Second hand store bamboo rods

On Aug 26, 7:33*pm, Wayne Knight wrote:
On Aug 26, 1:08*pm, wrote:



but this is most unlikely.

In 1996 I picked up a Garrison rod and in 2007 picked up an original
Edwards Quadrate, both at second hand stores. Ya just got to know what
you're looking for.

Oh, there is no doubt that it is possible, merely unlikely. Also, if
you have to ask on this group, and run the usual crazy gauntlet of
clever ****es who ridicule you and your question immediately, then it
is most unlikely that you "know what you´re looking for".

Any reasonable person would simply assume that the guy just doesn´t
know anything at all about bamboo rods, and give him as much
information as possible on the matter.

It is many years now since I fished with bamboo rods, I never did like
them much, although this has as much to do with the fact that I could
never afford ( actually "justify" would be more accurate), a really
good one as anything else. In the meantime I have used, or at least
cast a fair number, mostly belonging to friends etc, and there are
some very very nice rods around. Indeed I recently cast a beautiful
Brunner rod, but it is in my opinion only suitable for short range dry-
fly fishing, and at about 10,000 Euros, ridiculously expensive. I even
built a couple of cane rods once, but they were awful, so I gave them
away. One lad I know still fishes with one he got from me.

To me a fishing rod is just a fishing rod, and I tend to go for what I
think is the best suited to any particular task.Bamboo rods are simply
not suitable for many of the techniques I use, and even if I had the
money to waste, I wouldn´t buy one anyway.

Of course there are lots of people who love cane rods, and everything
associated with them. That too is just fine with me. Each to his own.

wrote in message
...
On Aug 26, 6:11 pm, "Wolfgang" wrote:

Wolfgang
who, if he had only known at the time what a horror his childhood was,
would
have skipped it altogether.

Indeed, probably comes from showing one too many your "peenie".

If the number of references to it that show up here are any indication, I
have indeed.

As for genius, regardless of how or why it may occur, it is most
unlikely that you will find it among this particular motley crew of
socially dysfunctional misfits.

As virtually everyone knows, genius is that which possessed by those whose
intellectual attainments are equal (or nearly so, at any rate) to "mine."

Never mind, at least I don´t think your name is funny.

Perhaps a reflection on your place of residence.

Just imagine
the problems you might have had if you had been called Ibrahim, or
Hussein, or Ali.

About the same sorts of problems one would have expected for a young lad
named Wolfgang in America fifty odd years ago? Any such expectations then
were doomed to be dashed, as I suppose they would be today for most
Ibrahims, Husseins or Alis here. The embarrassing truth is that most people
here are really pretty much absorbed in tending to their own affairs and
leaving to others their own. The small minority of stridently vocal haters
are, in the world at large as here in roff, a small minority of stridently
vocal haters.

On the other hand, you might then have been nominated for president of
something or other.

Something or other like that has happened. I take it as indicative of
something or other......or maybe not.

Wouldn´t stop the infidel dogs howling
incoherently at you,

Nothing will.....not in the large picture, anyway. As for individual
infidel dogs, well, who gets howled at by whom in this particular forum is a
matter of public record. They don't keep ME awake.

but you could at least laugh at them with some
conviction?

I could, I can, I do laugh at them. Whether or not that laughter carries
conviction doesn't interest me much. Thus, if the question of conviction is
a problem, it ain't mine.

Tending to the theory that a certain facility with a language, either
your own or someone else´s, indicates at least a modicum of
intelligence,

A matter about which little of use has been said despite an appalling
avalanche of verbiage over the centuries since reification became popular.

one is then bound to wonder why somebody who obviously
possesses such would bother even attempting to communicate in any
meaningful way with those who obviously do not.

One would be well advised to first determine whether any such attempt has
been made.

With regard to the original question about bamboo rods. You might be
lucky and find a rod in a second hand shop rod which will be OK to
fish with, and you might even be incredibly lucky and find a very good
one, but this is most unlikely.

You can buy pretty good bamboo fishing rods and blanks for not too
much money;

I'm pretty sure that I'm not in the market for bamboo fishing rods. But,
thanks anyway.

