While I’m locked in desperate combat with the keyboard, some of my friends (for brevity’s sake, let’s refer to them as “slackers with evil, swine-like tendencies”) are deeply concerned for my well-being.
Which is why they send me photographs like this from their smartphones:
This still-warm, dying-October-Caddis-driven photo comes courtesy Chris Raine, the bamboo fly rod builder who clearly knows what it’s like to have bamboo slivers driven up under his fingernails (how else do you explain this photo, which — not to belabor the point — isn’t the only one he sent).
Important Announcement
Starting next week, the Underground will be taking applications for the position of “New Best Friend.”
No health benefits, but you get to walk Wally the Wonderdog.
Like most bamboo fly rod builders, Chris Raine is a bit of bamboo nerd; he never really stops messing with tapers.
New life for a failed prototype? My long-sought-after all-around 5wt?
Years ago he handed me a prototype 8’3″ 4/5 weight hollowbuilt rod — a slightly stronger, more progressive take on his popular 8’3″ 4wt. While it fished nicely with a 4wt at short ranges, when you really aired it out, it became clear the tips were too light for the mid section.
Just when the rest of the rod was getting going, the tips started flopping.
It was an experiment and experiments sometimes fail, though this one now seems to have a silver lining.
When all this happened Raine was finalizing his 8’3″ 5wt staggered ferrule “Simplicity” rod and didn’t really need another 8’3″ 5wt in the lineup, so he moved on to mucking about with other tapers, and I kept the rod, occasionally fishing it and ultimately breaking four inches off one of the tips.
Eventually — like a lot of bamboo fly rod builders — Raine let someone buy his own fly rod right out of his hands, and then realized he didn’t have anything to fish himself.
I’d returned the original prototype 8’3″ 4/5 to get get a new tip-top glued on the broken tip and have the grip turned down a bit, and — desperate for a fly rod to fish that night — he took it to the river and gave it a workout.
He called the next day and said “I know how to fix this.”
Over the next two weeks he built a slightly heavier tip for it on a flatter taper, and the first time I cast it, I suspected I’d finally found my all-around 5wt.
I’ll have to fish it a bunch to be sure (a trip to the river has ended a lot of love affairs that began on a casting lawn), but a powerful-but-supple 8’3″ 3-pc hollowbuilt 5wt sounds like just the all-around 5wt I’ve searched for the last 12 years.
Frankly, adding to the attraction is the rod’s status as a prototype — a simple test bed built with whatever was at hand.
There’s no tipping on the wraps, the simple reel seat is scarred (it was pulled off another prototype), and bamboo in the new tip section doesn’t come close to matching the bamboo in the butt section.
Frankly, I like stuff that’s clearly created for a purpose (I’ll never understand gloss-black, lowered pickup trucks), and a fly rod like this lacks any hint of the bling that reduces so many bamboo fly rods to fashion statements.
I suppose that’s why I mostly drive a 24 year-old basic Toyota pickup and mostly own bamboo fly rods from people like Raine, Thramer and Beasley.
See you on the river (testing my ugly prototype), Tom Chandler.
If we really needed further proof that bamboo rod makers are borderline OCD sufferers technically insane, we bring you YouTube video of Chris Raine’s new computer-controlled, wholly hand-machined, completely over-the-top bamboo fly rod mill – in its first pass (at this point, it’s shaping the delrin cutting bed).
I’ve been watching this beast take shape for upwards of a year in Chris’ shop.
Frankly, I’m a little afraid of the thing; I stand in the other corner when I visit.
If you know Raine, you know he’s a lifetime member of the Anything Worth Doing is Worth Overdoing School of Insane Behavior, and this is only the latest manifestation.
It’s likely his bamboo rod mill and a handful of cockroaches would be the only thing in Dunsmuir to survive a direct tactical nuclear strike, and yet I’ve heard him state – without a hint of irony – that he’d really like to beef the thing up.
How do you “beef up” something already more massive than a woolly mammoth?
