Brookside Rod Co.

While the modern bamboo fly rod can be fished the same way we fish our composite rods, a little care and fore-thought will assure that your new rod will serve you well for many years. Just as we inspect and maintain our composite tackle, so must we the bamboo fly rod. Periodic maintenance will ensure a long life. Any item of quality which is held dear to us would demand no less.

We all have habits and routines which govern the way we do familiar tasks. If we think about it, this holds true for our time on the river, too. During the trip to the fishing destination we may be thinking about new or familiar water, the texture of the riffles, the sound of the pocket water as it noisily flows past the stream bed obstacles or memories of the feel of the gravel bouncing over our wading boots. Some of us are going through the fly box inventory in our heads, knowing the hatch and looking for a match. There may be the anticipation of new experiences after arrival at a never-before fished location. Habits learned years ago are certainly keeping control of the car on the road to the river. Twists and turns, diners, coffee and gas stations. Many of us, upon arrival at the destination, move right into habitual routine. Your new bamboo fly rod will force upon you some new habits which, if adhered to will help assure long and continuous fine service.

Many folks will set up their rods immediately upon arrival, impatient to get into their favorite fishing spot. This assembled rod will then be leaned against the side of the pickup or a handy tree, an open door of the car or unceremoniously placed on top of the roof. Having done so they will then don their waders, lace up the wading boots, throw a few fly boxes into the vest, grab the already assembled rod and tramp off towards the river. A wise old fisherman once told me that the only things that break bamboo rods are doors and feet. Judging from the comments made by clients regarding some of the repairs which come into the shop, this must be true. Your rod should be the last piece of your angling equipment to come out of its case. As hard as this may be, learn not to be in a hurry to assemble your rod immediately after arriving. This isn't easy, as even this old guy gets excited when he arrives stream side and observes the slow water dappled with rise forms and the air full of bugs. In my haste to get into the water, I've come close to a few near-disasters. If you as a client think that he has to wait a while for a new rod you should see it from the point of view of the rod maker. I just never seem to have the time to build that perfect rod for myself. Slow down and think a little. Be careful.

Instead of rushing into equipment, take the time to look at the river. Try to decide on how best to fish the water before you. Consider closely the current flow conditions, obstacles, shadows and other local conditions. Observe the positions and movements of your fellow anglers. Try to judge their intentions so that you could enter the stream and fish in a way that your presence will leave them their space. If fishing with a group or just a friend or two, discuss your intended movements and fishing positions. Now is a good time to get your flies organized. If I wait until I am in the water to do this I know that I will leave at least two important boxes in the car. Oh, and take a look at your leaders and tippets as they're probably wrong for the conditions you just looked at. All these tasks are easier to do when on the shore. My knots seem to hold better the farther from rising fish they are tied. After all this, ease into waders and boots, slide into your vest and reach for your rod tube.

When you remove the cap from the rod tube get into the habit of putting it directly into your tackle bag, wader bag or some other place consistently. Once made, this habit will not permit you to loose the cap. The trunk of my car is usually a jumble of rod tubes, tackle and equipment bags and other stuff. A cap can and has been lost in this mess for weeks. My solution was to make a small fabric pocket which I attached onto a bracket on one side of the trunk. Now it seems that the cap is always there when I look for it. Cup a hand around the mouth of the rod tube, forming a funnel-like shape with your hand so as not to permit the rod while in the bag to scratch against the metal mouth of the rod tube as you withdraw it. After removing the bagged rod from the tube, select the tip which you will fish with, the mid if you've got one and then the butt. Return the bag containing the spare tip to the rod tube and replace the cap. I carry a small folding camp stool around with my tackle. It just seems easier to get into the waders when sitting down. This stool performs yeoman's service after my legs give out or the time comes for coffee and sandwiches. It also keeps my rod safe. After removing them from the tube I place my rod sections in clear view on top of my stool. This way my fishing buddy won't break another rod when he throws his tackle bag into the car in his hurry to get to the water.