Wolfgang

On Aug 26, 7:47*pm, "Wolfgang" wrote:
wrote in message

...
On Aug 26, 6:11 pm, "Wolfgang" wrote:

Wolfgang
who, if he had only known at the time what a horror his childhood was,
would
have skipped it altogether.
Indeed, probably comes from showing one too many your "peenie".

If the number of references to it that show up here are any indication, I
have indeed.

As for genius, regardless of how or why it may occur, it is most
unlikely that you will find it among this particular motley crew of
socially dysfunctional misfits.

As virtually everyone knows, genius is that which possessed by those whose
intellectual attainments are equal (or nearly so, at any rate) to "mine."

Never mind, at least I don´t think your name is funny.

Perhaps a reflection on your place of residence.

Just imagine
the problems you might have had if you had been called Ibrahim, or
Hussein, or Ali.

About the same sorts of problems one would have expected for a young lad
named Wolfgang in America fifty odd years ago? *Any such expectations then
were doomed to be dashed, as I suppose they would be today for most
Ibrahims, Husseins or Alis here. *The embarrassing truth is that most people
here are really pretty much absorbed in tending to their own affairs and
leaving to others their own. *The small minority of stridently vocal haters
are, in the world at large as here in roff, a small minority of stridently
vocal haters.

On the other hand, you might then have been nominated for president of
something or other.

Something or other like that has happened. *I take it as indicative of
something or other......or maybe not.

Wouldn´t stop the infidel dogs howling
incoherently at you,

Nothing will.....not in the large picture, anyway. *As for individual
infidel dogs, well, who gets howled at by whom in this particular forum is a
matter of public record. *They don't keep ME awake.

but you could at least laugh at them with some
conviction?

I could, I can, I do laugh at them. *Whether or not that laughter carries
conviction doesn't interest me much. *Thus, if the question of conviction is
a problem, it ain't mine.

Tending to the theory that a certain facility with a language, either
your own or someone else´s, indicates at least a modicum of
intelligence,

A matter about which little of use has been said despite an appalling
avalanche of verbiage over the centuries since reification became popular..

one is then bound to wonder why somebody who obviously
possesses such would bother even attempting to communicate in any
meaningful way with those who obviously do not.

One would be well advised to first determine whether any such attempt has
been made.

With regard to the original question about bamboo rods. *You might be
lucky and find a rod in a second hand shop rod which will be OK to
fish with, and you might even be incredibly lucky and find a very good
one, but this is most unlikely.
You can buy pretty good bamboo fishing rods and blanks for not too
much money;

I'm pretty sure that I'm not in the market for bamboo fishing rods. *But,
thanks anyway.

Wolfgang

Ah, OK, so to rephrase slightly, merely in order to facilitate my own
understanding of your understanding;

"It ain´t material"

Yeah, I noticed a severe dearth of nickels of late, shiny new or
otherwise. A widespread phenomenon it seems.

Wanna buy a house? Cheap?

"DerekO" wrote in message
...
I recently ran across a bamboo rod in a second hand store. Can anyone
tell me if they are still good? It seemed to have some good action.
I was just unsure of buying it, using it and having it break. Anyone
with any experience?

Its been a while since I had my last remaining cane rod out on the river so
can I offer a couple of tips- first assemble the rod and slowly pull the
tip round to 90degrees all the while listening for any tell tale a)creaking
or heaven forfend b)cracking that may indicate a) the glue is giving up or
b) the fibres that give cane its strength are getting dry if its ok to 90
degrees then gently try another 20degrees look for discolouration around the
ferrules where damp may have got in . Examine before bending the rod and
after for any set in the rod i.e. sagging to indicate it is getting tired,
an old rod can very quickly take a set under that kind of load. As another
post says if its not silly money then they are fun to use though the action
seems painfully slow compared to boron or graphite.
Last time out with my 3 piece Manifold rod on a still water (the Manifold
is a very small river ion the edge of Staffordshire and Derbyshire
http://www.panoramio.com/photos/original/7467649.jpg ) I struck into a 2
1/2lb pound rainbow way bigger than the rod was intended to handle and
spent a heart stopping 25 minutes playing it to a standstill wondering if
the 50 year old bamboo would last the race after that I polished it and put
it away safely to enjoy another day.
Derek W
Cheshire UK

