maintenance and care
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maintenance and care
#1Is there a permanent thread on this forum that lists the regular care and maintenance measures that a good steward should take with his bamboo rods?
I am a new acquirer of a bamboo rod and have seen or heard random advice, such as that a rod should not be stored but in a tube, but nothing organized or condensed on the subject. (Is it that a tube prevents harmful drying out?)
Also, in the thread that links to an old movie of John Voelker fishing, there is a comment posted about the potentially injurious way the man removes his rod from it's tube. I have viewed that section of the movie a few times, and it still eludes me what Voelker is doing that puts his rod at risk.
I am a novice at fly-rod fishing, tying, et al, and old enough to never get very advanced. I should at least gain some skill and knowledge in the fundamentals of “doing no harm”.
I am a new acquirer of a bamboo rod and have seen or heard random advice, such as that a rod should not be stored but in a tube, but nothing organized or condensed on the subject. (Is it that a tube prevents harmful drying out?)
Also, in the thread that links to an old movie of John Voelker fishing, there is a comment posted about the potentially injurious way the man removes his rod from it's tube. I have viewed that section of the movie a few times, and it still eludes me what Voelker is doing that puts his rod at risk.
I am a novice at fly-rod fishing, tying, et al, and old enough to never get very advanced. I should at least gain some skill and knowledge in the fundamentals of “doing no harm”.
Re: maintenance and care
#2First, do not put the rod in its tube when it is wet (i.e. whenever you fish) Always dry it first, then put it away in the tube when dry. Also, do not yank flies out of trees/snags using the bend of the rod. always point the rod straight at the snag and use the strength of the line to pull.
Last edited by samsonboi on 04/24/20 12:06, edited 1 time in total.
"Car ce n'est pas assez d'avoir l'esprit bon, mais le principal est de l'appliquer bien.”- Descartes
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Re: maintenance and care
#3Several makers have 'care and feeding' on their websites. Just using google, I see Rick Robbins, Sweetgrass, etc.
https://www.google.com/search?client=fi ... bamboo+rod
https://www.google.com/search?client=fi ... bamboo+rod
Re: maintenance and care
#4Stumpstalker: what thread do you mean with Voelker? There are several.
"Car ce n'est pas assez d'avoir l'esprit bon, mais le principal est de l'appliquer bien.”- Descartes
Re: maintenance and care
#5I never let my rod dry "in" the bag. I dry it before bagging it and putting it in the tube.
Re: maintenance and care
#6Same for me. I never dry my rod in the bag. I dry it and then put it in the bag and then in the tube with my fingers around the neck of the tube so the guides do not catch on the rim of the tube when the bag descends.wrong66 wrote:I never let my rod dry "in" the bag. I dry it before bagging it and putting it in the tube.
- roycestearns
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Re: maintenance and care
#8I like many of the old words of wisdom such as:
-Hands together to put the rod together, hands apart to pull the rod apart.
-Form a small 'o' with thumb and forefinger to take rod out of and put back into the rod tube (to keep it from hitting the sharp edge of the tube).
-The old, "do not try and snap the fly free with your rod" is so important, because you are usually pissed when you snag a branch behind you. The 'snap free' might not be the fly ;-)
-Question though, the old wisdom above in the photo: put tips down? I have always, with my 2-piece rods, put cork down, put my tips up, so as to not be forced into a bend by the width of the cork handle (in-other-words, I put the tip at the opposite end of the tube as the cork). Because I store my rods standing up. Anybody else?
-I definitely do not snug up or tie the rod sock string.
-Drying rod before putting away is so important, especially when fishing in wet climates, but true in the arid west too.
-We're all stuck indoors a lot now. Watch out for those ceiling fans!
-I'll add one more from personal experience: do not walk thru a spring loaded door into a backcountry hut in the dark by headlamp, with your rod pointing behind you. After the sound of the mouse-trap-like "snap!" behind me, my scream could have caused an avalanche ;-)
-Hands together to put the rod together, hands apart to pull the rod apart.
-Form a small 'o' with thumb and forefinger to take rod out of and put back into the rod tube (to keep it from hitting the sharp edge of the tube).
-The old, "do not try and snap the fly free with your rod" is so important, because you are usually pissed when you snag a branch behind you. The 'snap free' might not be the fly ;-)
-Question though, the old wisdom above in the photo: put tips down? I have always, with my 2-piece rods, put cork down, put my tips up, so as to not be forced into a bend by the width of the cork handle (in-other-words, I put the tip at the opposite end of the tube as the cork). Because I store my rods standing up. Anybody else?