Some folks have damaged their rods by removing individual sections from the bag while the bag remains in the tube. Doing so permits the metal edge of the tube mouth to scrape against guides, wraps and rod shafts damaging or even removing components and varnish from the rod. Remember how excited we were earlier? Don't do it. Remove the rod from the tube, bag and all or pull the bag about eight inches out of the tube and while holding it in place remove the rod sections. If your rod has a ferrule plug, remove it and tie it to the loop of the rod bag, put it into the cap pocket mentioned above or get into the habit of putting it in a particular place in your tackle bag. Keep a clean cotton wiping cloth with your tackle. Use this cloth to wipe the male ferrule clean of any dust, dirt or grime. Assemble the tip first to the mid and then this assembly to the butt if a three piece rod. Partially start the male ferrule into the female, and check the alignment using the guides as reference. If straight, ease the ferrule straight together. If not straight, separate the joints and try again. When assembling, keep your hands close together. Never twist rod sections to align the guides or when assembling or dis-assembling the rod. Doing so WILL stress or damage the rod or the adhesive joint between rod section and ferrule, eventually the rod will either separate from the ferrule or the strips will split and come apart. This is important and you need to think about it as many of us assemble our composite rods with a little twist to set the ferrules together tight. It's just another habit now, remember?

Nickel silver ferrules are engineering marvels. They are strong enough to keep the rod sections together and flexible enough to permit the kind of rod action that we desire. The material won't corrode which could affect the exterior finish and the adhesive joint which mates it permanently to the rod shaft. Making ferrules is a true test of the rod makers skill and patience. Never, ever, use any kind of lubricant to ease ferrule fit. It takes the rod maker a while to get the ferrules to fit well. Ferrules are fit very close to be a suction fit. A good job is demonstrated by a bright pop made by the ferrules when separated. Any lubricant which you apply to the ferrule will attract dust which is really fine particles of grit. This will eventually ruin the fit of the ferrule. Perhaps not in your lifetime but it will eventually. Never, ever, use any kind of abrasive on the ferrules to clean them or ease the fit. Eighteen percent nickel silver is soft enough to permit minute grains of abrasive to become imbedded into the metal, wearing away at the fit with every assembly, eventually ruining it. The same goes for steel wool or commercial polishing cloths. One moments' indiscretion could really affect the fit. When ferrules are worn past the minimum acceptable fit they will click when the rod is cast. This clicking is more tactile than audible and can generally be felt in the grip while casting the rod. If this should occur, then the rod will need to go back to the maker for repair. Ferrules may be cleaned by moistening a Q-Tip with a common household surface cleaner, such as those packaged in pump spray bottles and by gently rubbing the surface clean. When clean, go over the same surfaces with another clean, dry Q-Tip or your clean cotton wiping cloth to remove any remaining liquid cleaner. This is not necessary with every assembly. Once a year is fine when you go over your tackle in preparation for the new season before you or when things seem to be getting a bit too tight.

After installing your reel on the rod, strip line off the reel equivalent to a bit more than one rod length. Support the butt end of the rod and the reel on a surface which will do these parts no harm. Double over the line at a point a few inches before the leader is joined and feed this loop through the guides. When past the tip top, gently pull the balance of the line through the guides after which you may grasp the rod by the grip and tie on terminal tackle. Avoid using the grip as a fly keeper. If your rod is not equipped with one, loop the line around the back of the reel, permitting it to bear against the reel foot. Bring the line forward and hook the fly onto the stripping guide or another guide forward of it. This method does several important things. It keeps the fly and its hook well forward of the grip where it cannot injure the angler's hand. When looping the leader around the reel it also lets you inspect the terminal end for knots and abrasion. It also permits the joint between the line and leader to be forward of the fly tip. This lets the rod be quickly readied to cast as loops and knots would be generally forward of the fly tip.

When fishing, follow common sense. Your bamboo rod may be fished in the same manner as any other fly rod. When playing heavy fish learn to roll the rod from time to time. The technique is to simply twist your wrist and in doing so rotate the rod over your shoulder so that the reel rotates toward the sky and the rod turns over. This will more evenly distribute the stress around the section and throughout the tip and into the butt. If you should get hung up, never pull on the line with the rod, permitting the rod to be at ANY angle to the line. Never use the rod for leverage against the snag. Grab the line beyond the fly tip to pull if you must or better still wade over to the offending branch and un-tie yourself. Next to car or cabin doors and trunk lids, tugging snags and pulling lines out of trees ruin many bamboo rods.

