Banboo - Fly Rods

Gehrke's Bamboo Fly Rods

Rod Care

Bamboo Rod Care is somewhat multi-faceted with graphite, fiber-glass, and bamboo rods. First, there's no such thing as the perfect fly rod which can do everything. Actually, serious fly fishermen who venture forth more than a dozen times a year need three or four fly rods because trout and other denizens of the deep roam in various types of under water worlds. This alone, requires specialized equipment, line weights, various rod lengths, power curves, and line types, but this is article is about "Rod Care" isn't it?

The major factor with all fishing rods is to protect the tip sections because these are the first things which usually break. Rod care begins with proper handling and walking around with one. Here, we're more interested in bamboo fly rods and I'll try and keep my comments to them but the rules can apply to all fly rods.

· Try to always keep fly rods within the perimeters of boats.
Walk through brush with the rod handle in hand and your hand touching your leg with the rod trailing behind.
Always lay fly rods down flat and never upright in a corner or bent inside a truck cab or pick up.
Never stand next to an open vehicle door.
Never lean a fly rod against a vehicle. Never! Not even for a second.
Always string a rod on vegetation if you have it near.
Keep fly rods out of hot sunlight when not fishing them.
Don't put up your fly and line with a bend in the tip when you reel up the slack.
Flies hung up in trees and brush? Always set the fly rod down and pull with the fly line, not the rod. Never pull with a bend in the tip when snagged up on bottom debre. Always pull directly from the reel with the tip pointed at the problem.
Never set a dismantled fly rod or reel on a dash board.

Artificial Fly Rods can get nicked whereas bamboo may get dented. The former may shatter within the next five minutes or in the near future but bamboo won't. Always run your finger tips along the tip section for damage each time you go out no matter what your fly rod is made out of.

Rod care begins with always using clean fly lines free of dirt and grime. Fly lines become abrasive files in short order if they're not kept absolutely clean. The inside diameter of guides will be worn into flat spots with sharp edges. This condition destroys fly lines quickly. The only cure is to replace the guides or fly rod entirely. If you haven't ever looked at the inside diameter of your snake and tip guides under a magnifying glass or loop, perhaps now is the time to do just that?

All fly rods should be dried off before putting them into their socks and tubes as you do not want moisture inside the storage tube. Rods don't like it and neither do the reel seats, metal or wood parts or the cork handles.

Always put the butt section into the sock with the handle up. All the other sections should be inserted with the butts down and the tips up so they are protected by the cork handle. Another good idea if you have the room is to put a sponge or soft cloth down to the bottom of your fly rod tubes so as to protect your ferrules from bumping the bottom.

NEVER DROP a sock of rod parts into a tube letting it slam against the bottom as this is a sure way of damaging your ferrule ends. Also, it isn't necessary to use any laces to bind your sock together. Cut those dang things off as this will put a set or bend into your tips and laces really serve no purpose at all. The entire inside walls of your tube and sock are protection and support required.

Going fishing? So you're ready to put your bamboo rod together, right? The secret to ferrules is simply keep them clean. Never use any wax, nose sweat, or oils of any kind on your nickel silver ferrules. All you need is little ivory soap and water. Never use spit. Never use solvents on ferrules to clean them. A small bar of soap is all one needs. Wet a cloth with a finger and then rub once on the bar and clean your ferrules. It's as simple as that. Don't forget to rinse.

Ferrules should not fit all the way to the ridge line of the male half. Ferrules will wear over the years and the more they wear the farther they will insert towards the rim.

Wipe all ferrules of finger prints before putting your fly rod away so as to prevent oxidation or chemical reactions. If you have a ferrule that just won't insert at least half or three quarters of the way, then there is a chance of an oxidation build up. The only way to correct this is with FOUR "A" (AAAA) steel wool. Squeeze lightly in a spinning manner three or four times, the male ferrule and try the fit again. Usually, this will clean it.

Be aware if you over-due this, you can wear the male ferrule out and it will need to be replaced, so be gentle and don't do this too often. The secret again is cleanliness regarding ferrules that fit with "a pop!" when you take them apart. Never use skin or nose oil to lube a male ferrule. This is a no, no.

Hands sweat and cork handles get slick and out right filthy. In my opinion, the premium cork used on wine bottles is not the top quality cork anyone should be putting on a fly rod. First off, the cork is too smooth, too hard, and difficult to hold onto, even if just wet. Add hand oils or fish slime and the situation gets worse. What one wants on a high quality bamboo fly rod is a quality cork that is somewhat porous and pitted with excellent color. One desires a handle that doesn't seem to want to squirt out of your hand when it gets wet. Grip, is the word. You want grip yet you desire something that is useful and willing to work with you when you're in the heat of battle.

Cleaning very dirty cork can be a chore because no matter what, dirt and cork get along just wonderfully. The soap you want is Ivory Liquid because it has a Ph factor of 7.0 which is neutral and it's perhaps the finest soap in the world for human use. Use very hot water and a stiff hair-brush. Scrub and rinse with cold water. If anything, you will dissolve a lot of hand grease, salt and sweat out of the cork handle. This is good. This alone will make your cork handle grippy again. Chances are you will never get the factory new look again unless you resort to using 240 grit sand paper, but you need to ask yourself, is it worth it? If you must, sand around the diameter only. Go slow and test a little to see if this improves everything. If you screw up, you can always replace the entire cork handle if need be. Just stay away from the finishes on both ends. Lastly, remember discolor after cleaning means just that. What is important is to remove the slick hand oils and sweat and return gripability.