Bamboo ?

[dirty dog]

I was gifted a 6'2" 4wt Carpenter bamboo fly rod.
I took one of my 4wt reels with #4 wff line and put it on the bamboo rod to test it out in the yard.
The rod is very soft and my longest cast was 40/45 ft.
This reel and line on my 7'6" graphite rod casts 50 to 60 ft.
My ? is this normal for a short bamboo rod to have shorter casts?
I'm kinda thinking of trying my 3wt reel with #3wff line on the bamboo rod to see of it casts better.
This rod was built in 2006 and has never been fished.
Damn what a beautiful rod, I feel so blessed.

 

[Canuck from Kansas]

A 6'2" rod will not cast as far as a 7'6" rod - it is a matter of leverage - action will of course also play a role, but all else being equal, a shorter rod will never cast as fat as a longer rod, and 1'4" is a big difference.

At 6'2", this rod is likely designed for small confined streams, you won't need to cast much further than 20 to 30'. If it feels too "soft" for your casting stroke, underweighting will help.

Slow down and have fun with it.

cheers

 

[Tim Cottage]

Agreed !
6'2" to 7'6" is an apples to oranges comparison no matter what they are made of.

 

[dirty dog]

Thanks guys
And yer right about the shorter the rod the less leverage.
There is a small blue line I like to fish and the bamboo should be fun.
Thanks again.

 

[@Dryflyphotography]

I’d encourage you to try a couple more lines if you can, some bamboo rods can be picky about line weights and tapers as well. Although that rod was likely designed for close range casting that limited distance could also indicate that your initial try was either over, or under, lined. Could you feel the line loading the rod in your cast? If yes, then the 3 wt might work. If no, then the rod might respond better with a 4 DT or maybe a gentle tapered 5 like a Wulff Bamboo line or 406 line.. I’d try them both.

 

[Dloy]

Sounds like an ideal mountain/foothills stream rod. A day like that cleanses the soul like nothing else. Enjoy.

 

[Chucker]

If this is the first slow action rod that you have cast with, you will be likely to have to spend some time adjusting your casting to get the best out of it. It’s not all about picking the right line, and underlining to try to make it feel like a graphite rod won’t really work.

 

[dirty dog]

Thanks again guys
I could feel the 4wt loading and unloading up to a point and then it seems like the rod lost it's strength.
Yesterday I put the 3wt wff line on the rod and it made a big difference.
I didn't gain a lot of distance, maybe 10', but the casting was much smoother.
I think I'm gonna really enjoy fishing the little blue lines around the PNW.
Thanks again

 

[Cliff]

Thanks again guys
I could feel the 4wt loading and unloading up to a point and then it seems like the rod lost it's strength.
Yesterday I put the 3wt wff line on the rod and it made a big difference.
I didn't gain a lot of distance, maybe 10', but the casting was much smoother.
I think I'm gonna really enjoy fishing the little blue lines around the PNW.
Thanks again

You're gonna have a ball. I have a 7ft 4wt bamboo stick that I love for small streams.