First Day with my Bamboo Rod - It was great, then it broke

Old TB Fan · Post by **Old TB Fan** » 01/22/07 09:02

Yesterday I was on my local river (Trinity River, CA), very well known for steelhead. For the past couple of months I have been steelhead, using a 7 wt. line. This is the first year I have tried steelheading, having always preferred dry fly fishing to nymphing.

I was steelheading yesterday when a hatch happened. It was warm yesterday and I brought my brand new South Bend 290 that I bought on eBay for $120.00 just in case. I put on a Size 16 Adams and started casting.

I was using a 5wt line. The rod was terrible. It wouldn't load. It definitely needed a 6 wt line. But with about 25 feet of line out it started to load. So I cast a few times and then started catching fish. It was incredible. Every fish felt about twice as big as they actually were. No need to catch 1 steelhead a day when I was catching a fish every 5 minutes, from 14 to about 16 inches. The biggest was a 16 inch brown, which was my biggest brown ever. I was loving my rod--not the casting but the fighting was great.

Then tragedy happened. Remember I'd been steelhead for a few months. I had about 50 feet of line out (down river) and I turned up stream to throw 50 feet of line with a 50 year old bamboo rod. STUPID!!! The rod snapped right below the ferrule on the bottom (rod holding) part of the rod. What a terrible sound!

I'm hoping I can fix it, although it may not be worth it. Any thoughts on that?

I can't get over the fight these fish had on bamboo. It was amazing. I felt everything.

I am hooked on bamboo. Although the rod cast like crap, the fight of the fish was worth it. And I bet if I had 6wt line or a better rod, the casting would have been fun.

I'll be fishing with my Orvis Superfine until I get the rod fixed or replace. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Anthony in Weaverville, CA

PS I posted this earlier but could not find it posted. I apologize in advance if they both get posted

Steve Bohrer · Post by **Steve Bohrer** » 01/22/07 09:06

Your rod can be repaired. You need to have a new ferrule station scarfed on, then the ferrule reset. Cost $50 for scarf and $20 to reset ferrule, repolace stripper guide, re-wrap and varnish.

aquabonito · Post by **aquabonito** » 01/22/07 09:25

I've always wanted a SB 290. But I have heard negative comments about its casting characteristics, but not about breakage. If I get one it will be on a return policy, and I will examine the rod carefully before I accept it.

Since I can't make an accurate cast at 50 feet, it won't be put to that test, but it shouldn't be a problem just because of the rod's age.

My Dad owned the little resort at Burnt Ranch back in the forties. I remember it fondly, especially at steelhead time. I caught some real beauties, mostly the size of yours.

There was a little creek (French Creek) that was stocked with Brookies about that time. I wonder if they "took"?

Andy

Past Member · Post by **Past Member** » 01/22/07 09:29

Like Cloozoe said, That rod was breakage waiting to happen. So nothing stupid at all. The good inspector has been known to make 50' casts with 80' of line.!--

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Hipgnosis · Post by **Hipgnosis** » 01/22/07 09:30

Anthony,

Steve Bohrer's advise is quite sound and recommended. Done correctly you'll never know it had broken unless the scarffed piece is a poor color match - you'll probably just see the glue line when it's done and it will perform as if nothing ever happened.

Alot of us fish 50+ year old bamboo rods, pick up lots of line, catch (hopefully) big fish, and experience no troubles. Your rod probably had some other malady causing it to break. So, if in the future you're using a 50+ year old classic there isn't any reason to baby it because of age. Use the normal precautions with any rod (i.e. don't point the butt at a fish when fighting and landing it, for instance) and bamboo will perform as well as any other material.
Sorry to hear about your 290 but in this case it sounds as if you just got unlucky.

dawwwgsfan(d) · Post by **dawwwgsfan(d)** » 01/22/07 18:49

Same thing hapened to me with a tonkin queen. The difference is, the queen is a much better rod IMHO.

I have owned two SB290's, didn't like either one. I have two other south bend models that are actually nice casters. My 8 1/2' model 323 outcasts the same length grangers (again IMHO)

The only good thing I can see about sb 290's is that they are short.

dawwwwg

tapermaker · Post by **tapermaker** » 01/22/07 20:07

i`ve been asked to make quite a few blanks of this rod taper by a fellow on this board. while they are as you say more a 6wt rod than a 5wt.The taper is meant to be quite fast and meant to cast alot of line That yours broke leads me to belive that it must have been damaged before you recieved it. i would venture to say there is enough bamboo in the ferrule station to handle a steelhead if you had been so blessed.if you truely want to feel your fish ,try an 81/2' heddon or granger.they both can be had on ebay for less than the cost of a new graphite.if you are inclined to stay with a short rod, the costs go up. I think you would find there casting characteristics more to your liking.

