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Jacobsson Rod Company Handcrafted Bamboo Fly Rods Rod Building Classes Restoration and Repair |
jacobssonrod@yahoo.com |
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What Makes Bamboo Rods Unique? Although the earliest bamboo rods were made in
England, the perfecting of the process is considered an American feat. The first bamboo rod composed of six split
cane strips was made in Bangor, Maine, by Hiram L. Leonard in 1881. Long before steel, fiberglass, and
graphite, bamboo was king. Many of
today's fishermen feel that bamboo still reigns supreme.
What makes it such a prized treasure to both the
fisherman and collector? For over 120
years, split bamboo has been the most desired natural material for fly rods
because of its beauty, strength, resilience, and light weight. A fly rod must
be handsome. No man-made material can
complete with the beauty of nature's materials. A well-finished and maintained bamboo fly rod can be an
heirloom for generations to come.
But beauty is only skin deep. A fly rod must be strong. Bamboo could be referred to as nature's
composite material. Just as graphite
material is composed of longitudinal carbon fibers bonded together with an
epoxy resin, a bamboo culm is composed of hundreds of tiny cellulose power
fibers running it length and held together with nature's glue, a substance
called lignin. A fly rod must be resilient so that it loads deep into the
butt section to power the cast. A fly
rod must be light so hours of casting do not result in arm fatigue. Bamboo meets all of these requirements, and Jim
Pippel combines these elements into a beautiful, functional Jacobsson fly rod
that continues the tradition of hand planed cane. |
