N A Taransky Bamboo Rods

My vest of choice for the last 15 years has been my beloved Filson Strap Vest, with the original all-cotton construction. I loved it so much that I have two new ones stored away in case my first one ever wore out. Over the past few seasons, that finally started to happen, with some "character" fraying around the edges. But until recently, I've been reluctant to let go, even for a new version of the same vest.

That changed when I saw the stunning custom packs made by Toru Ueda at Blooper Backpacks (apologies, yes, it's all in Japanese). Ueda-san's main work is making ultra lightweight packs for extreme outdoor athletes, but he also makes a range of fishing packs and vests. When my friend and co host of Fly Fish Craft Japan website, Tomonori "Bill" Higashi suggested that I try the new Blooper model, I took his advice. And…

As much as I still love my Filson, I already love my Blooper more! It's light and comfortable, with the perfect amount of accessible storage at the front, and a generous pack at the back for stowed items. And the wearable height of the whole system has saved it from several dunkings that were the only real source of frustration with my Filson (though admittedly I could have adjusted my Filson higher at the expense of overall comfort).

The quality of the make is exceptional, and it's really nice to have a hand made pack to use with the handcrafted rods and reels that I love using. So my weathered Filson has had a careful wash, and is now stored away with my two "reserve" ones. I may yet call back on them at a later date, but I don't see that happening any time soon…

You can read more about Ueda-san's work at his page on the Fly Fish Craft website here, and Contact Me if you are interested in more information on the latest available models.

I was delighted to hear that the Annual Cressy Cane bamboo rod gathering will be held in 2022, even though the current travel situation means that I won't be able to get there myself.

Like last year, it will be a relaxed, informal format. Hopefully by next year we will be back into a larger, more comprehensive event. But if you can get there this year, I'd highly recommend it. You can read more about it including how to book at the Cressy Cane Website.

It was a feeling of satisfaction to send the first completed rod from my New Zealand workshop off to its new owner.

It's a Madake Series 4 piece/2 tip 7'6" #5, featuring
- Bamboo ferrules
- Huon Pine burl reelseat and ferrule plugs
- Lemon silk wraps
- Brazilian Agate stripping guide
- Titanium snake guides
- A custom rod bad made from Vintage Japanese Kimono fabric

There are more rods on the bench that will be ready to send soon.

Firstly, Happy New Year!

The other morning I got up early to water our new raised garden beds, and was rewarded by a spectacular sunrise from my workshop door. In these crazy days, which don't look like settling down any time soon, appreciating these moments, and taking advantage of opportunities arising from change, has made me feel exceedingly grateful…

2022 Rod Orders
Please note that Bespoke Rod Orders for 2022 are filled. I will open my books again for a limited number of Bespoke Orders again on the 1st of January 2023. Throughout 2022, I will be completing existing Bespoke Orders, and releasing some Maker's Selection rods, available for immediate purchase.

2022 Rodmaking Classes
Dates for Rod Classes (Australia and New Zealand) are still on hold. I'll provide an update as soon as I know more.

Due to current uncertainty over international and domestic travel in Australia and New Zealand, I've put the 2022 dates for Rodmaking Classes on hold for now.

I'll provide an update on class dates as soon as I have more confidence in making travel plans - for both myself and students.

Thanks for your patience!

In the meantime it will give me more time to work on current rod orders…

Have a safe and wonderful Holiday season and I hope that you can get out for a fish over the Summer.

It's so good to be "back on the tools" again… And so nice to be doing it with trout rising right below the workshop.

As mentioned previously, current orders and planned rodmaking classes will take me well into 2022, but I will open my books for a limited number of Bespoke Rod Orders on 1st January 2022, plus continue to produce a small number of Maker's Selection Rods in parallel.

Between work on rods, setting up the house, and some new raised garden beds, I've managed to get out for a fish here and there so I hope to provide a short fishing report and photos soon too…

It seems like such a long time… I downed tools in Australia nine months ago, in February 2021, to pack up and relocate to New Zealand.

I really didn't know how long it would be until I could set up and make rods again. Moving to another country in the current world climate and finding the right place to set up were always going to be challenging. I was hopeful to be making rods within a year, but deep down that seemed very optimistic.

