A Father's Day gift for the fly fisher: a rod to pass down
- Chris Clemes
- Jun 13
- 2 min read
Father's Day is this Sunday. If the man you are buying for is a fly fisherman, you already know the problem: he has the gadgets, the gilets, the gift vouchers from previous years. What he probably does not have is a rod made to last a lifetime and then handed to the next person who fishes.
That is what a split cane rod is.
Why a rod, and not another gadget
People put bamboo rods behind glass and assume they are too precious to fish. They are not. They are fishing tools, built to a specification you choose: the length, the line weight, the action, the grip, the fittings. Looked after, a cane rod outlives its owner. It does not date, it does not get superseded by next season's model, and it carries the marks of the rivers it has fished. That is the kind of gift that means something on a Father's Day twenty years from now, not just this one.
There is still time for Sunday
Most cane makers build only to order, so a rod for this weekend would be impossible. We do it differently. Best-selling Chris Clemes split cane and Sjambok S-Glass rods are kept in stock with our partners, ready to take home the same day:
Farlows of Pall Mall, London. Stream & Sea, Paarl. Hand Made Life, Franschhoek.
You can walk in, cast a few, and walk out with one for Sunday. See where to buy for opening hours and addresses, or call me and I will point you to the right rod for the rivers he fishes.
Or commission one, with his name on it
If Father's Day is the moment to start something rather than finish it, a bespoke commission is the same price as a stock rod. You choose every detail, every order includes a free handmade leather rod tube, and we can add a personal inscription: his initials, a date, a river. Lead time is usually one to three months, sooner if a suitable blank is already prepared.
A craft worth keeping alive
There are very few people still making split cane rods by hand in England. Every rod that goes out, and every father who passes one down, helps keep a craft alive that would otherwise disappear. A gift like this is a small part of that.
Comments