Larry Donahe wants to slow it down.
Not just life — though that as well — but the cadence of the fly cast, an already gracefully slow series of motions that allows the skilled angler, armed with rod and line, to hurl a nearly weightless object well over 100 feet into a headwind.
“We’re too high-speed now,” Donahe, 47, said during a recent visit to the basement of his Victoria home, which doubles as his fly rod-making workshop. “Our pace of life, our smart phones, even our fly fishing.”
Modern “fast-action” rods made of graphite and other composites have yielded a generation of fly anglers whose rhythms — the back-and-forth sweeps of the rod as it loads the weight of the line, leader and fly — are beats quicker than those before who learned on more whippy fiberglass or bamboo rods.
The “faster” the action, the more the flex is concentrated in the tip of the rod. Bamboo, the fast-growing hollow, tree-like grass, is the focus of Donahe’s love and product.
“Bamboo allows you to relax while you cast, which lets the rod do the work, which will make you a better fisherman, which, ultimately, will allow you to catch more fish,” says Donahe, owner of L.P. Donahe Split Cane Rods (DonaheSplitCaneRods.com).
To be clear, Donahe isn’t trying to sell his fishing rods, which start at $1,500, on the promise you’ll suddenly catch more fish. But he does promise a new relationship with fly casting for those who have cast only graphite.
“It actually takes a little bit for people to learn to cast bamboo,” he said. “They’re so used to fast-action rods. But once they get into the new rhythm, and I see this when I show people how it’s done — to be patient — their eyes open wide, and they say, ‘Oh, I get it.’ ”
And of course, as one would expect for such an investment, the six-sided rods, each of which takes Donahe about 50 hours to make, are works of art to the eye of a fly angler with a sense of the classic.
Each rod is made to custom specs, and nearly all are made to order. Subtle touches that have nothing to do with catching fish include traditional silk threading options and ferrule plugs available in materials like mammoth ivory or water buffalo horn.
Donahe isn’t the only bamboo fly rod maker in Minnesota, and nationwide, the ranks of custom bamboo rod-makers are legion, but he’s quickly gained attention. Two local shops stock his rods: Bob Mitchell’s Fly Shop in Lake Elmo and Mend Provisions in Minneapolis.
Donahe’s rods, as well as all things fly fishing, will be on display from Friday through Sunday at the National Sports Center in Blaine, when it hosts Tom Helgeson’s great Waters Fly Fishing Expo (GreatWatersFlyFishingExpo.com), the region’s premiere fly angling event. At noon Sunday, Donahe, who also offers classes for interested rod builders, will present a seminar explaining the process of building a split-cane rod.
As he approaches his 100th rod sold, Donahe is launching a new line of products: fishing nets, made of bamboo, of course.
“I figure if you’re going to spend that much on a fishing rod, you might as well have the option of a matching net,” he said.
Priced between $150 and $200, the bamboo-and-hardwood nets also offer a lower price for those who appreciate the bamboo aesthetic — lightweight, with strong lines of fibrous grain — but can’t afford one of his rods.
Donahe’s bamboo nets might be unique; an Internet search revealed only a few nets with integral bamboo, and none where it’s the foundation for the hoop. Donahe said he had no recipe, and the product arose out of his own curiosity for the material, specifically Tonkin cane, which is grown in China and he acquires via a Seattle importer.
“I was interested to see how much I could do with bamboo,” he said. “I have extra strips lying around, and I wanted to see if I could make a hoop that would be strong enough to bang around on rocks. It took some experimenting, but I think I’ve got it now.”
A woodworker by trade, Donahe started making rods in 2006 when he took a rod-making class on a whim. The Oregon native grew up fly fishing with his father’s bamboo rod, so his appetite had been whetted. Under the tutelage of well-known rod makers Daryll Whitehead and Chet Croco, he learned the technical and artistic side of working with bamboo.
Tolerances for beveling the six strips are thousandths of an inch, while selection of materials demands an eye for weak points that no caliper can measure. His first rods were sold in a fly shop in Bozeman, Mont., and his first marriage, to a Minnesota native, brought him here. His status as a stay-at-home dad afforded him the time to hone his skills.
When he fishes, Donahe said he often uses modern graphite rods, depending on the quarry and conditions.
“Sometimes a graphite rod is what you need,” he said. But if he had a choice, bamboo is his preference. “You set the hook, and it’s different. When you play a fish, you feel everything down the length of the rod. Bamboo has its own feel, and it just feels better.”
Dave Orrick can be reached at 651-228-5512. Follow him at twitter.com/OutdoorsNow.