Photo by Louis Cahill

Today is the first in a series of videos, featuring Matt Draft of Proof Fly Fishing, on restoring old bamboo fly rods.

Have you been wanting a classic bamboo fly rod but suffering from sticker shock? Well, our buddy Matt Draft is back to solve that problem. Old bamboo fly rods are pretty easy to come by at yard sales, antique stores, and junk shops. A lot of times, these are great old rods. Maybe not collectors pieces but solid, great casting rods that started their lives on the shelf of the local hardware store and provided some fishy old dude years of enjoyment. More often than not though, these bargain rods are not in fishable condition, or at least not pretty. That’s ok. These rods were hand made and with a little knowledge and a little work they can be beautiful again.

In this video Matt will go over what to look for in a bamboo rod for restoration. He’ll tell you what matters, what doesn’t and what’s a deal breaker.

Check out https://www.proofflyfishing.com