Raine’s continuing to build fly rods the “old fashioned way” (and teach classes) while he puts the finishing touches on The Beast, though he’s also building some new style binder that looks like it was stolen from the drive train of an Abrams tank.
(Crazy, it seems, tends to spread quickly over the whole shop.)
The impetus for this rant was an email suggesting a bamboo rod built on a mill wasn’t a “real” bamboo fly rod at all.
If it wasn’t hand planed, then it just wasn’t real.
Hand-planing a rod offers satisfaction and a pleasing connection with the bamboo, but even those that like the process will admit it’s hard work and the BFI part of the job (brute force and ignorance).
And yes, the time invested in hand planing a rod makes it hard to experiment with new rod tapers.
And before anybody chimes in to champion the concept of “nostalgia” or “tradition” in connection with hand-planed rods, I’d like to say that almost all the old bamboo rods – including the vaunted Paynes, Leonards, etc – were built on mills of some sort.
I wouldn’t hesitate to buy a modern fly rod tapered on a mill, though plenty of bamboo snobs have expressed reservations about that.
It’s one of the things that leads me to believe the bamboo fly rod world’s biggest enemies are some of the people in the bamboo fly rod world – people who would rather we worshiped bamboo fly rods instead of fished them.
After all, I’ve seen bamboo rod builders – including Jimmy Reams, whose fly rods should be shot into space so aliens will mistakenly believe we’re a tasteful, elegant species – accused of “not being ‘real’ bamboo rod builders” because they don’t fab their own ferrules or reel seats.
That’s like suggesting I’m not a “real” writer because I didn’t code my text processor (Komodo Edit).
The case for “real” lies in the words or the fly rods, not in the tools, and while fly fishermen have a deserved reputation for being insufferable snots (me included), reality probably really has to kick in at some point.
I could also rant on about those who insist a bamboo rod isn’t really a bamboo rod if its wraps are nylon instead of silk; its guides are ceramic instead of agate; or the rod bag wasn’t sewn by a virgin (a hard thing in California).
But I won’t.
I will, however, offer a rare celebrity endorsement of my position; in an interview with John Gierach, he told me he still fishes bamboo about 85% of the time, but has drifted away from the bamboo rod scene largely because of the people who populate it.
“I’d go to a gathering and see these guys bragging about their $3000 fly rods, but I couldn’t help but notice most couldn’t actually cast the things, let alone fish them.”
Frankly, I’d love to see a machine-planed fly rod brand created in the image of Bill Phillipson’s rods – excellent fishing tools that didn’t cost the arm you cast them with.
Given the high-dollar prices charged for mass-produced graphite, I wonder if the time isn’t right for a new mass-produced bamboo rod. After all, almost nothing fishes smaller streams better than bamboo, and enough people are fishing small streams that I’m using psuedonyms instead of stream names.
It’s likely that investment in machinery would never be repaid, but if you can’t wish for the impossible, well hell – there’s little reason to write your own fly fishing blog.
Viva the Modern Bamboo Fly Rod – no matter how it’s built.
Local bamboo fly rod builder Chris Raine is holding yet another Great Western Bamboo Rod Makers Gathering, and if your tastes run to bamboo fly rods, smoked ribs and crowds of cranky, badly-in-need-of-fiber bamboo fly rod builders, then you know where you’ll be on October 30, 31.
This, Undergrounders, is your chance to fondle, cast, and fall in love with a bamboo fly rod you can’t possibly afford, and that you do so against the backdrop of the October Caddis hatch should make for a few interesting discussions around the dinner table (but honey, all the other guys are doing it…).
Test casting a bamboo fly rod at a previous Great Western Gathering
In his typically flowery, detailed writing style, Raine gets the details down (Chris, we love ya, but try using an adjective every once in a while):
Save this date: October 30 and 31. Friday night at Raine Hollowbuilt Fly Rods. Saturday morning at the Community Building next to the Ball Field. Saturday evening at the Lions Club, next door to the Community Building.
Friday evening will be smoked ribs and chicken, along with some beans.
