We have always lead the fly rod industry in Bamboo pack & Graphite pack fly rods that travel. Sporting magazines and books have given us many kind accolade over the last
26 years for our pack rods that cast equal or better then standard rods. The pack rods allow you to travel to normal destinations and still have a fly rod available for
a quick afternoon or week of fishing. We recently traveled to Kauai, Hawaii and fished for some fantastic fish from the north island flats to inter island sugar cane lakes.
Hawaiian waters have a good population of saltwater Bone Fish in the 4 to 20 lb. size ranges. The sugar cane lakes have small and large mouth Bass, Talapia and Peacock Bass. While the family does the beach gig, you can be fishing some impressive and unique fisheries.
Pack rods are easily carried aboard airlines today as well. Just dont have knives and pliers in with your rods.
Our guide, Nigel did a fine job sighting and showing us the best flats for the Bone Fish. Contact him at 1-808-652-9038, or at flyfishkauai@hotmail.com.
He can take you fly fishing all over Kauai including trout fishing. Kauai is a little known great fishing destination which lets the family do their thing while you do yours! See the web site for more details on the varied and highly capable pack rods both in Bamboo pack & Graphite pack fly rods that travel. www.kaneklassics.com
How to care for Bamboo fly rod is very easy and is no more consuming then the care you would give to a fine Graphite rod. Ill take you through the steps:
Female Ferrule care:
Use a clear Q-tip, I recommend the wooden stick ones as they are much stronger then the fiber stick. Use a minor amount of Paint Thinner. If you ooze out excess thinner it wont mare the bamboo coating in back of the ferrule or up on the ferrule. This will remove dirt and grease making your male ferrule insert and tighten into the female correctly. Once clear and clean the female is renewed and no more effort is needed:
Male Ferrule:
The male ferrule needs a light polishing with #0000 steel wool once or twice a year. this polishes any burrs and cleans the male.
Once clean use canning clear wax you would use in canning fruit to lightly lube the male. NEVER USE NOSE OIL. The use of the old fisherman tail of lubing ferrules with your nose oil will corrode and collect dirt in the female ferrule. In How to care for your bamboo fly rods, this alone will save you untold ferrule sticking and damage. By sliding the male ferrule over the wax coats and lubes it correctly. Any excess will be pushed aside as you insert it into the female.
Bamboo fly rod Field sense:
When you break for lunch never lean your bamboo fly rods or graphite fly rods with the tip leaning against a barn, RV or tree in the sun. Over your lunch break, either material can set up with a bend. Always assure you rest the rod with no load on it. you can set against an upright object, just dont induce a load bending the rod. The best method is to lay atop bushes or trees out of the sun with, again no load on the rod. This also keeps the rod elevated for others not step on your bamboo fly rod or graphite rod.
Bamboo Fly Rods and Graphite Rods, a caring return:
Once home simple wipe down drying the rods sections, you can use some furniture wax on an old clean t-shirt to shine and protect the rods coatings. Then leave the rod case open on the dinning room diner table for 24 hours. This is usually a wide open and safe area to let the rod and case return to a dry condition to store the rod . Doing this allows you the time
after a trip to inspect each section assuring the guides and ferrules as well as the reel seat are all in serviceable condition. Fail to do this and ill be hearing from you for a repair or premature restoration. So now you know how to care for bamboo fly rods and the same care is fine for graphite rods. See my link below for help if your rod needs it.
https://kaneklassics.com/custom-bamboo-fly-rods/
Doug Kulick with his shop manager, Ken Poole recently tested a new line of bamboo bait casting and bamboo spinning rods in Clear Lake, California north of the San Francisco Bay a few hours. Clear lake is known for its large and aggressive Large Mouth Bass.
Ken has worked for over 12 years at Kane Klassics and for the last few years as the Shop Manager. Ken’s attention to detail and keen craftsmanship has set high standards in the shop. An avid fisherman both fly and spin, Ken often assists in Kane Klassics testing of new designs. That was the case on Clear Lake.
Kane Klassics provides bamboo spinning rods and bait casting rods in various lengths, line weights and sections. See the picture… proof of a successful test at Clear Lake. To order a custom bamboo spinning rod or bait casting rod, here is the link: https://kaneklassics.com
Kane Klassics advanced “Side Drifting” Bamboo Fly Rod and Graphite rod recently under went very successful testing. I experienced some outstanding fishing for large Steelhead with my Friend and Guide, Mike Assink: fish_boy72@yahoo.com , Phone: 541-863-1568. The Umpqua River in Oregon is fantastic for these rods and the following techniques described onward.
Over the course of several trips, together with Mike, we developed an indicator fishing technique, which equaled or did better then the spinning method of side bouncing egg patterns. The rods I designed are 10 1/2′, providing lots of mending and critical hook setting quickness followed by superb fish fighting shock absorbing action. The graphite rod is a 4 pc rod with fighting butt and the Bamboo Fly Rod is a 3 pc with fighting butt. Available in 7 – 12 wt line sizes.
