10% off Sale! Bum Rods

Due to the cancellation of The Tokyo Handcraft Show by the Covid-19, Bum Rod offered the sale rod for us. Bum rod is one of the most popular bamboo rod makers in our shop. The list price of Bum rods are all one tip model, but these sale models are two tips. Also These sale models are both not A6L but A6F. The difference is the cane. Madake bamboo is used for A6L, but these two sale rods are both made with Tonkin cane for the bigger size fish on the bigger size river. You will be surprised with its crisp but smooth action. For the details, please check "Bum Rod" on "SHOP" tab. We just have one each in stock. Here is the specification for two rods. If you are interested in these sale rods, just give us an e-mail. First-come-first-served. Need about 10 days for the shipping.

1. 8ft #4 A6F DHC (Deformed Hexagonal Construction) $1,700→SOLD

2. 8ft #4/5 A8F DOC (Deformed Octagonal Construction. No photo, but the rod blank and wrapping thread color are identical to 8ft #4 A6F DHC) $1,890→SOLD

A6F / Tonkin / Brand new / Dark Finish / 2 tips with Rod tube

DHC construction for A6F (The color of the rod blank and wrapping are not the same as the sale model).

DOC construction for A8F (The color of the rod blank and wrapping and shape of the grip handle are not the same as the sale model).

Wider side of the A6F Hexagonal rod blank

Beautiful vanishing

Bum rod has many unique features to make the rod light other than its hollow construction. Top guide is not usual covered type.

Let's prepare for the season!

We have received more snow and ice than normal this year in Tennessee which makes me think of all great fishing weather coming soon and planning my first fishing trip.

We have changed the looks of our Web site to blog style. We are going to update some news timely. Hope you enjoy our new step. I am not an experienced IT guy but really enjoy providing updates the latest fly fishing news along with receiving fishing tips from my friends.

AWOL

“About varnishing, some believe, the thinner, the better. But it is not, it’s a big mistake. A fly rod is not a piece of art, but a tool for fly fishing. Varnishing is like the bumper of a car. It protects the naked body from rocks, branches, hooks, and many other hazardous things. I feel uncomfortable every time I see a bamboo rod that has thin varnishing. I even doubt it is a trick to make a rod look sharper or maybe even cooler. Varnishing is not cosmetic, but the protector.”

If you doubt that Hironobu said this as an excuse because his vanishing was not beautiful, you would be wrong, completely wrong. His vanished surface looks like a queen among other makers in my eyes. It is just stunningly beautiful.

Hironobu does not dip the rod when he vanishes. He believes hand-painting is the best way to make the perfect surface on the rod.

“The temperature of the room is the first thing you have to be concerned about. If the temperature was not the same each time you vanish, you could not make the same rod.”

Hironobu uses polyurethane for varnishing and sets the room temperature at 63℉ when he varnishes. As the temperature goes up, the curing rate will be higher. Some professional makers set the temperature up to 70℉ to speed up the process. That means you do not have much time for brushing.

“Every bamboo rod maker has their own rhythm in each process. Rhythm is one of the most important things to make the same rod. I believe a good rhythm while varnishing makes the surface flat and flawless.”

Hironobu often stressed the words “the same rod” during the interview, meaning to make all of the rods he made to be consistently the same. I think that came from his early carrier. He once was a contractor of one of the most popular fly shops in Tokyo. His rods were sold under the name of the shop’s brand. He believes he cut more strips than any other makers did. He called himself a “human beveler” in those days.

*This article was extracted from “Mostly Bamboo” by courtesy of the author.