Shenandoah Rods

The "Ultra" Series Rods

I have the world's first production JW CNC Bamboo CNC Finish Mill that has allowed me to create a new series of "Ultimate" bamboo fly rods. These "Ultra" rods could not be produced without having the power of the JW Bamboo CNC Finish Mill. These rods represent the next generation of Bamboo Fly Rods. They have the feel of a 1 piece rod, lightness in hand and a crisp response. Yet the rod feels and performs like a fine bamboo rod, but lighter and crisper.

The way I achieve this is by creating a slimline bamboo ferrule to replace the traditional, but heavy, Nickel Silver ferrule. In addition, I hollow the rod in the E. C. Powell tradition to both reduce weight and create a stiffer and more responsive rod action. The resulting rods are outstanding and I have received many surpurlative comments.

The bamboo ferrule is unique in it's design. The male spigot is tapered and fits like a traditional ferrule. The CNC mill allowed me to easily remove the inside pith and retain all the power fibers. Once I have done this, I can reduce the swell of the female considerably. The female ferrule is wrapped in silk and has a protective coat of varnish. The dimension of the female ferrule (flat to flat) over the varnish is less than the outside diameter of the coresponding Nickel Silver female ferrule.

When fitted, the bamboo ferrule adds virtually no extra mass or weight in the middle of the rod and feels like a one piece fly rod. The bamboo ferrule is very strong since the two section fit together and forms a laminated joint that is over wrapped by silk. The epoxy glue film inside the female provides a long wearing surface and grip. I have fishing these rods extensively and have had no problems with the ferrule.

Ultra Series Bamboo Male and Female Ferrules

The hollowing is done with a carbide burr. Both the tip and butt sections are hollowed with bamboo dams to provide dimensional stability. This reduces the rod's weight and also provides stiffness to the rod taper thus providing a "crisper" action. The CNC mill allows me to actually have an "inside taper" for the hollowing and exact control over where the hollowing occurs to fine tune the rod action.

The fit of the bamboo ferrule is amazing. I have customers fit the rod together randomly and note that the rod is straight through the bamboo ferrule. The rod just seems to "flow" when you flex it. Some of this is from the fact that the CNC mill allows me to exactly mill identical bamboo strips that allow the rod to come out straighter and more consistent. In addition my tapers are now specified to a greater degree of accuracy then someone who is hand planing a rod or has a conventional bamboo finish mill. I can also quickly modify a taper and produce it to meet specific customer requirements.

The lightness of these rods are remarkable. A 7' 6" rod completed is 3.1oz while a comparable rod with Nickel Silver hardware is 4.8oz. The 8' model weighs 3.4oz completed. In addition these rods do not feel tip heavy. They are well balanced.

One of the most remarkable aspects of these rods is how well they cast and fish. The crisper action turns over the leader better than any rod I have ever cast. The leader kicks over and lays out it's full length with a fly on. The crisper action generates enough extra line speed that accomplishes this, yet lays the line out softly and precisely. These rods are also excellent at roll casting.

Blue Ridge Ultra - 7' 4wt based upon my my Blue Ridge Classic providing an excellent mountain stream rod and also suited for fishing spring creeks. This has improved an already great rod. This rod will shoot line forward quickly and easily, including roll casts.

The Favorite - A 7' 6" 5wt based upon the outstanding Thomas Favorite taper. This is a smooth casting rod with power. This rod lays out a line smoothly with no line bounce and then kicks over the leader better than any rod that I have experienced. A good all around rod.

The Special - A 8' DT4 / WF5 based upon a F.E. Thomas special. This is a rod for those who challenging fish spring creeks with small flies to selective trout and or who fish wet flies / soft hackles. It just is the smoothest casting rod that you have had in your hand. It does the task effortlessly.

The Streamer - A 8' 6" DT7 / WF8 based upon a F.E. Thomas Streamer Rod. This rod was designed for a good friend and guide who wanted a bamboo rod for his favorite fall streamer fishing for big browns. I fished this rod with him in September using a Streamer Express 200 grain sinking line with big streamers while fishing from a drift boat on the AuSable River below Mio, MI and it performed flawlessly. The rod weighs in around 4.1oz. You can fish this rod all day long. Remarkable for a big rod.
Blue Ridge Pack Rod - A 3 piece 7' 3" DT4 / WF5 based upon my Blue Ridge Classic. This rod was the result of a special order by a customer. It turned out fantastic! This is the first 3 piece rod in the Ultra series. It works like a charm. I can easily shrink it to 7' or extend it to 7' 6" depending on customer requirements.

Pricing A one tip 2 piece Ultra rod is $975 and a two tip rod is $1475. The 3 piece Ultra pack rod will be $1175 for a 1 tip and $1675 for a two tip. This comes with rod bad and deluxe vent cap metal tube. I have some Ultra 2 piece 1 tip blanks that are available for $575 - I will wrap and seal the female ferrule and cut to size and the male ferrule spigot fitted to the female ferrule with a truth mark penciled on the blank and impregnated to protect the male spigot.