Marutake: Whole cane (bamboo) fly rod

I will now start fishing with a Marutake fly rod.

It is made by my sponsor, "Sakura" in Japan. Sakura is a 110+ year old rod shop. There has been a paradigm shift in Japan as well as China.

The Marutake rod is absolutely beautiful, stunning and has a action for small streams. The rod was made for me and took about a year. It appears to be of conventional construction but upon closer look, the nodes start to come into view and nature's imperfections come out as well but rest assured, it is a fishing tool no less than a bamboo fly rod.

I have been a small stream fly fishing enthusiast nearly my whole life, since I was a young child. This rod represents connecting many facets of my fishing.

I primarily fish traditional and American tenkara, bamboo rods that I have made but I will tell you this, the Marutake rod from Sakura will demand my time and attention on stream.

Lets see how this goes.

Pictures soon and a review as well.

Anxiously awaiting your review Adam. And pics.

I'm just busy with getting ready to drive the ten hours to Colorado on Monday. It's Saturday night, just got back from dining with my lovely and my Dad. Half drunk, looking at what I think is interesting on the net and there you are. I won't have time to take pictures before I go and I won't be taking the rod with me HOWEVER, I am very excited to fish it when I get back.

I'll tell you this, it looks like a six sided split bamboo rod at first glance. It is petite, not big like you would think. The ferrule is not a ferrule, the top section fits inside the lower, very cool, smooth. Upon closer inspection, you can see the nodes, the leaf areas which are painted black.

This is like something I have never seen, near perfect, the bamboo selection is outstanding. The grip is petite, down locking ring and cap worthy of a petite Hardy of old or a modern fly reel.

It is just something else and outstanding.

I am honored and again I feel like I am ahead of the game as this rod is unique, performance minded and not a gimmick.

At a minimum, I'll take static photographs in about a week and post them.

Holding my breath.................

My sense is that the Marutake rod should be easier to build than a six-strip. It takes, however,a forest of bamboo to sort through to find the right pieces, it requires a great deal of patience for the pieces to dry properly, and it takes a certain skill to straighten the shafts of the rod. After all that, it would be possible to have a very fine small stream rod.

It would be difficult to replicate any Marutake rod, because each is so dependent upon the age and size and degree of curing of the sticks. It should be possible to come close, if, again, you have a forest of bamboo from which to choose.

Both of you are spot on.

I'm so screwed up on my collapsing rods, they work so well...

I just need a silk line, got to source one and then it's go go go.

I'll get to some photographs, I need to do that soon.