Saturday meals will be on your own. Coffee and pastries in the AM.
Chris Raine Hollowbuilt Bamboo Fly Rods: Rods Available for Immediate Purchase
I’ve been building my hollowbuilt bamboo fly rods two at a time (instead of singly), and have created a small stock of my most popular models – ready for immediate deliver (contact me at 530.235.4058 or chris@hollowbuilt.com for more information)
Model: “Simplicity†an 8 Foot Staggered-ferrule 2/2 for a 6 weight. Hollowbuilt. Serial 204hb.
Gold toned cane, triple tempered. Pale yellow translucent wraps on guides with dark brown wraps on ferrules. Reams style grip 5 3/4†long. Down-locking slide band reel seat with redwood burl spacer. Blackened ferrules. Linen rod sock with aluminum tube, brass caps. In addition to being hollow built, the ferrule is lower down on the rod, giving an even lighter feel while casting. A fine rod for casting in the wind, while still having the sensitivity of a lighter lined rod. A great candidate for fishing Silver Creek, earlier in the season. $1495.00 plus tax/shipping
Model: “Fin†an 8 foot 3 inch 2/2 rod for a 4 weight. Hollowbuilt. Serial number: 201hb.
Gold tone cane, triple tempered. Pale yellow translucent wraps on the guides with dark brown wraps on the blackened, truncated ferrules. Reams grip 6 1/4†long with beautiful spalted maple uplocking reel seat. Truly a light in the hand, powerful 4 weight rod capable of throwing 50 plus feet of line effortlessly. A full flexing rod, with the backbone to turn good-sized fish. A bamboo fly rod for the true afficiando! Comes with linen rod sock, aluminum tube with brass caps.
$1995.00 plus tax/shipping
Model: “Fin†another 8 foot 3 inch 2/2 rod for a 4 weight (as above). Hollowbuilt. Serial number: 200hb. $1995.00 plus tax/shippingSOLD
Model: “Upper Sac Special†an 8 foot 2/2 for a 5 weight. Hollowbuilt. Serial number: 199hb
A great do-everything trout rod. Gold toned cane, triple tempered. Pale yellow translucent wraps with light brown wraps on bright nickel silver ferrules. Reams style grip 6 1/4â€. Spalted maple slde band uplocking reel seat. Linen rod sock with aluminum tube, brass caps. Excellent choice for a first or do-everything bamboo fly rod. Roll casts with ease, plenty of reserve power when needed and a complete joy to fish! $1495.00 plus tax/shippingSOLD
Model: “Antelope Creek†a 7 foot 2/2 for a ¾ weight. Hollow built. Serial number: 197hb
The ultimate small stream rod! Gold tone cane, triple tempered. Pale yellow translucent wraps over guides with brown wraps over blackened ferrules. Cigar grip, 5 3/4â€. Upgrades: McCoy agate stripper, and deluxe uplocking slide band reel seat with cork insert, maple spacer. Linen rod sock with aluminum tube, brass caps. A fine rod for smaller streams, and a first choice for alpine brookies. Elegantly appointed, great to look at, even greater to cast! $1595.00 plus tax/shipping
Model: “Fin†a special built 8’3″ 3 piece (3/2) for a 3-4 weight! Hollow built. Serial number: 202hb
A real 3 weight over 8 feet, that still has a nice smooth action, with plenty of reserve power! Flame cane, with ammonia toning. Reams grip 6 3/4†with uplocking slide band reel seat with redwood spacer. All blackened nickel silver with java brown wraps. Linen rod sock with aluminum tube, brass caps. An elegant rod, with superb casting qualities. Travelling to that special spring creek? This may be the rod to take with you! Aerial mends and light presentations make this rod unique for its length versus line weight. A true joy to cast. $1995.00 plus tax/shipping
To inquire about any of these rods – or to order another rod from our bamboo fly rod catalog – please contact us at:
Chris Raine
530.235.4058
chris@hollowbuilt.com
The Upper Sacramento River is an odd mix of tailwater and freestone river; even when the Box Canyon Dam releases are controlled, the river picks up a lot of water from its tribs.