When finished fishing for the day get into the habit to put your rod away before you pursue any other activity. Find your clean cotton wiping cloth and wipe down the grip and rod shaft. Dry your hands, the reel and reel seat. Remove the reel, put it aside and prepare to separate your rod. When attempting to separate rod sections, place your hands beyond the ferrules some distance. About ten inches apart ought to do. Hold the rod firmly in front of you. Keeping the hand on the tip section still, pull the butt section rearwards to separate the rod. The secret is to pull the joints apart straight. Occasionally the hands may be a bit too wet and the rod may not separate. If this occurs, solicit the help of your buddy. If each of you grasp a separate piece and pull straight apart from one another, the section will separate. The ferrules WILL stay on the rod shafts. No rod builder would let anything out of his shop that would come apart that easily. Keep your hands away from the guides. They are not there to limit the slipping of your hands on the rod shaft. You might bend them or worse strip one off. You might even get stuck in the hand by one.

Dry the rod sections again with your cloth. While doing so inspect the rodshafts, wraps and ferrules. Make a note of any discrepancies for attention later. Take time while drying to look for nicks or chips in the varnish or rod surface. Never put a cane rod away wet as the moisture will effect the finish. Water marks on the varnish look so unsightly. Remove the bag from the rod tube. Replace the tip into the bag, ferrule first. If your rod has a ferrule plug, remove it from the rod bag loop where you tied it earlier and ease it into the female ferrule. Return the butt into the bag ferrule first then the mid and tip. Cup a hand around the mouth of the rod tube, forming a funnel-like shape so as not to permit the rod while in the bag to scratch against the metal mouth of the rod tube as you insert them. Do not let the rod and bag drop into the tube permitting the ferrules to impact the bottom of the tube.

After returning home from fishing it is good practice to remove the cap from the rod tube and let the rod air out over night. This will permit the grip and any remaining moisture on the rod shafts to dry out. If you've been fishing in the rain or have managed to immerse your rod during fishing, you should remove the rod from the tube, in the rod bag, and hang them in a safe corner or other out of the way place in order to permit them to dry completely. Your rod should be stored inside its bag and tube in an upright or vertical position. Keep it in ordinary room temperatures away from excess heat and freezing. Too much heat will soften the varnish finish and permit it to be imprinted with the weave of the rod bag fabric. Extreme heat cycles will cause varnish meltdown which will necessitate refinishing the rod which is both inconvenient and expensive.

As you inspect your rod from time to time, and find chips in the varnish from hook strikes or other damage to the finish, you should apply a light coat of premium spar varnish to the effected area with a fine artists brush. Apply no more varnish than is necessary to cover the chip. A second coat won't hurt. The varnish finish coat protects the bamboo and keeps moisture out. Moisture could eventually stain the bamboo making it unattractive or perhaps damage the integrity of the section. Keeping the section in a place where it will be safe from damage, let the varnish dry for up to a week before returning the rod to the bag and tube for storage. If you find that hook strikes have damaged the surface of the bamboo rod shaft then a little more effort is required. In such a circumstance I usually advise clients to return the rod to the maker for an inspection and repair. Minor damage to bamboo does not usually effect the long term use of the rod component. It would be prudent however to get a competent opinion in order to protect your investment. Most such minor bamboo damage is repaired with a white silk over wrap or reinforcement. When this repair is varnished it will nearly disappear with little or no effect of the rod action. If you feel confident in your own repair skills then there is no reason why you could not address such a repair yourself.

To clean and polish the varnished surfaces use a mild polish intended for fine antique furniture and a clean, soft wiping cloth. As a rule of thumb, if your polish of choice is an aerosol then it's the wrong stuff. Do not ever use an abrasive cleaner as it will damage or remove the finish. Modern finishes no longer require the close attention once needed as with the older bamboo rods but a little prudent care is necessary. Some may want to return their rods to the maker after each seasons fishing for an expert inspection. The rod maker will usually be happy to take a look at your rod and return it to you for the cost of shipping. His trained eyes will usually identify any small condition which might grow into a problem over time. Think of this as cheap insurance and a method of keeping your treasured rod in best condition for your fishing. Value your rod highly, treat it with care and it will last a lifetime. In doing so, when you hand this gem down to your son or daughter, they too will learn the value of fine bamboo, assuring a continuing tradition and preserving an important part of your angling heritage.