Bamboo Wading Staffs

I’m now offering custom made Bamboo Wading Staffs made entirely from the same select Tonkin bamboo that I use in making my fly rods. These wading staffs are traditional hex shaped bamboo, are all one piece, and they are in lengths of 48″ to 52″, depending on the angler’s height. Fashioning these wading staffs from genuine Tonkin bamboo presents challenges to attain the overall thickness required, and as such, I use traditional “Double Building” techniques that actually create a bamboo “rod within a rod” as can be seen in the attached photo. I also include a retractable gear keeper from Hammerhead Industries to fasten the wading staff to your wading belt or waders. And, I’ve designed the staffs with a Full Wells cork grip with custom English Walnut end cap, and a brass fitting that the gear keeper fastens onto. I use Cardinal Silk Thread wraps with Straw and Black Tipping wraps to accent the overall grip. The price for all wading staffs are $600.

It should be noted that wading staff will take a serious beating when wading in the stream. I add an end cap of brass or Delrin, but the lower 10″ to 12″ of the bamboo staff will get “beat up” over time. I use Man-O-War Marine Spar Varnish on my wading staffs as this is the toughest varnish I know. It will, however, get scratched and dinged up over time.