Vintage and Classic Fly Fishing Rods
Vintage Bamboo Fly Rods
Bamboo rods are our passion! Bamboo starts life as a living organism, a member of the grass family. It is one of the fastest growing plants on Earth. After harvesting it is dried, split, and made into fine bamboo fly rods. You can use these rods for everyday fishing, add them to your collection or use them as period furnishings.
New fly anglers are usually not aware of one fact; the modern graphite rods that their friends use behave differently than vintage and classic fly fishing rods, which have slower actions and are more responsive. There is a good reason why Orvis has been making bamboo rods continuously for over 130 years; they just work.
Why are bamboo fly rods still so popular? Partly due to nostalgia for sure. Many people purchase vintage bamboo rods because they remember them from their youth. Maybe due to their uniqueness. Partly due to aesthetics. Similar to a fine wood desk that has taken on a patina after years of use, an heirloom bamboo rod has character. And partly due to the way bamboo fishes. Bamboo rods are slower and more responsive. They make you relax and enjoy the experience.
Some people believe that the bamboo in a rod is still alive, that it carries with it the soul of its maker, just like a finely crafted Samurai sword. Nice thought!
Classic Fiberglass Fly Rods
Fiberglass, developed during WW2 for use in making antennae for military vehicles, was used after the war to produce fiberglass fly rods. Fiberglass rods have a medium fast action, somewhere between bamboo and graphite, that many anglers appreciate. Additionally, fiberglass rods require very little maintenance.
While their run in the marketplace was cut short by the introduction of graphite rods, they are still manufactured by major tackle makers, including Orvis.
Classic Graphite Fly Rods
Graphite as a material was developed for use in aerospace and military applications. Graphite fly rods were introduced in 1974. These early rods form a "bridge" between fiberglass and modern graphite. Designed in taper, length and line weights similar to fiberglass but in the new high modulus material, they cast and fish like fiberglass, sometimes like bamboo, but are lighter.
Even though graphite rods have been around for over 50 years, early examples can be difficult to obtain, as collectors value them for their characteristics and tend to hang on to them.