Since the 1800’s the natural beauty, strength and resilience of Tonkin bamboo has captured the imagination of traditional fly rod makers. Their wonderful action and smooth casting ability of split cane fly rods make them the ultimate tool for fly fishing the traditional realm of streams and rivers. Some makers such as Garrison, Payne and Leonard dedicated their lives to developing techniques for working and finishing this fine material, and in doing so they created fly rods which had a perfect balance of form and function and which have come to be the embodiment of traditional fly fishing.
As a natural material bamboo has remained unchanged, the hand building techniques and tapers that these classic makers perfected are still employed in our workshops and we are proud to continue their heritage in each of the split cane fly rods we build.
When fishing with a Charles Clemes fly rod you will take comfort in the knowledge that you have in your hands not only an object of beauty to be enjoyed in its own right, but a fine product of the rod makers craft giving you the utmost in reliability and performance.