On Tue, 26 Aug 2008 07:05:47 -0700 (PDT), Michael
wrote:

On Aug 25, 11:46*am, DerekO wrote:
I recently ran across a bamboo rod in a second hand store. *Can anyone
tell me if they are still good? *It seemed to have some good action.
I was just unsure of buying it, using it and having it break. *Anyone
with any experience?

Despite the smart-aleck comments you've received, the answer is
probably yes. If you're talking about the kind of second hand store
where the rod is priced at under five dollars or five pounds, or five
Euros, depending on your location, even if it does break, you're not
out very much. If you tested it and it seems to have good action, it's
worth trying to fish with it, or even taking it to a dealer of some
sort to see if it's an antique. Buy it, treasure it, brag about it,
throw it in the face of these smarties.

Er, no. Given the information provided, there is no way to give any
practical information - IOW, he got about as good as he gave.

As to the rod, for example, if it happened to be a Gillum of a certain
period, the glue could be iffy, and an attempt to fish it could turn a
monetarily and historically important rod into kindling. On the other
hand, if it's some 10 ft. Japanese souvenir tomato sta...er, rod for
$25-50.00USD, in need of some TLC, and DerekO's intended quarry is tiny
little trout in some NC under- and over-brush, it's probably not worth
it even if the cane is perfe...well, it won't be "perfect," but
"fishable." Moreover, a cane novice isn't likely to be about to tell
how a particular rod might fish waving it around in the store. And if
DerekO can't take a little ribbing, he can **** off...you can feel free
to do so as well...if he can take a little ribbing, he should feel free
to post some actual useful details, and I suspect he'll get actual
useful information.

HTH,
R

On Aug 26, 11:11*pm, wrote:

Er, no. *Given the information provided, there is no way to give any
practical information - IOW, he got about as good as he gave.


Heh heh, all the more surprising that a number of people did so anyway
eh?

( By the way, I think you may be looking for a tractor, preferably
with a trailer.)

With regard to a comment in another post. it is a very bad idea to
flex ANY rod by grabbing it at the tip and bending it. If you want to
test a rod under load, then thread it up with line and tie the line to
something or other, or use weights.

Testing old unknown bamboo rods ( or any others for that matter) by
bending them, pulling the tips, or indeed anything at all of that
nature is a very very bad idea. When it breaks, the shop will make you
pay for it.

A visual inspection, looking for various points, some of which were
given in the above posts, is ample.

On Aug 26, 11:47 am, wrote:

Of course there are lots of people who love cane rods, and everything
associated with them. That too is just fine with me. Each to his own.

So one day this past July I had tied my mule up a few miles back in
the Pecos Wilderness, along a beautiful meadow section of a stream up
there. I had my 3forks 3wt with me but the skies were growing ominous
so it was going to just be a lunch break and then head out. A few
minutes later a couple of guys ride in on horses, tie up and start
stringing their rods. One of them had seen my rod on the back of my
saddle and politely came over and asked which way I'd be fishing. I
told him I wouldn't be, but noticed he was carrying a very fine bamboo
fly rod. To understand how out of place it looked, he was kinda
scruffy in cutoffs and holey canvas sneakers, and normally a person
who rides up on horseback is going to have a 10-year-old spinning rod
at best, with equally old 10lb line, and will either collect some
worms or use powerbait. We chatted a bit, he had lived in the area all
his life and said his family had been there more than 400 years.
Always interesting the characters you meet in various places.

Not that this has anything to do with secondhand stores or anything
else in this thread.

Jon.
PS: I agree that, despite Wayne's once-a-decade find, a rod in a
secondhand store is 98% likely to be junk. I've seen a few, anyways.
(margin of error: +/- 37.2%)

On Tue, 26 Aug 2008 20:57:48 +0100, "Derek"
wrote:


"DerekO" wrote in message
...
I recently ran across a bamboo rod in a second hand store. Can anyone
tell me if they are still good? It seemed to have some good action.
I was just unsure of buying it, using it and having it break. Anyone
with any experience?