-I definitely do not snug up or tie the rod sock string.
-Drying rod before putting away is so important, especially when fishing in wet climates, but true in the arid west too.
-We're all stuck indoors a lot now. Watch out for those ceiling fans!
-I'll add one more from personal experience: do not walk thru a spring loaded door into a backcountry hut in the dark by headlamp, with your rod pointing behind you. After the sound of the mouse-trap-like "snap!" behind me, my scream could have caused an avalanche ;-)
Re: maintenance and care
#9The statement I was referring to regarding drying your rod "in" the bag was changed by the poster samsonboi.cwfly wrote:Same for me. I never dry my rod in the bag. I dry it and then put it in the bag and then in the tube with my fingers around the neck of the tube so the guides do not catch on the rim of the tube when the bag descends.wrong66 wrote:I never let my rod dry "in" the bag. I dry it before bagging it and putting it in the tube.
Re: maintenance and care
#10Yes. I realized my typo.
"Car ce n'est pas assez d'avoir l'esprit bon, mais le principal est de l'appliquer bien.”- Descartes
Re: maintenance and care
#11Just saying, I never actually dry my rods in the bag. I put them ON the bag.
"Car ce n'est pas assez d'avoir l'esprit bon, mais le principal est de l'appliquer bien.”- Descartes
Re: maintenance and care
#12Here is what can happen if you do not dry the rod completely before storing it in it’s tube. BTW, it is a 7.5’ 4 wt.Gillum! The previous owner who is responsible should be severely admonished if not banned from fly fishing ever again.
https://www.flickr.com/gp/147229514@N08/buk6hr
https://www.flickr.com/gp/147229514@N08/buk6hr
Re: maintenance and care
#13That way they don't pick up dust or get scratched. The unused tip stays in the bag. That said I do bring them home from fishing in the bag, then put them on that shelf to dry. The rods that don't fit in the shelf go in a big steamer trunk.
"Car ce n'est pas assez d'avoir l'esprit bon, mais le principal est de l'appliquer bien.”- Descartes
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Re: maintenance and care
#14This advice and these links were just what I was looking for.
Thank you.
As for the short John Voelker film: I have not been able to relocate the one I had viewed on here, but will let you know if I do.
Thank you.
As for the short John Voelker film: I have not been able to relocate the one I had viewed on here, but will let you know if I do.
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Re: maintenance and care
#15I believe that I may have been the poster to whom you refer. I don't recall what he did, but it probably had something to do with him not forming an "O" with his fingers when inserting and removing the rod from its tube. I dont recall seeing any comments about not twisting during assembly/disassembly
Last edited by NewUtahCaneAngler on 04/28/20 09:23, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: maintenance and care
#16NewUtahCane:
That was it. It was at the point of removing the rod from the tube.
So noted.
Thanks.
That was it. It was at the point of removing the rod from the tube.
So noted.
Thanks.
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Re: maintenance and care
#17stumpstalker, just to be clear. Dry your wet or damp bamboo rod with a clean, new microfiber cloth THEN you can store it vertically in it's rod sock and hang in a dark dry closet on a hook.
Don't store your fly rod in a rod bag in a rod tube. Rod tubes are for transporting your rod to and from your fishing location only. Also, never store your rod horizontally.
Don't store your fly rod in a rod bag in a rod tube. Rod tubes are for transporting your rod to and from your fishing location only. Also, never store your rod horizontally.
Re: maintenance and care
#18Why should you never store them horizontally??? I have never had a problem doing so.
"Car ce n'est pas assez d'avoir l'esprit bon, mais le principal est de l'appliquer bien.”- Descartes
Re: maintenance and care
#19I thought the most important thing in all of the previous posts was about not tying the bag too tightly! If your rod does not have a set, tie it in the bag too tightly, and sooner rather than later, it will have a set. Especially if it gets hot where you store the rod! I really don't know why they put the strings on the rod bags? Tying the pieces up tightly in the rod bag will cause a set quicker than anything else!
Carpe Diem does not mean "fish of the day!"
Carpe Diem does not mean "fish of the day!"
Re: maintenance and care
#20This looks like a nice rod; what am I misssing in the picture?Minnesota wrote:Here is what can happen if you do not dry the rod completely before storing it in it’s tube. BTW, it is a 7.5’ 4 wt.Gillum! The previous owner who is responsible should be severely admonished if not banned from fly fishing ever again.
https://www.flickr.com/gp/147229514@N08/buk6hr