YOU ONLY LIVE ONCE, FISH CANE ………..

Why fish a cane rod? This is a question I get from time to time and the short answer is …… it’s an amazing material to make a fly fishing rod out of. This doesn’t mean that graphite, boron or fiberglass is a bad product ……. they are just different. To call one material a better choice than the other would be a wrong way to quantify the differences in material choice. I still fish graphite rods for situations where I feel it is the better choice of material. An example would be a 15′ and longer Two Handed Spey rods. The lighter overall weight properties of graphite and the faster rate of recovery allows graphite to performs better and excels at casting longer distances.

So why fish a rod made of tonkin cane? Because just like there are situations where graphite is the right material choice there are times where a cane rod just flat out outperforms a rod of any other material. It has been said before that tonkin cane is the best material to produce a trout fishing rod out of. The difference in material choice used is felt in a cane rod. Tonkin Cane comes from a living material that is far superior in feel. It is also superior for protecting tippets and tracking an accurate, straight cast. With graphite rods you shoot line …… a cane rod loads line and casts it. A graphite rod goes out of round when cast, where a cane rod casts and flexes down the entire length of the rod …….. translating every bit of the cast into your hands. Truthfully, until you have felt a cane rod load during a cast or the fight of a fish ….. you won’t have experienced how much sensitivity, power and soul a cane rod transmits through your hands.

This is where my obsession with cane rods started …………

I still remember the first time I stepped into Silver Creek ….. it was one of those life changing moments. I had thought I was a good caster and a good fisherman before that moment. It only took one day of being snubbed by some of the largest and most beautiful coloured fish in bath clear water to realize that I had a lot of learning still to do. Long casts did not work with all of the micro currents – I also thought I could tie, but the fish had a different opinion.

On Day Two, I had the opportunity to go fishing with what I still feel is one of the greatest anglers to ever step into an Idaho river. We walked up to the bank and he proceeded to watch me jump into the creek and start sending silt down to the very fish I was planning to fish to. He called me back to the bank and then proceeded to school me on how to catch these fish. I spent the next 10 hours sitting on the bank observing how the fish responded to their environment. That one day changed everything in how I fished.

Day Three was a lot more productive and I started catching fish and my obsession with this Spring Creek was set for life. Even better is that my Son has made this creek his office and job as he guides full time on this river and those in the surrounding area.

Now you may ask, what does this have to do with fishing cane rods? Good question ……. as I was sitting there completely bitter that I wasn’t fishing I looked over and asked him why he fished such an old, antiquated rod. He laughed and then proceeded to tell me I had so much to learn. Newer is not always better. He went on to explain that to really chase the large fish of this creek, and have a chance of hooking and landing them …… you should learn about cane rods. A cane rod he said, protects the 5x, 6x and 7x tippets in a way that a graphite rod never could. This fact also relates to chasing steelhead and salmon. Bamboo Rods protect against the initial shock of the set which translates in to a huge advantage while fighting these fish. A fight that a graphite rod could never emulate. As I fished The Creek more often I started to notice that the really good older fishermen, the ones who really knew how to fish this creek, all used cane rods. In the end, I purchased my first cane rod and wished I had bought one earlier on rather than spending countless dollars chasing “that feel and playability” that I would never be able to re-create in a graphite stick. That old saying of “those who know – know”, really hits the mark here. Why fish a bamboo rod? It will make you a better angler, a better caster, and it will make your time on the water more enjoyable ……