So it is with great relief that I am back making rods, with my bamboo and everything else safely here. I'm currently working on 2021 Bespoke Rod Orders, plus a small number of Maker's Selection Rods. These will keep me busy into 2022, but I will open my books for a limited number of Bespoke Orders on the 1st of January 2022.

And it's nice to have a base with views like this… I walked out the door the other day into a Spring rain shower. A double rainbow arched over our bridge on the Hautapu River. Fish were rising below. It reminded me that Taransky Bamboo is in exactly the right place for the exciting next chapter of rodmaking.

It's probably every trout angler's dream to live on the banks of a trout stream. But then there is the GEM Skues story of Theodore Castwell…

I don't know the answer yet, but I've been doing my best to find out.

I've cracked and caught a few of the fish straight down from the workshop (including the one pictured here), but they've become more like pets, so mostly I've been going down with a coffee just to watch them.

I've got to know several individual fish and their habits, and also learnt a lot about trout in general that I never would have done with a rod in my hand. I've been in love with trout since I first saw them, but now I have an even greater appreciation for these magical creatures, who give anglers so much joy without knowing it. If only they knew what pleasure they give us in the short period of panic that we subject them to…

I've put up the Links Page on the website, with an initial selection of links. More will be added over time…

I hope to get the FAQ, Other Products and Gallery pages up soon too.

I've put up the Media/Articles Page on the website, with an initial selection of articles, with more to come soon.

I've added some provisional dates for 2022 to the Rodmaking Classes page.

The Australian (Cressy) dates are pending possibility of my travel in to Australia in 2022.

New Zealand (Taihape) dates are still being organised. The travel situation here is more flexible at the moment. I have some students already booked here for making a rod. If you are in New Zealand and are interested in making your own bamboo rod, contact me and we can discuss the options.

Meet our new baby… "Nugget". We bought this 1967 Airstream Globetrotter on our arrival in NZ. It will be a base for our NZ adventures and also periodically a "home at home" during our house renovations.

"Nugget" needs quite a bit of work, but with some love and attention we think it will be amazing, on and off the road…

Another project I've been working on recently is the Fly Fish Craft Japan website. In collaboration with long time friend Tomonori "Bill" Higashi, this aims to feature a number of Japan's leading fly tackle artisans, and make a selection of their work available for purchase worldwide. You can visit the site at www.ffcraftjapan.com

The Rod Range, Ordering and Rodmaking Classes Pages have been added to the site, and will be expanded with more detail soon.

I'm also working on pages for the Gallery, Links, Other Products Articles/Media and more.

The Hautapu River has been up and down here over Winter. Flowing through Papa country, it colours up quickly after rain, but settles soon enough and I've be able to polaroid some very nice brown trout over my morning "lockdown" coffee. I've grown very fond of a few regulars and I may even struggle to fish to them when the season opens. Time will tell…

We've found a property, right on the bank overlooking the Hautapu River, on the edge of Taihape (Gumboot Capital of the World). We were unimaginably lucky to find this place. The community has been incredibly welcoming and the trout season is only a month from starting.

I've also been thinking of some ideas to decorate our home storage and garden shed containers. The end result may be a little more subdued than this idea on the right, but time will tell.

Finally! Welcome to the new website - www.taranskybamboo.com It's been a long time coming. The old website (with the .au suffix) has well and true done it's job, but I have retired it.

The big news is that we've finally made the move to NZ. Most importantly, all of my lifetime supply of Tonkin Cane, Madake Cane, hardwood burls for reelseats, and everything else too, successfully made it here. Over a month of meticulous cleaning of every single culm, burl blank, and rodmaking tool before leaving Australia paid off, but I'm still very thankful that New Zealand MPI allowed everything through intact. It's such a relief to be able to hit the ground running.

I'm excited to still have my Australian base at Peter Haye's Lodge in Tasmania on Brumby's Creek. Travel permitting, I'll spend 1-2 months a year there for Australian rodmaking activities, running Rodmaking Classes and attending Cressy Cane.

I hope to be out of setup mode soon, planing rods and running classes, as well as getting this new website fully operational.