Testimonials About Our Bamboo Fly Rods

We are proud to be able to share a few of the comments we have received regarding our bamboo fly fishing rods:

"One of the outstanding newer generation rod builders; artistic cosmetics and exceptionally nice finishes."  Daryll Whitehead, Salem, OR, Bamboo Rod Builder

"It has been a real pleasure getting acquainted with you and Tara over the past few months. I really appreciate all the time we have spent talking about our mutual interests and I look forward to meeting you in person very soon.

Your rods are spectacular! I have fished them almost exclusively over the past Summer and Fall; regardless of the conditions. They have the backbone to punch a #12 Stimulator into a stiff Fall wind behind a tight loop, yet have the delicacy to present #22 Baetis to a weary Sipper on the Spring creeks I frequent. Both rods will cast as pretty a loop at 10' as they would at 50'.

The fit and finish on the rods you built for me are superb! The satisfaction I get when I fish catch and release a large Trout is made all the better when I reflect on the beautiful tool I employed. Details such as the hexagonal rope twist winding check and the delicate signature over the blond bamboo seem to draw my eye the most, however the semi-transparent rod wraps are hard not to notice. In short, your rods are a pleasure to admire as they are to fish.

Thanks again for all your patience in helping me select my two rods. They are very well matched for the waters I haunt. Best regards, David Higman, Lumber Company CEO and Flyfisherman

Photo courtesy of David Higman

Thank you for crafting my bamboo rod; it enhances the fishing experience with its sensitivity, casting power and beauty.  As I was playing a large McCloud Rainbow recently, a fellow angler approached, ignored the fish and inquired, “Who made that rod?”  It has that kind of impact and I am proud to own it.  When can I have another?

The cutthroat in this picture admired the rod so much he completely cleared the water  three times, for a better view.

 Steve Niles, Flyfisherman

Here is a follow up letter that we received from Steve:

Bruce & Tara,

As you know, I damaged one of my bamboo tips recently and was quite amazed at how quickly you repaired it.  Thanks for the quick turnaround, but even more I appreciate immensely the beautiful craftsmanship utilized in the repair.  Not only is the damaged bamboo not visually noticeable but, more importantly, it continues to cast beautifully, with that soft presentation that makes dry fly fishing so satisfying. 

Thanks again,

Steve Niles, Flyfisherman

Photo Courtesy of Steve Niles

 Here are two follow up letters and a picture that we recently received from Steve:

Bruce & Tara,

 Bruce,                                                                         

"This is a beautiful cane rod! It has everything going; the best possible way. I cannot detect a glue line and the quality of the fittings are superb. The engraving is excellent. The rod exhibits a progressive action which results in the ability to achieve excellent casting accuracy with short, medium, and longer casts. I am impressed with the bamboo fly rods ability, when forcing the tip forward, as in casting, to note that the rod tip returns to the point of rest with almost no vibration. The rod tip returns in a straight line. These characteristics are the result of using excellent materials and accurate tapering."  Edward G. Davis, Ontario, Canada, Fly Fishing Author, Photographer, Former Casting Instructor for "The Outdoor Club" of the Royal Canadian Military Institute (R.C.M.I.) 

Photo Courtesy of Greg Smith of Brian " The Banker"  McGee

"It would be hard for me to describe how much I enjoyed fly fishing with your rod today. It was simply fantastic! We nicknamed it "Butter" to describe how easy it was to cast. The fly fishing guide said "it just wasn't right that a bamboo rod could cast with such power and presentation." It couldn't have been better. Plus, we hooked many fish and caught our fair share. (Enclosed is a photo that the guide took of a fish with the rod.) The Peerless Reel and Rio line also performed well. I'm very happy with the entire set up. Thanks again, Bruce."    Brian McGee, Mercer Island, WA, Flyfisherman

  Photo courtesy of Brian McGee

  Photo courtesy of Brian McGee

"A Herndon bamboo fly rod casts effortlessly; the quality is on a par with my R.L. Winston bamboo. Winston is fortunate that I had not met Bruce earlier."       Gary C. Morrison, Bellevue, WA, Marketing Director, Skitchine Lodge, BC Canada

www.skitchine.com

  Photo Courtesy of Mark Cadle, Dr. Joe Cadle Fly Fishing in Alaska

  Photo Courtesy of Mark Cadle, Grayling Caught & Released by Dr. Joe Cadle

First and foremost Bruce Herndon of the A. B. Herndon Rod Co. is a craftsman who is only satisfied with perfection. I received my Herndon rod (8' 6wt. Dickerson 8014 taper) and in a word "WOW"! The fit, finish and action are all impeccable and it is evident that Bruce takes great pride in his work and knows what the discerning fisherman demands.

