In the past year or so, I’ve been very impressed with some of the bamboo-ferruled rods I’ve cast. Bamboo ferrules are supposed to make a rod lighter, and to act more like a one-piece rod - in other words, not to have a so-called "Dead spot" in the middle of the rod, where casting energy passing through the resilient bamboo encounters the hard un-moveable metal of the ferrule.

Rod-maker meetings are great events, first, because you get to cast more rods than you could make yourself in a lifetime, but also because if you tumble onto something cool, you get to ask the maker how he did it. This summer I asked about a nice bamboo-ferruled rod I cast, and got an answer which led to a bamboo-ferrule experiment.

For the unfamiliar, a bamboo ferrule replaces the metal (usually nickel-silver) ferrules of a bamboo rod with the bamboo itself – one side of the joint is left as a regular hex bamboo shaft, while the other side is swelled, them hollowed out to create the female side of the joint.

The theory is easy. The trick is in the fitting of the 2 pieces. Even planing strips down to one thousandth of an inch, there is still some play in the overall dimension when the 6 strips are assembled into a hex. And of course, as in all wood-working, once you cut a board too short (or, in this case, shave the 6 strips of the female side too thin), you can’t make the board longer again. So, it’s better to start off with a fit that is too tight.

I decided to make a Payne 98, 7ft 4wt, for my first bamboo-ferruled rod. I don’t really care for many Paynes (sacrilege, I know) but one particular version of the 98 I really liked (thanks, DVB for sharing!). So I kept the taper, swelled the bottom end of the tip piece, then hollowed it out, and glued things up. Surprise, surprise, you’ve got to find some way to keep that hollow opening at the bottom of the tip from filling up with glue. You need some kind of plug. Some kind of plug that will come out after the glue has set up, too! Also, you need to take into account that almost no matter what you do, on almost any rod you make or see, the hex, in cross section, is often not exactly the same as measured across the 3 flats. If your male side isn’t "square", then the female side has not to be square as well, if the 2 pieces are going to fit. Judicious filing may be necessary, guided by good caliper measurements. Remember that the distance between "good fit" and "too loose" on a ferrule (metal or bamboo) is "the thickness of smoke."

I got lucky, or good, on my first try, and got what I consider to be a very good fit. Other than that issue, making the rod is just like making any other.  Here's the rod in question:

Note that I put a small N/S band around the female to re-inforce it - many guys don't, but a little bit of caution and support seemed appropriate.

So, how does it cast? Definitely feels lighter in the hand, which is amazing, when you consider that the weight of a metal ferrule is often less than one-third of an ounce. Picky about which line it likes (I settled on a Rio Grande WF4 which is said to be a 4-1/2 wt), and susceptible to tailing loops if you don’t wait for it. With the right line, and the right casting stroke, it’s a smooth, easy-casting rod that will feel like it was injected with helium – light at the end of the day as well as the start.

In retrospect, and after talking with a couple other makers, I believe a maker needs to reduce the bamboo in the butt if they are making a bamboo-ferruled rod. The original taper was designed to flex correctly with that extra 1/3 ounce of metal swinging around out there 3-1/2 feet away, and without it, the butt needs reduced. How much? I have no idea. If you happen to make a set of them and figure it out, let me know. If I get it figured out. I’ll let you know!