Fishing Bamboo in Winter

This board is for discussing concerns of fishing bamboo fly rods. Examples would be, lines, actions, classic and modern makers actions and the like.

Moderators: pmcroberts, uniphasian

driftless angler
Master Guide
Posts: 558
Joined: 11/09/18 14:49

Fishing Bamboo in Winter

#1

Post by driftless angler »

This past spring, summer, and fall was my first fishing bamboo and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

The Wisconsin trout season now opens back up on the first Saturday in January. I'm not much of an ice fisherman, so I have taken advantage of this opportunity a few times a winter when the temps get around freezing to ward off cabin fever.

I have been using fiberglass rods in the winter, thinking they would be less "brittle" in the cold than graphite. Probably not, but that was my reasoning.

Now that I have the bamboo bug, I'm wondering if bamboo would have any issues with the cold of a WI winter? Having used it extensively the past 7 months, it seems much tougher that I ever would have thought, but would like to get your opinions.

Thanks!

User avatar
Brooks
Bamboo Fanatic
Posts: 1645
Joined: 04/07/19 15:58
Location: Idaho

Re: Fishing Bamboo in Winter

#2

Post by Brooks »

I think it’s the wide range of temps, warm-to-cold, cold-to-warm, with “brittle” temps, followed by sweating, drying warm-ups that worry me in winter. Glues can really be tested, potentially weaken and fail, amongst other parts.
I fish bamboo in winter, but I do worry about it—with no expertise in this subject what-so-ever. I’ve just seen what cold shock has done to acoustic guitars first-hand .

User avatar
GerardH
Bamboo Fanatic
Posts: 1070
Joined: 06/20/19 08:45
Location: Wyoming, MN

Re: Fishing Bamboo in Winter

#3

Post by GerardH »

I think it would be okay to fish on days when temps are in the 30s or 40s, but very cold temps -- teens and colder -- affect the plasticity of most objects to some degree and in my way of thinking, the rod becomes more brittle and flexing it in those temps could put stress on the glues and even varnish to the point of failure. Of course, fishing is miserable on those days and you're knocking ice out of the guides more than you're actually getting a fly on the water.

But that's simply my opinion, I don't have any empirical evidence to back that up...other than the ice in the guides, that's a fact.

60InchDV8
Master Guide
Posts: 376
Joined: 03/02/19 09:36
Location: Mann’s Mountain, NB.
Contact:

Re: Fishing Bamboo in Winter

#4

Post by 60InchDV8 »

I enjoy winter angling for trout and steelies with my cane single and double hand switch and spey rods. I prefer this frosty fishing while using my Sharpes spliced joint rods as they avoid the annoyance of frozen stuck metal ferrules.
Regards from Canada....Jim

AlexP
Master Guide
Posts: 381
Joined: 08/29/19 14:18
Location: South Minneapolis

Re: Fishing Bamboo in Winter

#5

Post by AlexP »

Hello,

I enjoy fishing in the Winter, although sometimes is more a hike than a fishing outing..... I have not worried too much about using bamboo past Winters, but I have the intention to fish rods that I am not strongly attached in the event that I break one. The ice on the guides cannot be avoided in WI and MN. Also, it is difficult to avoid the occasional fall. I am more prone to fall in the Winter with all the ice.

I do like to fish all my bamboo rods so the Winter brings the opportunity to get some out that see the back of my closet during the more friendly weather months.

Not contributing much to the thread from a scientific perspective, I am sure extreme temperatures are not good for bamboo, but a few hours outing in the 20s cannot be too harmful. Anything colder, I cannot fish, I have photos of frozen guides, line and leader from last Winter. I misread the weather forecast....

Tight Lines

User avatar
TXTrout
Master Guide
Posts: 385
Joined: 08/20/03 18:00

Re: Fishing Bamboo in Winter

#6

Post by TXTrout »

I fish my bamboo when it's 20 degrees outside in WY.

I don't baby it.

gaf
Sport
Posts: 52
Joined: 10/24/15 09:46

Re: Fishing Bamboo in Winter

#7

Post by gaf »

I really don’t fish my cane rods when icing becomes a problem. When the temperature gets below freezing I switch to graphite. I still fish bamboo throughout the winter but only on the days when the temperature allows me to do so without a icing problem.

headwaters
Bamboo Fanatic
Posts: 3233
Joined: 12/23/10 19:00
Location: Northern Virginia

Re: Fishing Bamboo in Winter

#8

Post by headwaters »

I fish bamboo in the winter too, although I generally fish my Orvis Impregnated rods for it, and I try to pick my days, meaning when I think it likely will warm up to the upper 30s or 40 degrees. However, you do have to be pretty conscious of whether the guides are getting iced-up.

Booman2
Bamboo Fanatic
Posts: 1142
Joined: 12/23/04 19:00

Re: Fishing Bamboo in Winter

#9

Post by Booman2 »

I think this topic has been visited before, but I can say that I lived in Kodiak, Alaska for a couple years and regularly fished a Howells 8' 9" #9 and other bamboo rods without any problems. In fact, with a couple exceptions, all my rods are bamboo and I fish them whenever I go out.

