J. Bailey Bamboo Fly Rod

4/5 wt., 7′ 0″ Fly Fishing Bamboo Rod

I don’t remember which Orvis store in Michigan it was, or it might have been one of those stores that sold fly fishing tackle as well. I purchased this beautiful split cane rod back in 1996 or 1997. I’m not really sure where and when exactly I came across this rod. In those years, I was collecting tools for making bamboo fly rods as I wanted to be a rod builder myself. And this rod was going to be a model for my rod building.

More than ten years have passed since then, but I still haven’t started building my first rod. I’ve been using this rod though up in mountains in Shiga when I go iwana fishing and it is as beautiful as it was ten years ago. Not even a scratch is on the rod. I tried to locate a website that says something about the maker, “J. Bailey”, as I wanted to know more about this person and his other works of rod building, but not a chance. The rod maker might not have his own website. If by any chance he visits this site, I will welcome his comments. He, or could be she, would be surprised to find that one of his rods he made and sold almost twelve years ago is still in good shape and that it has been used in the land of rising sun.

ミシガン州デトロイト郊外のフライ専門店で1996年か1997年に購入したバンブーロッドです。毎年この季節になると釣行予定もないのに釣り道具を持ち出す習癖が私にはあります。ドライフライにこだわりますから、山桜が咲く今頃から梅雨入り前までの短い期間がベストシーズンです。羽化して成虫になると数時間から長くても数日しか生きれないMayfly(カゲロウ)がハッチする季節です。梅雨入りすれば葉を付けた川辺の樹木が邪魔になり、うまくキャストできなくなります。

ロッドメーカーのJ. Baileyという人、それほど有名なビルダーではないと思いますが、製作後、10年以上が経過した今も破損は一切ありません。しっかりとした作りなのでしょう。01996の刻印があります。1996年の0番ということなのでしょうか。当時はバンブーロッド製作用の道具を買い集めていました。いつかは自分でも製作したいと考えていたのですが。その時のお手本になるようにと購入したのがこのロッドです。

Postscript:

I have remembered the shop where I bought the rod. It is called “Paint Creek Outfitters” and it is located in Rochester, MI. They carry Orvis products and other fly fishing tackle. One of the staff was calling the rod maker inquiring about the price as it didn’t have a price tag.