Client Testimonials
"I've been fly fishing for over 15 years, and for 13 of those years I never seriously considered fishing a cane rod. I'd always assumed the stories about their attributes — about the superior feel of the rod, about the mystique in making it, or the sheer, aesthetic beauty of it — were merely grand embellishments about a type of rod whose time had come and gone. And then I met Joe Byrd. He stuck one of his cane rods in my hand and told me to cast, and I did. A few months later, after I'd gotten to know Joe as a friend and as a rodmaker — and as an owner of one of Joe's rods — I had come to realize that all my assumptions about split cane rods were wrong; that all those things I'd heard about cane rods adding something magical to the fishing experience were true. There IS something special about the craftmanship, the care and the sense of history that Joe invests in the process of making one. There IS something special about sitting at home and pulling it out of the rod tube to admire its beauty. And the feel? That part I couldn't truly appreciate until I caught my first fish on it, a brown that I caught with Joe just a few yards down the stream from me. It was only 12 inches, but I felt that fish like no other I had caught before on my graphite rod at home. Ever since I started fishing with my Joe Byrd rod, the graphite rod has sat unused at home. I'll eventually pass along my rod to my daughter when she'd old enough, as a family heirloom — but only if she lets me borrow it on occasion."
My wife, Angie, and I decided to order a couple rods for my relatives as payment for helping me build our house. As I was busy on construction Angie started looking for fly rods. We were in Mountain Sports Ltd. in Bristol, VA. talking to Tim Landis, he recomended we call Joe. Angie did so and started communicating with him about the rods. She gave me the options that he had given to her and I chose a 4wt. I thought we were only getting rods for my dad and two uncles, but much to my suprise Angie ordered me one also. This was in the early fall and by the next summer Joe had the rods ready. We had a big cookout for everyone that had worked on the house, and gave the rods to everyone. Joe was nice enough to come up to the cookout and even give us a short casting lesson. We all loved the rods from the minute we first picked them up, and couldn't wait to wet a line.
It was just like Joe said, "Once you fish bamboo you'll never want to fish with anything else again." The rods are very sensitive and will turn a fly over unlike any thing else. I can now fish with the lightest weight tippets, that are a must in the summer months on hard fished streams, that i could never keep from breaking with my 2 and 3 wt. graphite rods. The bamboo rod is so sensitive that it handles them nicely. Joe is a wealth of information on anything that has to do with bamboo rods, as well as flyfishing in general. When you purchase one of Joe's rods you get so much more than just a great rod, you get a wealth of knowledge, and an even greater friend. Thanks for everything Joe.
Joe Byrd is the consummate bamboo rod maker. I have one of Joe's "Doe River Series", 7 1/2 foot, 4 weight rod. The delicate tip action lets you know when the "action" begins and the feel of the rod during the landing of a trout is unsurpassed by any rod I have used. To say it is my prized fishing possession is an understatement. I'm honored to have Joe's rod to fish with and hopefully share with my grandchildren. The rod has special labeling that says: "Todd Burleson Memorial Rod", July 2003. Joe was one of Todd's friends and I also had the pleasure of knowing and fishing with Todd. What a gift Todd was to the Northeast Tennessee environment and conservation of our cold water resources. Joe's craftsmanship is superb and his dedication to his trade will create a "rod of a lifetime" for you, too.
These two pictures are of a monster trout caught on the S. Holston River using an 8ft 6wt. bamboo rod built by J.C. Byrd-Rodsmiths.