I fished the river last Friday, and was surprised at the flows and lack of clarity.
Later, flows at the delta peaked at 4,060 cfs, which is pretty damned unfishable on 99% of the river, and though they dropped to 600 cfs, I can guarantee they’re headed back upwards – it started raining steadily again this morning. (Check the latest flows here.)
Now that’s some spike in flows, and it’s headed back upwards.
Once again, I’d suggest a lake instead of the Upper Sacramento River, and – typically – we haven’t heard anything from PG&E about the repairs on the McCloud (which was initially projected to return to normal flows on the 7th).
Meanwhile, it’s a typical fall up here: the fishing’s uncertain, but there’s plenty to do getting ready for winter.
Chris Raine is building and shipping his hollowuilt bamboo fly rods again, the local guides are largely sick of guiding sports (yet are still looking for a couple more trips to round out the season), and
Dave Roberts is tying flies in the separate building he had built because all his fly tying junk paraphenalia couldn’t be made to fit in a spare bedroom any more. He’s promised me a picture of a handy little BWO Quigley Cripple style emerger, which I’ll print as soon as I get it.
While the mortgage and (now) looming credit crisis is driving most slackers Undergrounders to the edge of the bankruptcy abyss, it seems sales of bamboo fly rods remain strong – at least for top builders.
Bamboo fly rods seem to be defying the economy.
The Boston Globe published a story about Per Branden where the writer – who was clearly not familiar with fly fishingat all – noted Branden no longer accepts orders for his hollowbuilt bamboo fly rods.
My favorite interview moment? When the interviewer repeatedly refers to Branden’s “bamboo fly poles.” (Where’s the super slo-mo of Branden’s face when you really need it?)
Also on the “not accepting orders list” is Colorado’s Mike Clark (the oft-mentioned builder in Gierach’s essays), who has frozen his list at five years, and though he’s still building, he wants to clear away some of the orders before taking more.
Wondering if I was seeing a trend, or merely a statistical fluke, I started calling some builders.
Hollowbuilding maestro James Reams (his rod profiled on the Underground here) – suggested he’s also turning over the idea of a freeze on rod orders (though his waiting list is at three years and for now, he’s still taking orders).
Even one-time Reams protege and hollowbuilder Chris Raine is only beginning to dig out from under a pile of rod orders which backed up when he suffered a few health issues.
“People are calling and asking about hollowbuilt bamboo fly rods because they’re traditional bamboo rods, but they cast and fish better” said Raine.
Rodbuilding legend AJ Thramer has also not seen a dip in orders: “Everything I build, I sell, so I’ve stopped worrying about the order book. Literally as fast as I can make them, they’re gone. The dealers keep saying “I need more, I need more.”
Interestingly, the fraction of AJ’s orders for his more-expensive hollowbuilt rods continues to climb – he now estimates that as many as 70% of his rod orders are hollowbuilts.
He’s also received requests for a higher-end Thramer rod: “I think it’s mostly collectors” he said.
Arizona bamboo rod builder Mike Shays has seen a recent upsurge in rod orders, and said “I really do think people are looking for high-end rods. I think people are afraid of buying cheap rods.”
Shay’s waiting list is also about three years.
Sure, the statistical sample is small, but the evidence seems clear; bamboo rods – at least those from top builders – are looking pretty recession proof.
Sure, the long-term sales cycle might be helping in this case, but if anything, the rodmakers report receiving more orders this year than last.
Still, lest you think these guys are raking in oil-company level profits, do the math in your head, and you’ll see it’s possible to make a living, but almost no one’s getting rich building bamboo fly rods.
Thramer summed it up beautifully when he said “Rod building is an honest poverty – hopefully you leave behind a trail of smiling people.”
I’m traveling to the Fly Fishing Retailer show in Denver next week; anyone want to take odds I hear a different story from most of the non bamboo-related fly fishing industry?
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