Its been a while since I had my last remaining cane rod out on the river so
can I offer a couple of tips- first assemble the rod and slowly pull the
tip round to 90degrees all the while listening for any tell tale a)creaking
or heaven forfend b)cracking that may indicate a) the glue is giving up or
b) the fibres that give cane its strength are getting dry if its ok to 90
degrees then gently try another 20degrees

I wouldn't do that, even if it has intermediate wraps, and definitely
not if doesn't have them. If the glue fails, esp. the tip, it could be
damaged if not ruined. If you are _at all_ concerned about the glue
(esp. if you know the rodmaker had glue issues), wrap painter's tape
(_not_ regular "masking" tape, but the blue or green "delicate finish"
type or other similar delicate surface-safe tape) around the tip section
at 2-3"/5-6cm intervals and _gently_ flex it a few times. Tape the
remaining sections at about 6-8"/12-15cm intervals and tape the
ferrule/cane joint. Assemble the rod and gently flex it against
something like a mattress or padded, carpeted floor. _Gradually_
increase the amount of flex.

TC,
R

look for discolouration around the
ferrules where damp may have got in . Examine before bending the rod and
after for any set in the rod i.e. sagging to indicate it is getting tired,
an old rod can very quickly take a set under that kind of load. As another
post says if its not silly money then they are fun to use though the action
seems painfully slow compared to boron or graphite.
Last time out with my 3 piece Manifold rod on a still water (the Manifold
is a very small river ion the edge of Staffordshire and Derbyshire
http://www.panoramio.com/photos/original/7467649.jpg ) I struck into a 2
1/2lb pound rainbow way bigger than the rod was intended to handle and
spent a heart stopping 25 minutes playing it to a standstill wondering if
the 50 year old bamboo would last the race after that I polished it and put
it away safely to enjoy another day.
Derek W
Cheshire UK

On Aug 26, 11:30*pm, wrote:
On Aug 26, 11:47 am, wrote:

Of course there are lots of people who love cane rods, and everything
associated with them. That too is just fine with me. Each to his own.

So one day this past July I had tied my mule up a few miles back in
the Pecos Wilderness, along a beautiful meadow section of a stream up
there. I had my 3forks 3wt with me but the skies were growing ominous
so it was going to just be a lunch break and then head out. A few
minutes later a couple of guys ride in on horses, tie up and start
stringing their rods. One of them had seen my rod on the back of my
saddle and politely came over and asked which way I'd be fishing. I
told him I wouldn't be, but noticed he was carrying a very fine bamboo
fly rod. To understand how out of place it looked, he was kinda
scruffy in cutoffs and holey canvas sneakers, and normally a person
who rides up on horseback is going to have a 10-year-old spinning rod
at best, with equally old 10lb line, and will either collect some
worms or use powerbait. We chatted a bit, he had lived in the area all
his life and said his family had been there more than 400 years.
Always interesting the characters you meet in various places.

Not that this has anything to do with secondhand stores or anything
else in this thread.

Jon.
PS: I agree that, despite Wayne's once-a-decade find, a rod in a
secondhand store is 98% likely to be junk. I've seen a few, anyways.
(margin of error: +/- 37.2%)

An interesting point actually. A couple of weeks ago I had a visit
from a chap who was going to spend a few weeks in Norway salmon
fishing. He wanted me to copy a few flies he had bought elsewhere for
a lot of money, ( 40 euros and upwards per fly for relatively simple
tube flies).

I told him I couldn´t do that, but I could show him how to do it
himself. He came around a few nights and eventually dressed a few
fleis he was satisfied with.

