Yuba flowers and a fish

**DonCooksey** · 04-02-2010, 06:02 PM

A few shots from the Lower Yuba on 3/30 between light showers and nice fish.

I never noticed monkey flowers (Mimulus) along the Yuba before.

Oncorhynchus yubus. My first on a bamboo rod.

**Ed Wahl** · 04-02-2010, 06:48 PM

Don, how about a little commentary on using the cane rod versus graphite?

Love the Lupine shot, always did love just being around it.

Ed

**DonCooksey** · 04-02-2010, 07:51 PM

Ed:

Timely question, as I was thinking of that comparison while fishing Tuesday and came to the conclusion that this particular bamboo rod (a 1973, 8', HCF [7 wt], 4 1/2 oz, impregnated Orvis Battenkill) casts almost identically to my Sage XP 6-wt graphite rod (and cost me almost the identical amount!). Casting and mending a nymph rig with a 6-wt floating line was the same to me between the two rods, and two weeks ago, I found that casting a 250-grain SA Streamer Express line was just like it is with my 6-wt XP, if not better, in terms of casting distance and casting rhythm. This rod seems pretty fast for a bamboo rod, probably because it is only 8 ft, but I hear it is all in the taper. The feel of a nice fish also seemed the same between this rod and my 6-wt Sage XP.

I also have an 8 1/2 ft South Bend #59 bass-wt rod that is noticably slower but casts a 7-wt floating line well with big bass bugs. I just need to remind myself to wait a little longer with the back cast on that one. I also recently bought an old Heddon model #35 from 1930 (yes, I'm obsessed with bamboo rods right now) that is a 9-ft rod that casts a 6- or 7-wt line well but with a much slower action compared with graphite rods. My avatar is a photo of the red agate stripping guide on that rod with sunlight shining through it. Although the casting is a little slow, the feel of a big trout on that old Heddon is just amazing. I was a little scared when I first saw that 80-year-old rod doubled over with an 18-inch fish, but it has held up well. It has a somewhat of a "fishing set", as they say (if held horizontally with the guides down, it sags a few inches, but is straight if held horizontally with the guides up), but I don't think that affects the action much.

Sorry for the long-winded response to your question, Ed. I grew up fishing glass fly rods but enjoyed casting my grandfather's old bamboo rods a few times as a teenager. Just tried bamboo again recently, after years of using graphite rods, and was hooked on cane. Reasonably good old bamboo rods are so plentiful now on the devil's on-line auction site, that I think it is more affordable to fish bamboo now than graphite. So cost is another comparison worth discussing. Now let's not get into vintage fly reels. I just bought an old Hardy today, so I think I'm headed down a dubious path...

**Bill Kiene semi-retired** · 04-03-2010, 07:32 AM

Cool photos Don.......thanks.

Looks like "back in the day".

**Adam Grace** · 04-20-2010, 12:38 AM

Very nice!

**STEELIES/26c3** · 06-23-2010, 02:02 AM

Cool photos, info, commentary and a great name for eBay...

My Bonanzle seller id is "eBaymutiny"

go figure....

m

**heyeugenio** · 02-16-2011, 02:34 PM

Sure brings back some memories. Nice shots and great catch!

**Darian** · 02-16-2011, 03:52 PM

Don,.... Since you've cast both impregnated and non-impregnated cane rods, do you find any difference in the performance

I've never cast an impregnated rod but recall many conversations about casting Orvis rods (glass impregnated) with folks who found the impregnated rods heavy and too much like glass rods. Odd, because glass rods will bounce at the end of a cast creating a series of "S"'s in the line while in the air. Cane's natural dampening stopped the bounce....

**DonCooksey** · 02-16-2011, 04:47 PM

Darian:

I have three impregnated bamboo rods now (two old Orvis ones and a nice old Horrocks-Ibbotson "Chancellor" from the 50s); they cast just as well as my non-impregnated bamboo rods, although those are different brands and tapers. The impregnation process is usually done with phenolic resins under heat, and sometimes pressure. Orvis has a little historical description about how that was done by them here: http://www.orvis.com/intro.aspx?subject=5350

I think most rod builders consider that impregnation has little effect on a rod's casting ability. I just like their durability, resistance to taking on a "set", and you can use them in the rain or lay them in the water next to a fish for photos without any worries! I also like the darker color of the cane that impregnated rods tend to have.