Bruce and his wife Tara are very personable and a pleasure to talk and do business with. For those that want a superb fly rod of heirloom quality, I can without any reservation recommend the services of the A. B Herndon Rod Co.
Dr. J. Cadle, Texas, Fly Fisherman

  Photo courtesy of Travis Smith

"Bruce,

I wanted to drop you a short note to let you know how very pleased I am with the bamboo fly fishing rod you made for me.  I'm certain you could tell from my incessant questions during our initial phone conversations along with my complete unfamiliarity with "bamboo rod language" that this special purchase was going to be my very first bamboo rod.  What you couldn't have known was that you weren't the only rod maker that I talked to, but you were the only one that took the time to listen to what I wanted and needed and totally put my mind at ease with your assurances that you could provide exactly what I was looking for.  I also want you to know how much I enjoyed and still enjoy looking at your website and also how much I appreciated the convenience of being able to order the reel that I wanted along with two outstanding brands of line to try out on the rod.

So, I have to say that the Dickerson 761510 3/2 that you made was the perfect choice after listening to me describe my casting style, favorite graphite rods, and the stream environment that I wanted to fish with the rod. When everything arrived I took it all to the backyard to do some casting but while putting the rod together for the first time I had to pause and admire just how beautiful the rod was and perfect looking down to the very last detail. Eventually, the moment of truth came and to my astonishment and delight the loops I was throwing in my backyard finally looked like what I had been seeing from famous casters in my stack of instructional videos!  I always assumed I would have to compromise something in terms of performance if I wanted to fish with bamboo but just casting it in the backyard I felt this rod was superior to my favorite Sage LL or even my Winston BIIX and taking it to the stream only confirmed this for me.  So far I have asked your rod to do a number of different jobs for me on the water and it has exceeded expectations every time.  I've thrown weighted Woolly Buggers with it in the holes on my local rivers and even tested it out against the massive trout on the special waters of the San Juan.  However, where this rod has really continued to shock and thrill me is casting a dry fly.  I am so thankful to you that for once in my life I am actually eager to cast in front of my buddies and other fly fishermen rather than being nervous about what my casting looks like.  With this rod I am simply a much much better caster.  I can roll cast like a demon with it and can cast a country mile while maintaining the amazingly tight loops that I love to see.  I just got in from fishing a local stream and couldn't get over the fact that casting this rod finally allows me to present my flies so delicately that they look like living insects landing on the surface of the water rather than the crash landings I normally offered up to the trout out here.  In short, this rod has replaced just about every graphite rod that I’ve ever purchased, fly-fishing is *much* more fun for me now, and the capabilities of this rod have brought me more fish because my casts are more accurate and the presentations are more realistic. 

Thanks again, Bruce, and looking forward to many more of your rods down the road." 

"Beautiful and a real honey of a dry fly rod! Beautiful medium honey colored. Very clear cane. 2x2 node spacing with nice short, flat nodes. Fine fittings including mortised birds-eye spacer on downlocking reel seat. Nicely ornamented locking rings and makers name engraved on butt cap. Excellent quality swiss style ferrules simply and attractively engraved. Nicely shaped machined ferrule plug. Excellent wrap and varnish work. Rod is dead straight with either tip. Easily casts with only a few feet of line out, yet managed 60' cast without difficulty. Crisp yet delicate. Medium/fast very light to the hand. Nice tight loops without shockiness, but easy to manipulate and open up the loops. An outstanding casting rod that I suspect should also prove to be an outstanding fly fishing rod on the spring creeks. I love to fish with 24-28x dries and 8x tippets. Casts beautifully and handled the fish with finesse. Didn't break off a one even with the 8x tippet. A fine rod."                   Len Safhay, Marlboro, NJ, Flyfisherman

"Ever changing currents, long cast, fine tippet - This Clark Fork Montana Rainbow might not agree, but thank you for crafting such fine split cane fly rods!"      Walt Stocklin, Flyfishing Guide, Marysville, WA

Photo Courtesy of Walt Stocklin

Many Thanks From England

Hi Bruce,

Just to thank you for the great service and sentiment regarding delivery of my Fishpond pack. I used it in Wales last week and it performed excellently. I really appreciated the manner in which the delivery was handled and your note accompanying the pack.

