Bamboo Fly Rods

Get outside and in the water with a classic bamboo fly rod from Headwaters Bamboo. Bamboo is natural. Bamboo is flexible. Bamboo will make you a better fly angler and you'll feel good about fishing a handmade fly rod of sustainably harvested bamboo.

Headwaters Bamboo Rods are modern classic bamboo fly rods. Handcrafted of genuine Tonkin bamboo they are split, planed, glued up, and finished to perfection. Take a look at our Small Water, All-Around, and Large Water bamboo fly rods and see for yourself the difference that bamboo will make in your fly fishing outings.

These rods are light and delicate; perfect for small streams and tight situations.

The Small Water Rods are two piece rods available in 6 foot 6 inch and 7 foot lengths and throw a 3- or 4-wt line. All rods come with a rod sock and tube.

These rods are short enough for small water and long enough for larger water--a nice versatile option for the angler looking for one bamboo rod to work various conditions.

The All-Around Rods are two piece rods available in 7 foot 6 inch lengths and throw a 4- or 5-wt line. All rods come with a rod sock and tube.

These rods have the backbone and length to handle larger waters and larger fish.

The Large Water Rods are two piece or three piece rods available in 8 foot and 8 foot 6 inch lengths and throw a 5-, 6-, or 7-wt line. All rods come with a rod sock and tube.

What do you mean by "action"? It's pretty simple--it's a personal preference!

We offer two: medium and medium fast action.

• Medium action rods flex about 2/3 of the rod--slow enough for powerful presentations but not too slow as to be floppy.
• Medium fast is closer to the action of a typical fast action graphite rod, but with just enough flex to give power to the casting stroke and improve accuracy.

What's best for a novice to bamboo? We'd recommend medium fast action bamboo rods. This way, you are not having to make drastic changes to your casting style. 

To flame or not to flame? We offer some of our rods with a flamed finish and some with a natural finish.

This too is a personal preference as to the finished appearance of the rod. Flamed rods and natural finished rods should perform the same, though to be honest, no two bamboo rods will perform identically--the joy of fishing a natural, handmade fly rod!

Two tips? Yep, that's typical. We do offer The Breitenbush and The Rogue with a one tip option, but most of what we sell has two matched tip sections. While handy if you happen to break a tip mid-outing, the main reason for two is that we recommend switching out the tips each day you fish to give the tip sections a chance to relax and remain straight. It's natural.