Past Member · Post by **Past Member** » 01/23/07 06:40

dawwwgsfan,

So this nice guy has been fishing what sounds like his first bamboo fly rod and unfortunately, through no fault of his own, it breaks. Your response is to tell him that you think his particular type of rod is not very good? And that the only good thing about them is that they are short, in your humble opinion of course. Then you go on to expound on the virtues of your rods. Sorry if I missed the humility in your post. Perhaps you could direct me to it. I'd hate to mistake your post as rude.

gofish60 · Post by **gofish60** » 01/23/07 06:59

A friend used SB rods frequently for salmon and steelhead. Broke a couple, but that'll happen with a 30# King. Most worked just fine, and the higher grade SB's, Shakespeares, Montys', etc. were ok rods.
As stated earlier here, those old rods have been subjected to abuse, both on the stream and off, hot and cold temps, every extreme imaginable over the years. One of the risks we take fishing old equipment.
gofish

aquabonito · Post by **aquabonito** » 01/23/07 07:27

Maybe I should reconsider my desire for obtaining a SB 290; seems to be a crapshoot.

Short Tip · Post by **Short Tip** » 01/23/07 09:40

I've always been pretty fond of the 290 taper with a DT5 or a WF6. I'm sure the taper varied rod to rod, they made a gazillion of them. Anyway, don't lose heart - It was the rod, not you!

LoomisCane · Post by **LoomisCane** » 01/23/07 09:56

I also have or had a SB 8 1/2 ft rod, mine a 346, that to me cast even better than a granger 8642 and i love the 8 1/2 ft grangers. My oldest son claimed it as his and uses it to fish with in MO where he now lives.I too dont care much for the 290, too stiff for my taste but that is just a prefrece thing. South bend rods are made well and hold up as well as anything else. This is not a downer to the 290 at all, some people prefere a stiffer rod and some dont. I think your breakage is just one of those things that happens at times with any rod, graphite included.

cwood · Post by **cwood** » 01/23/07 15:59

I had a nice, brand new rod from a well respected maker that had the exact same thing happen to it. I was on a small stream and false casting. So I guess it happens from time to time (?) That same rod was delivered with an unglued cap on the reelseat. Once it was fixed I sold it. We apparently were'nt meant to be life long partners. The new owner loves it and has fished it for several years. I also had a brand new rod, had not even taken it to a stream yet, and the reel seat broke while I was mounting a reel on it for the first time. I waited over a year for that rod. The maker fixed it and returned it within a week, so no hard feelings. Point being, things happen out of our control sometimes, but they can usually be fixed. A bummer nonetheless.
Never had a 290 but had a 291several years back and really liked it. Seemed to be well made.
CWood

teter · Post by **teter** » 01/23/07 19:47

The South Bend 290 may not be the smoothest casting rod in history, but I doubt what happened had anything to do with the original quality of your rod. As others have pointed out here, old rods can have unseen damage from heat, water, or old fractures that have been well disguised. Most of the rods I fish are older than me (I'm 55), and several are 70 to 80 years old. I have caught 20-plus inch fish on a dozen or so of them without incident, except for one fractured tip caused by my neglecting to clear ice from the tip top. Bamboo just doesn't break under the circumstances you described unless there's another problem. Don't give up because of one bad experience.

bulldog1935 · Post by **bulldog1935** » 01/25/07 07:04

a rod stored in the attic can have dried out cane from the heat.

It will definately damage the power fibers without any visible signs on a refinished rod

Flykuni3 · Post by **Flykuni3** » 08/06/20 00:02

I may fish mostly smaller waters, but on bigger I try not to lift lots of line, and I lift less as the rod gets older. But as all hv said, things happen. Dont sweat it too much.

NewUtahCaneAngler · Post by **NewUtahCaneAngler** » 08/06/20 08:50

Um, Darrel, the OP made 1 post and that was 13 years ago. I think, perhaps, it's time to assemble and wiggle some rods ;-)

snorider · Post by **snorider** » 08/06/20 09:06

Flykuni, if advice is like whisky you just poured a nice 13.5 year old bourbon. I miss seeing bulldogs reel collection, that photo of the red agate youngs is awesome!

Holland · Post by **Holland** » 08/06/20 12:54

I read the entire post thinking mainly about casting Steve's SB 290 and remembering it as a pretty sweet caster, then I saw bulldogs post and thought "the man from Bulverde is back!" and looked at the date...

Flykuni3 · Post by **Flykuni3** » 08/06/20 14:54

Har, why did the OP reappear at top of page, someone do an edit? I stand by my advice, then, now and forever. It stands like Yo-semite. 🏞

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