User avatar
Hellmtflies
Bamboo Fanatic
Posts: 8036
Joined: 01/14/12 10:27
Location: Bozeman, Montana

Re: Fishing Bamboo in Winter

#10

Post by Hellmtflies »

I tend to stray away from cane in winter when it's really really cold. Then I'll resort to glass. If it's minus zero I'm staying home and tying flies instead. :) But otherwise, cane works just fine in say 30 + degrees.

driftless angler
Master Guide
Posts: 558
Joined: 11/09/18 14:49

Re: Fishing Bamboo in Winter

#11

Post by driftless angler »

Thanks for the input guys! I appreciate it!

User avatar
BigTJ
Bamboo Fanatic
Posts: 4942
Joined: 06/04/06 18:00

Re: Fishing Bamboo in Winter

#12

Post by BigTJ »

Pick your days - mid days, mid 30’s or higher with a bit of sun -you’ll have nothing to worry about and the fishing will be better anyway. I used to fish in temps that hover around zero but have lost my taste for it would rather be skiing anyway.

John

drifly
Sport
Posts: 70
Joined: 12/26/11 19:38

Re: Fishing Bamboo in Winter

#13

Post by drifly »

I asked this very question to Don Schroeder as I was starting to think about GL steelhead on bamboo. He couldn’t come up with a reason why bamboo shouldn’t be fished in freezing temperatures. I wound up with a 8’6 1930s Edward quad that handled them no problem in 25 degrees on several trips. I wanted to add that I do of course use some discretion and wouldn’t consider taking it out on this balmy morning ;)
Image

Dave Westburg
Guide
Posts: 135
Joined: 05/07/16 00:10
Location: Western Washington

Re: Fishing Bamboo in Winter

#14

Post by Dave Westburg »

I fish my Sharpes and Phillipsons in the winter for steelhead and bull trout in Pacific Northwest rivers. I get a little nervous about bamboo when the guides are icing up. Worried that it will put too much strain on the rod if I go to shoot line and the guides don't let the line run free or if I try to retrieve line and the line gets iced up and stuck in a guide.

The 12 and 13 foot sharpes are made for these sorts of days...

Image


Image

User avatar
LeeO
Bamboo Fanatic
Posts: 1602
Joined: 06/11/08 18:00
Location: Charleston WV
Contact:

Re: Fishing Bamboo in Winter

#15

Post by LeeO »

I’ve only fished in temps in the teens once in the last decade or more. No issues with the bamboo. The leader icing up from fly to line took some effort to correct. I wouldn’t give fishing in the 30s a second thought
Lee Orr
304 Rod Company

http://www.304rodcompany.com

Salar4me
Guide
Posts: 245
Joined: 03/28/16 14:40
Location: Central NY

Re: Fishing Bamboo in Winter

#16

Post by Salar4me »

I fish bamboo rods all winter - Orvis impregnated salmon rods for Great/Finger Lakes fish and an impregnated Montague contract rod (Orvis) for the smaller local streams. Have fished in below zero temps - the rods did fine - not so much the fisher person.

As a side note - and as a cheap SOB - Orvis salmon rods, as well as the Montague, are about a third the cost of new graphite sticks...

Image

driftless angler
Master Guide
Posts: 558
Joined: 11/09/18 14:49

Re: Fishing Bamboo in Winter

#17

Post by driftless angler »

Hey thanks guys! Salar4me - beautiful fish and photo! That gives me confidence!

User avatar
carl otto
Master Guide
Posts: 863
Joined: 01/31/10 19:00
Location: Michigan

Re: Fishing Bamboo in Winter

#18

Post by carl otto »

Fishing a bamboo rod in winter is OK , to a point. I use to do a lot of early spring and late fall steelhead fishing. Taking a rod out in sub-zero temps for several hours is OK if you bring it back home, take it inside and wipe it down. If you leave the rod in a car overnight of on an unheated porch/room it is going to freeze. This kind of prolonged temperature drop reeks havoc as the thermal expansion/contraction of the metal ferrules and reel seat hardware is way different then the bamboo and things will get pulled apart and break. If any moisture gets through wrappings, behind ferrules, into the reel seat wood, etc. and freezes because of this neglect, that also will tear up a rod.

As is often mentioned on this site. Properly taken care of and used, a bamboo rod will last a very long time.

Carl

driftless angler
Master Guide
Posts: 558
Joined: 11/09/18 14:49

Re: Fishing Bamboo in Winter

#19

Post by driftless angler »

Thanks Carl, your advice is duly noted!

redietz
Master Guide
Posts: 917
Joined: 10/26/09 19:00
Location: Central Maryland

Re: Fishing Bamboo in Winter

#20

Post by redietz »

For me, the concern is not so much the temperature, or frozen guides, but the fact that I use poly leaders in the winter, and I don't want to stress the cane too much, so I switch to glass.

Post Reply

Return to “Fishing Bamboo Fly Rods”