bent, so it tends to become ovular in section, making it progressively weaker the more it is bent.

Not the modulus of elaticity that is changing, more the section modulus.

 

[Mr Cholmondeley-Corker (PaSC)]

Ron

If Youngs Modulous (or tensile modulous or elastic modulous) is Stress/Strain then what is section modulous?

 

[WesleyPipes]

I started fishing less than 2 years ago, using the equipement my grandfather gave to me from his younger days fishing occasionally.

The only coarse rod he gave me was split cane, and I used it for over a year and caught lots of great fish on it. I have extra rods now but I still use the split cane sometimes because I just seem to enjoy using it. Sure its substandard to my newer rods but to me, fishing isn't about making things easier, its about enjoyment, and catching a large carp on an old split cane rod is much more fun to me than on one of my carbion fibres.

I also have a split cane 5/6 weight fly rod, and even with jsut a 2 pound rainbow on it, its bent over 180degrees and has to be the most fun I have ever had catching fish.

 

[dezza]

As far as I can remember SM of a tube = Pi x (od4 - id4) divided by 32.

I forget what the SM of an oval section is. All I know is that an oval section when bent across the x-x axis is less stiff than a tube and becomes less stiff the more it is bent, until the damn thing collapses.

That is one hell of a bend - over 180 degrees by the way.

 

[George387]

Yes to cane and still use frequently, still own a greenheart rod also which sees daylight every blue moon,
cant beat a bit of nostalgia frishing from time to time with cane rod, pin and porcupine quill.

 

[Cakey]

I filled my Sage with sand to stop it ovalating

 

[Nobby C (ACA)]

I filled my Sage with sand to stop it ovalating

I stuffed my chicken with sage-that stopped it ovulating I can tell you.
Never used bamboo, probably never will.

 

[Chris Hammond ( RSPB ACA PAC}]

I've just been up in the attic and found a whole plethora of cane and bamboo rods in varying states of decay. I have a three piece that's bamboo in the first two sections and the tip section is cane, a three piece with the first sections in cane and the last in some early form of glass and a three piece bamboo rod. Would it be worth restoring any of these?

I appear to have given the minted three piece split (built?) cane rod away along with the aforementioned Hardy and reel. I've just looked on e-bay and I bet my friend was tickled pink to receive them FOC.

When did they become saleable? As I said I was told by a fellow that builds cane rods that they were only fit for pub ornaments, albeit ten or more years back.

 

[Kevin Perkins]

As a young boy I worked my way up to one of those Japanese 'combination' split cane rod sets. Armed with this, you could tackle anything with fins. It was a Pier Rod, Pike Rod, a Leger Rod, a Float Rod, and if you turned the handle round, it was a Fly Rod too. They don't make the like that any more - thank God....!

Also had a S/U MkIV carp rod that I made up from a kit from JB Walker's, absolute beast of a thing that would hurl herring baits with distain. Cost about £15 I seem to remember, back in the 70's. I sold it for £85 in 1986 to a bloke who confused JB Walker with R Walker.....

I currently posses (and use) a delighful little 7' Edgar Sealey 'Octospin'. Teamed up with an equally old Mitchell 324 reel I can happily go spinning for perch all day long.