Earlier I posted that I picked up a Kingfisher bamboo rod at a flea market. Last night I finally got to test it out. First cast, 12" rainbow! It casts pretty good considering the components are older than I am. I only fished about an hour and my arm got much more tired than with my graphite fly rods. I think this will be a great rod for fishing dries, I dont think it will be my go to nymphing rod because of the weight. A refurb should be fun on this one.

Ken,
Thank you for the update on the Kingfisher. It sounds like you had productive fun; there is just something special about experiencing a vintage rod beyond recognizing and appreciating how good we have it today with modern advancements in rod construction, CF in particular. I enjoy and actually prefer my vintage FG Conolons compared to my stable of store-bought CF rods even though many others might consider them “sloppy”.
When you get around to refurbishing the rod, take the “minimalist” approach with the lightest guides, shortest thread wraps and minimal finish both on the blank and wraps to shave-off as much weight as possible. Even so, you may still need Bengay for your shoulder lol!

Mark Talmo
FISHING IS NOT AN ESCAPE FROM LIFE BUT RATHER A DEEPER IMMERSION INTO IT!!! BUILDING YOUR OWN SIMPLY ENHANCES THE EXPERIENCE.

The rod was much better than I thought, but yea, the weight..oof! You really dont notice it until you cast it a couple times then you really notice it. I will definitely be taking the minimalist approach on the rod. Now, to find a nice 7' 6" 3wt boo rod. From what I have read, those are the hardest to find. I've seen them on @#$%& but too much $$ for something you cant test out.

Yes, the shorter bamboo rods are what most people want. They are much lighter, fun to fish, and cast surprisingly well. Some of the reasons they demand a higher price than the longer and heavier vintage bamboo rods. I really enjoy the ones I have.
Norm

Norman,
Do you find the bamboo rods to be as “sloppy” feeling as FG?

Mark Talmo
FISHING IS NOT AN ESCAPE FROM LIFE BUT RATHER A DEEPER IMMERSION INTO IT!!! BUILDING YOUR OWN SIMPLY ENHANCES THE EXPERIENCE.

No.
Norm

Norman,
Thank you for your honest, trusted and veteran reply. I am admittedly surprised to learn the bamboo would feel less “sloppy” than FG. Apparently, archaic natural fibers such as bamboo are a hard act to follow!!! Considering the “sloppiness” aspect, I would have guessed bamboo to be at the bottom with FG in the middle and CF at the top; so much for guessing!!! Thanks again, Norman.

Mark Talmo
FISHING IS NOT AN ESCAPE FROM LIFE BUT RATHER A DEEPER IMMERSION INTO IT!!! BUILDING YOUR OWN SIMPLY ENHANCES THE EXPERIENCE.

The bamboo rods I have are a moderate fast taper, and load and cast well without a sloppy feeling. A little slower stroke is required but you get use to it quickly. Fiberglass fly rods also don’t feel sloppy to me, the ones I’ve used over the years loaded and casted quite well. However, these rods are being used as fly rods not spinning rods. Most Fly rod blanks feel sloppy to me when they are used to make spinning rods. I don’t even like graphite fly rod blanks when made into spinning rods, most have a slower action than I prefer for a spinning or casting rod. It is a different ball game, With a spinning rod you are casting a lure, and with a fly rod you are casting a line with the fly following. Different physics requiring different techniques, but that is just my opinion based on personal preferences. Many will say a weight is a weight, but to me it’s how a rod feels and performs handling that weight.
Mark, I hope this clarifies things for you.
Norm

Many a flycaster has badmouthed a fly rod, only to change his tune when he tried it with an up weighted [or down weighted] line. It's a poor workman who blames his tools, and a poor fly caster who blames his rod without trying alternative lines.

Norman,
Thanks for the clarification; a FG rod feels sloppy if intended to be a fly rod but built as a spinning rod = that makes sense. Nonetheless, I still do it but maybe I am a bit slow lol.

Mark Talmo
FISHING IS NOT AN ESCAPE FROM LIFE BUT RATHER A DEEPER IMMERSION INTO IT!!! BUILDING YOUR OWN SIMPLY ENHANCES THE EXPERIENCE.

Mark, no it’s all about what you like, some people really like a spinning rod that flexes well into the blank, I don’t. I prefer fast to extra fast spinning and casting rods. Different strokes for different folks.
Phil, you are absolutely correct, matching the fly line to the fly rod is very important and makes a big difference in how the fly rod will perform.
Norm

Looks like I should have stopped at one trip with the bamboo. Yesterday I went to the stream, put together the rod, went to pull the line through the guides and SNAP! The top section broke right at the ferrule. So it looks like I will be doing a repair and a refurb on this one.