Headwaters Bamboo Rod Company

As I may have mentioned one warm afternoon on the SF last August, my first two cane rods were a pair that I bought from Mike Brooks for $1,500 (for both). When I decided to try my first used classic American rod the following year, a late 1960s Orvis Superfine 7-1/2' 2/2 that I won on eBay for $750, I decided to sell the two Brooks rods to help out with cash flow. It took me half a year to finally get them both sold (individually, not as a pair) and then they only brought $550 together. That's a $950 loss on the two rods.

I eventually sold the Orvis to finance another cane rod (a T&T Special Trouter, I believe). It went within an hour after posting it on Clark's for full asking price of $950 plus shipping, a $200 profit for a rod I fished for over 3 years.

What's the difference between the two experiences? At the time, while Mike Brooks enjoyed a modest but good reputation as a regional builder, nobody on the east coast had heard of him, so the resale market for his rods was pretty thin. OTOH, everybody knew about Orvis Superfines.

I still regret selling the Orvis. By comparison, I rarely even think about the two Brooks rods.

K

OK, I took a look at their websites, and from the looks of their prices, the "not much more" works out to be more than double these cheap Chinese rods.

Tim, your advice is sound, and I should heed it especially given what the rest of you are saying. Bottom line is, I'm basically trying to make the proverbial silk purse here. So...I'll get one of these cheap things to play with, and later this spring, pick up a really nice custom from one of the "Oh My!!!" rod makers like Bob Oyster. Once the infamous duck club down in the Butte Sink sells, I owe it to myself to place those memories somewhere special.

If a presentation rod is what you are after I think that Bill Oyster is at the top of the heap. The combination of his outstanding design sensibilities and his impecable and versitile craftsmanship put him there. I can't think of anyone else who truly does it all himself as well as Bill. There are others who make great looking presentation rods but many of them have some of the bling done by others. I'm thinking of the engraving here and in some cases other of the hardware components.

Some people are put off by the very idea of such rods but I am not one of them. I just can't afford one.

TC

He certainly did a fantastic on Carter's rod, eh? Since this would be a "memory" rod for me, I'll probably have celtic knotwork around bottom reel seat, and my initials on the butt cap. Other than that, probably nothing else. I also want to save up to have Doug Turnbull restore my little 28ga. hammergun!

A bit o' the Celtic here.

http://clarksclassicflyrodforum.yuku.com/topic/38329/t/another-wood-grip-in-the-making.html

I have one of Steve's Northstar rods. Won it in a raffle. Paid 20 bucks for 5 tickets. Beautiful to look at and a pleasure to cast. One of those rods that "casts itself".
He took a Dickerson taper that I am not fond of and "fixed it". Heresy to Dickerson fans but good news for me.


TC

Here's the Thramer rod -
http://clarksclassicflyrodforum.yuku.com/topic/39927

And you can buy an orvis rod for $400-500 range

Lew Parks sells rods on ebay fairly often. they have been going for around $600.

Still for my money I would spend and additional $100 or $200 and get a better rod, and one you have a chance to get your money back if you decide to sell.

Just thought I'd say that I bought one of the Zhu rods off ebay a year ago and I've had great fun with it. I fished it a lot this past spring and summer and have had no problems at all with ferrules, wraps, finish, etc. I believe both Tim & Kent tried it out at Calligan and were favorably impressed considering the cost of the rod. I don't know if these are the same that Headwaters is using, though.

Cliff

I didn't see a thing......:rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl:

I do remember that rod. What I remember most was that you had a nearly new silk line on it that was not yet broken in making casting difficult.
In spite of that I did get the sense that the rod was doing its job well enough.

I have no outstanding issues with Mr. Zhu's rods as long as they are structurally sound.


TC

Speaking of silk lines, didn't we get some of Mr. Zhu's untreated lines earlier this year? Have you tried yours Tim?

K

We did get some unfinished lines but I have not completed the finish regime on the Zhu silks.
Doing it the old fashion way takes many coats of oil with long dry times for each coat. There is a much faster drying and faster building concoction that can be used but what fun would that be?
I do have a 4 3/4 wt Terenzio that I used at the end of this season.

TC

Tim, I'm just about ready to pull the trigger on a Terenzio line. How do you like yours?
Cliff

I like it a lot. I got mine very lightly (a few times) used for about half price. Its a double taper with a well designed taper that turns over nicely.

Terenzio lines come with a proprietary floatant. There is some controversy about the floatant containing silicon and the desirability of silicon in contact with varnish. The whole issue can be circumvented by not using his floatant and just using red label mucilin like every other silk line maker recommends.

TC

Tim, thanks for clearing up the proprietary floatant story. I had read about that and wasn't sure how much was truth or fallacy. I still use my Thebault line most often, and the Zhu line as a backup (I wasn't one of those who stripped the Zhu).
Cliff

Cliff
There is a new silk line alternative on the market. Look here http://www.pecheasoie.com/soiesdepeche
The price is attractive. I have not read any reviews yet.

TC

Thanks Tim. $116.00 USD shipped isn't bad. I'll be looking into this. Appreciate the link.
Cliff