Beaverhead Bamboo Fly Rod 7'0" 4-wt Medium | Payne 98 Taper

The Beaverhead | 7'0" · 4-weight · Medium · 2-piece

The rod that rewards quiet hands.

There is a kind of angler who has already made peace with bamboo timing. Who has learned to let the rod load, to feel the flex, to trust the pause. Who isn't looking for a faster stroke but a deeper connection to the cast.

The Beaverhead was built for that angler.

The Payne 98 Taper

The Beaverhead is built on the Payne 98, one of the most forgiving and beloved tapers E.F. Payne ever produced. Where other Payne designs push toward authority and precision, the 98 settles into something quieter. A true medium action that loads with grace, flexes deeply on the roll cast, and delivers dry flies, nymphs, and small hoppers with a gentleness that bamboo does better than anything else.

At 7'0" for a 4-weight, it covers more water than the dedicated small-stream rods in our lineup without losing the touch that tight quarters demand. Freestone creeks. Narrow tributaries. The kind of backcountry water you find by following a blue line on a topo map until the trail runs out.

This is not a rod that fights the water. It reads it.

Built the Way a Bamboo Rod Should Be

The Beaverhead is hand-planed to the standard that has defined Headwaters rods since 2002.

The fittings: A finely knurled double-locking downlocking reel seat with stabilized burled maple insert. Ultra-fine cork grip. Red agate stripping guide. Hard chrome guides wrapped in deep burgundy thread with a narrow black tip.

The tube: Cordura rod tube with rod sock included.

Choose Your Version

The Favorite | $400 The Favorite is our single-tip version, priced for the angler who wants to get on the water first and add the second tip later. Same rod, same fittings, same hand-planed cane, with a clear upgrade path when you're ready for the security of two tips. (Full price. Maker's Price does not apply to the Favorite Series.)

The Deluxe | $600 Two piece, two tips. The complete rod as it was meant to be fished. Maker's Price applied automatically at checkout. Your net price is $420.

The Outfit | $875 Everything you need to step onto the water with a complete bamboo outfit. The Beaverhead Deluxe paired with a Clark Fork 2.5 fly reel, weight-forward fly line, backing, leader, tippet, and a selection of flies. Maker's Price applied at checkout. Your net price is $612.50.

Specifications

• Action: Medium
• Length: 7'0"
• Weight: 4-weight
• Pieces: 2 (includes extra tip, Deluxe and Outfit)
• Taper: Payne 98
• Reel seat: Downlocking, double-locking knurled nut, stabilized burled maple insert
• Grip: Ultra-fine cork
• Stripping guide: Red agate
• Guide wrap: Deep burgundy with black tip
• Tube: Cordura with rod sock

No Risk. Our Promise.

Fish it for 30 days. If it's not the rod you hoped it would be, send it back for a full refund, no questions asked. The lifetime warranty covers the original owner for as long as you fish it.