While sitting and discussing various things over a "parting glass",
shortly before he was due to leave, I asked him why he had bought such
extremely expensive flies in the first place. He sat and thought
about it for a while, and then he said. "Well, there must be some
reason they are so expensive, maybe special material or something, and
I just feel I have a better chance of a fish with them. The whole
thing is so expensive [the fishing holiday itself], and I don´t want
to risk a failure by not having the right flies. Compared to the cost
of everything else, even though they are very expensive, they are only
actually a small part of the outlay".

When he came back, he showed me the two salmon he had caught, one
about 6 lbs, and one of just over 8. He had caught them both on the
flies he had dressed himslef, after losing a few expensive ones, and
not wanting to lose any more on a bushy stretch, he had used his own
flies "as it would not be such a tragedy to hang them in a tree".
Those were the only fish he got in three weeks of intensive fishing.

The moral? Hell who knows?

On Aug 26, 11:42*pm, wrote:


I wouldn't do that, even if it has intermediate wraps, and definitely
not if doesn't have them. *If the glue fails, esp. the tip, it could be
damaged if not ruined. * If you are _at all_ concerned about the glue
(esp. if you know the rodmaker had glue issues), wrap painter's tape
(_not_ regular "masking" tape, but the blue or green "delicate finish"
type or other similar delicate surface-safe tape) around the tip section
at 2-3"/5-6cm intervals and _gently_ flex it a few times. *Tape the
remaining sections at about 6-8"/12-15cm intervals and tape the
ferrule/cane joint. *Assemble the rod and gently flex it against
something like a mattress or padded, carpeted floor. *_Gradually_
increase the amount of flex.

TC,
R


Yeah, so only buy such a rod form a second hand store that sells
matresses as well, or has a padded carpeted floor, and make sure you
have "delicate finish" masking tape with you.

When the rod breaks, and the shop owner shoves it up your ass, asking
"Do you want fries with that", reflect on your sins, and the
aberrations encountered on the internet.

This is not the story of a bamboo, but may be of use to you anyway;

"Have a wiggle!". "Go on, have a wiggle", he said. So I had a wiggle.

Unfortunately, even after wiggling, I was not much wiser than before.
Despite the fact that I have handled thousands of rods, and fished and
cast with a goodly number, all I get from "wiggling" them in a tackle
shop, or indeed anywhere else, is a very rough idea of their unloaded
action, whether they are particularly stiff or floppy, and a vague
inkling of what they might be able to do.

Under no circumstances would I buy a rod, as a result of such a
wiggle. I consider wiggling, a time honoured, but basically more or
less useless tradition, and I only really do it to satisfy the wishes
of sundry tackle shop proprietors and similar unfortunates, many of
whom continue to labour under the erroneous and often dangerous
misapprehension, that it is essential.

Rather crestfallen, apparently because I only wiggled weakly ( I am a
weak wiggler by nature, and also by conviction, in point of fact I
really prefer not to wiggle at all if I can help it), and I did not
immediately burst into enthusiastic praise of the rod, he took it from
my hands, and said "Watch this".

Oh ominous phrase! On quite a number of occasions, especially when
casting, or handling fishing rods generally, the utterance of these
very words has proved to be a harbinger of impending disaster, and
nowadays, when hearing them,I get the almost uncontrollable urge to
hide, or run for cover. In this particular instance, I did neither, I
simply took several steps backwards to what I fervently hoped was a
safe distance.

I had no idea what he was actually going to do, but I was fairly
certain that it would be neither impressive or sensible. Over the
years, quite a number of factory reps, tackle shop proprietors, proud
rod owners, and potential world record casters,( at least they thought
so), have been moved to do the most amazing and silly things with
fishing rods in my presence. Perhaps I am a bad influence?

Long ago, after the first few such incidents, I realised that it was
absolutely pointless trying to persuade them not to, and that simply
allowing me to have a cast or two with the implement in question would
more than suffice as a demonstration.

Every single time, my exhortations proved completely futile, and
unsettlingly often with disastrous results.

Unmoved, and indeed apparently absolutely oblivious to my
protestations and misgivings, the gentleman poked the tip of the rod
over the counter towards his shop assistant, and said "Hold it
tight!".

My attempt to take yet another step backwards also proved futile, as I
bumped into a set of steel shelves behind me.

