Umpqua Bamboo Fly Rod 8'6" 6-wt Medium Fast | Powell B Taper
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Common questions
More answers at our full FAQ page.
When will my rod ship?
Most models ship from stock within 1–3 business days. If a model is on backorder, we typically ship within 2–4 weeks.
How does bamboo fish compared to graphite?
Bamboo loads differently. It flexes into the cast rather than snapping through it. Most graphite anglers notice the difference within a few casts: slower tempo, better feel at short distances, more feedback on the drift. It's not harder to cast. It's different — and most people don't go back.
What if it's not for me?
Fish it for 30 days. Cast it, take it on the water, really use it. If it's not the right fit, contact us for a free return label. No restocking fee.
Big water. Big fish. Light enough to fish all day.
The Umpqua is one of Oregon's big-shouldered rivers, home to hard-fighting summer steelhead and the kind of wild trout that chase streamers. A 6-weight is the tool for that water. It throws a weighted fly or a big dry, cuts through wind, and turns a strong fish that would rather not come to the net.
At 8'6" in a 6-weight with medium-fast action, the Umpqua reaches across a big run and still loads close for a short cast. Most cane this size fishes heavy in the hand by the end of a long day. This one does not, and that is the whole point of how it is built.
Hollow-Built for Light Weight
The Umpqua is hollow-built. We mill crescents from each strip of cane and leave solid dams at the stress points, so the blank keeps its power but sheds the dead weight a solid 8'6" carries. The result is a big rod that casts like a smaller one, hour after hour. This is the method E.C. Powell pioneered, done by hand.
The Powell "B" Taper
E.C. Powell built rods in Marysville, California, for anglers who fished big western water. His "B" taper is a medium-fast 6-weight with authority through the mid-section and a tip that recovers fast enough to control line in wind. It was designed to move a fly and fight a fish, not to baby a size-20 dry.
Powell's hollow-building is what makes the taper work at this length. A solid blank at 8'6" fights the caster. The Powell B, hollow-built, delivers the reach and the power without the fatigue.
Built the Way a Bamboo Rod Should Be
The Umpqua 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. Full Wells cork grip with fighting butt. 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 | $600 - Single-tip version for the angler who wants to get on the water first. Same rod, same fittings, same hand-planed cane. Clear upgrade path to the Deluxe when you're ready.
The Deluxe | $800 - Two tips, two sections of extra security. The complete rod as it was meant to be fished.
Add the matching reel, no charge. At checkout you can add a Clark Fork 3.0 fly reel, sized to this rod. It sells for $295 on its own, and it's yours at no charge with the rod. Line it yourself, or add Line It and we'll spool it ready to fish.
3-Piece Travel Design
Built for packability. Fits a carry-on, a pack, or behind a truck seat. Hollow-built so it stays light despite the length, and it breaks into three pieces so it travels as easily as it fishes.
Specifications
- Action: Medium Fast
- Length: 8'6"
- Line weight: 6-weight
- Pieces: 3 (Deluxe includes extra tip)
- Construction: Hollow-built
- Taper: Powell "B"
- Reel seat: Downlocking, double-locking knurled nut, stabilized burled maple insert
- Grip: Full Wells with fighting butt
- 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.
Read what our customers have to say about us
FREE Shipping
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to US destinations.
30-Day Guarantee
Wiggle it, cast it, fish it
for up to 30 days.
Free Returns
Exchange or return for free. Contact us for return label.
Lifetime Warranty
On any workmanship issue
for original owner.
"A great way to get into bamboo--affordable and well made."
"I was pleasantly surprised by the smooth, graceful action."
"It greatly improves your accuracy, especially at short distances."
"Allows the fly fisherman to feel good about the renewable, sustainably-sourced rod."
"The natural tone, attractive windings, cork, and fittings; and flawless finish--impressive."
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