I look forward to doing business with you in the future, and be sure I will pass on these sentiments to my fishing partners.

All the best Bruce,

Mark Jennings, Flyfisherman, England

Photo Courtesy of Greg Smith

"As we were pulling the boat out at the end of all day on the Yakima river, another fly fisherman strolls up and observes that fishing was slow, and asked how we did? Joe says: "We nailed them". Which suggests a name for my bamboo: the Hammer. The Hammer casts effortlessly, and as you can see effectively, using a wide variety of flies. Thanks for a great, great rod which is a joy to fish!    Greg Smith, Seattle, WA, Flyfisherman

Photo Courtesy of Greg Smith

Photo Courtesy of Greg Smith

"I have been looking for a bamboo fly rod for about a year. I looked in the local area of Central PA and surrounding states. With no real luck, I turned to the internet and started reviewing my options with national and international bamboo rod builders. There are several excellent builders with sites on the internet; many of those have excellent reputations in bamboo rod building. I spent several months calling many of these individuals to get a feel regarding their work and their abilities to turn my needs into a rod that I was looking to fit my particular fly-fishing situation. Very few were willing to listen to my needs or my type of limestone trout fishing. They were willing to sell me a rod they had build before and were accustom to building.

Bruce Herndon of A. B. Herndon Rod Company was different. We talked about several things: weather, types of fishing that we did, our pets, etc. He was not pushy, listened to my wants and needs and gave me one of finest bamboo rods that I have seen in the last few years. I took the rod fishing the next Saturday and stopped in at one our local fly-fishing outfitters to pick up some pheasant tail nymphs. They knew I was looking for a rod and had been trying to get me to buy a national brand bamboo or a graphite rod. I was pleased that the locals, many of who were bamboo fly fishers, were also impressed with Bruce’s work.

Fishing that day was incredible. I bought a 7’ 6’’ 4wt Dickerson 7612 taper. I am extremely pleased with the rod. My other rods will be gathering dust. My Herndon is a fishing rod; it does everything very well and looks great. I was impressed with its ability to handle line on the water. Roll casts and mends are easy. It is perfect for my needs.

Thanks again, Bruce."

Tom, Harrisburg, PA, Fly Fisherman

Dear Bruce and Tara...although my major skill in college and after 
was "Creative Writing", I doubt I'll be able to summon up the words 
and phrases which adequately express my emotions when at last I 
slowly slipped my treasured new Herndon cane rod from its tube and 
cloth bag.

In every way it is so beautiful, and it embodies a great American fly 
fishing tradition. I feel that it is history itself, a link to the 
craftsmen and fishermen who came before us, and that we have 
preserved and kept alive a wonderful way  of life. I guess that I am 
trying to say that I am extremely proud to be the custodian of the 
rod, and extraordinarily fortunate to have the use of it. I know it 
will be a source of many happy days
on lovely trout waters.

There's so much to be appreciative of. First of all, the wonderful 
skill and obsessive quality that is evident in so many details. I 
could talk about the way the wraps finish just so close beyond the 
guide feet. The wraps themselves (I'm so glad the colors worked 
out...I love them!). The grain and tone of the cane. The lustrous 
finish coat. The delicate hardware. My favorite cigar grip shape. The 
gorgeous little woven hook keeper. Superb ferrules. And most 
important, the strong, smooth, progressive action of the casting stroke.

In the days when the Winston shop turned out cane rods from its San 
Francisco shop, I used to walk it, inhale the aroma of the Tonkin and 
the rod building materials, and despair of ever owning such a rod of 
my own.

Having it in my hands on my Birthday yesterday was a huge emotion, 
and it took no effort to constantly remind myself of my great good 
fortune. Thank you so much!

Best regards,

David Berelson

PS  If I find myself just having to have another cane rod in an as 
yet undetermined weight - say in a season or so - what do you figure 
I'd need for lead time between order and delivery?
 

 

 

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