The assistant grasped the rod tip, and our worthy wiggler raised his
hand hard, putting an awesome bend in the rod, and continuing to do so
until it had very nearly described a complete semicircle from butt to
tip. At this point, the spirit of carbon fibre apparently decided that
he had had more than enough of this vile treatment, and gave up the
ghost.

Quite a small report sounded, followed closely by a shriek from the
shop assisant, followed yet again by another much louder cracking
report, and a sound like hailstones hitting a tin roof.

This all occurred within a split second.

The assistant had barely completed his marrow curdling shriek, before
clapping his hands to his face, from between which amazingly large
quantities of blood began welling and dripping. The wiggler stood
apparently dumbfounded for a second, and then dropped the remains of
the rod and began wiping his eyes.

Quite a few minutes, and considerable gentle persuasion,was required
to get the shop assistant to take his hands away from his face, so
that I could view the damage. A long deep gash ran from the side of
his mouth, nearly up to his eye, and although the flow of blood had by
now diminished a little, there was still plenty to go round. Indeed,
the counter top, his clothes, the floor, the cash register, had all
received a more than ample helping, and more was being freely
distributed by the second, should the first few gushes indeed prove
insufficient.

All anglers in Germany are required to have a first aid certificate
before they may obtain a licence. I had originally assumed that this
was in case of accidents on the stream, but now realised that the
powers that be must be aware of what dangerous places tackle shops can
be.

After about twenty minutes, an ambulance arrived and carted him off,
after one of the medics had removed a few loose splinters from the
wigglers eyes, and admonishing him not to rub them.

I heard he had to have sixteen stitches in the gash. He will have a
scar that any Cossack would be proud of, for the rest of his life.

In the meantime, the wiggler picked up the butt, and a few bits and
pieces, and holding them in his hands he looked at them, and then up
at me, saying "I cant understand it, nothing like that has ever
happened before! Must have been defective!".

I refrained from further comment, and took my leave shortly
afterwards. This particular tackle shop is no longer on my list of
"places I like to visit".

For those of you interested in the technical aspects of such an
occurence, here they are.

If you grasp a rod at the tip, practically any lateral pressure you
exert on this thin part of the blank will cause it to snap like a
carrot. Having done so, and still being under considerable pressure
from any wanton wiggler who is holding it at the time, the broken end
will spring up and out with very considerable force. Should anybody be
unfortunate enough to have placed his physiognomy in the arc which
this, unlike a carrot, extremely sharp and jagged implement, is now
describing at very high speed (which is basically unavoidable if he
was foolish enough to hold the tip of a rod for a wiggler), it will
almost certainly be permanently altered as a result.

Steel beams placed relatively low under the roof, are not a good idea
in tackle shops owned by wigglers (much the same applies to ceiling
fans). Having carried out the rapid, unwonted, and fairly large scale
plastic surgery on the luckless emloyee now holding his face, the
tipless rod continues its unstoppable journey upwards, until it
contacts just such a steel beam, with a resounding crack. Being
already damaged, the impact causes the remains of the tip to shatter
like glass, and spray fragments all over the place. Some of which may
cause injury or discomfort to innocent bystanders, and of course the
by no means innocent wiggler, and his already severely injured
assistant.

There are any number of morals to be gleaned from this story, but I
will confine myself to those having an immediate effect on anglers
wishing to purchase various fishing implements.

Wanton wiggling is a waste of time and effort, and risky to boot. If
you see tackle dealers, or anybody else carrying out wanton wiggling,
then don´t buy any rods from them. Even if nothing happens at the
time, a rod which has been wantonly wiggled is highly likely to fail
at some future date, as they are simply not designed to stand such
treatment, and will almost certainly be damaged by it.

The extremely high incindence of broken tips, for no immediately
apparent reason, when fishing, is in my opinion, at least partially a
result of wanton wiggling. Those who fish bead-head and similar flies,
using fast rods and tight loops, often have only themselves to blame,
but for many others, the reason is that you are probably the
unsuspecting victim of a wanton wiggler.

Tight lines! ~ Mike Connor