The length of the rods assured easy casting and long leaders to meet the critical depth to put the drifted egg imitation or nymph in the fishes face. Other trips and testing showed these
longer rods excelling at other Steelhead fishing techniques as well. Swung flies, using spay casting and just dead drifted indicator fishing has shown exceptional control. A longer rod is a tremendous help in fighting a large Steelhead. I’ve often said its like a burr in a hound dogs fur, the fly is stuck and you can effectively fight the fish using the rods superior shock absorber action over its length protecting tips and knots.
Many times over a long fight I have mentally counted how many knots are being worked and will they hold. The proof is in the pictures.
To order any of these capable fly rods see Kane Klassics Bamboo Fly Rod and Graphite link: https://kaneklassics.com
The most productive flies your fly box can have are a selection of Hare’s Ear Nymphs. Either the bead head or standard, they simply catch more fish, in more waters then all other nymph patterns combined. The reason is the buggy life likeness of the fly’s rabbit hair tying material.
In small sizes the Hare’s Ear Nymphs represent all forms of mayflies, and simply just edible chow for any hungry fish. In larger sizes, any aquatic life form. They are a non-specific form of nymph, not matching any specific nymph but that in its own right justifies their number one edibility for any opportunistic predator.
I have often caught minnows that attacked and been hooked on this nymph where the nymph was half their size. I regularly hook 20 inch plus fish as well.
Hare’s Ear Nymphs can be best fished any number of ways. As droppers under dry flies, dead drifted on floating and sinking fly lines, and under indicators. Here is a sure fire naughty trick when you really cant match an evening dry fly hatch. Use floatant on a hare’s ear attached to a long leader and floating fly line; then and hold on. This effective floating the nymph in the surface film can make a lousy day excel. Always try Hare’s Ear Nymphs, you’ll be pleased.
See the kane klassics selection of quality tied hare ears on the links below.
BH Hare’s Ear Dark: https://kaneklassics.com/product/bead-head-hares-ear-dark/
DH Hare’s Ear Light: https://kaneklassics.com/product/bead-head-hares-ear-light/
Hare’s Ear Dark: https://kaneklassics.com/product/hares-ear/
Hare’s Ear Light: https://kaneklassics.com/product/hares-ear-light/
Kane Klassics has embarked upon building the finest, most off road capable Fat Tire Sand Bikes for the fly fishing purist. In a cooperative venture with Tammisea Fat Sand Bikes out of the Miami Beach area of Florida, we have taken a solid performing Fat tire bike with the industries widest 4.8-inch tires and added Kane Klassics performance and usability upgrades.
The Fat Tire Sand Bikes where design with aluminum and stainless steel components to with stand the salt environment of beach riding. We took this to a new level by the installation of the new Shimano internal shifting 11-speed rear axel gear pack and adding hydraulic brakes. When combined with an E-Bike electric drive front mounted drive motor you have the ultimate all wheel drive off road fat tire bike for dirt, mountain, sand and snow riding.
The E-bike Electric kit is engineered and installed with a steel heavy-duty fork, and combined with oversize spokes to assure the long-term use of the front drive system. The 48-volt battery provides 30 plus miles of level power and more range when you combine peddling. All this has been engineered using aircraft design and hardware to affix the battery; controller and accessories for long care free service life.
We use these Fat Tire Sand Bikes to haul the Kane klassics bike trailer (6′ trailer a mere 27 lbs.)with float tubes, float boats and gear around lakes in the area 100 miles radius from Reno NV. Fishing on lakes can in fact be like fishing on a desert. Until you know the waters and fish habits, you have to begin to fish, observe and react to what you see and experience. Equipped with the fat tire bike and trailer, you can leave your car or truck safely parked on firm terrain and ride straight to the waters edge, launch and begin to fish. Through your observations, if you see more fish action down or up lake, load up the float device and peddle to that area. No getting stuck in the beach sand as the fat tire bike and trailer with fat tires floats over the sand. Your truck, parked on firm soil is safe from getting stuck.
The other key advantage of using the bike and trailer, your gear fits over the trailer wheels, which are under the flat bed. No other bike trailer offers you that oversize fly-fishing gear load capability. Stay tune to more in-depth articles on the future use of our Fat tires.
For more information and details on the bikes and trailers see the links below,
Fat Tire Bikes: https://kaneklassics.com/montague-bikes/fat-sand-bikes/
Bicycle Trailers: https://kaneklassics.com/montague-bikes/bicycle-trailers-kane-klassics/
The fishing on Lewiston Lake California. was fantastic on Friday 10 Jan. In little less then five hours using small PT nymphs and small leeches, over 75 Rainbow Trout were caught and released. Using a full slow strip on the retrieve, the hit was followed by a strip set which seemed to be most effective in a solid hooking up of the fish. Many casts resulted in a hook up or at least a grab.
The size ranged from 12 inches to a solid 20 inch fish. All were in excellent winter condition. Here are the links for the flies which performed the best:
The bead head PT: https://kaneklassics.com/product/bead-head-pheasant-tail/
The Bead head prince: https://kaneklassics.com/product/bead-head-prince-nymph/
The smaller sized olive leeches: https://kaneklassics.com/product/marabou-leech-olive/
To get to Lewiston Lake California, take 299 out of Redding and follow the signs to Trinity Lake and Lewiston.
Call to book a guided trip, fishing with the Maker and using bamboo fly rods 510-487-8545
