They say you only have a few real life-changing events in one lifetime. Marriage, children, first Landrover, bamboo rod—this is how I felt the first time I cast a great bamboo rod. It just so happened it was from a local bamboo rod-maker, Nick Taransky.

Working in a tackle store I get to try a lot of gear, but this was truly a pleasure to use. He sent me a 7 foot 4-weight, based on a Paul Young taper. I proceeded to fish it to extremes. The casting is effortless. Perfect for small streams, great in close and tight bushy quarters, it also excels on the windy open plains or Monaro type streams where more distance or longer leaders are needed.

To fight a fish on bamboo is sublime. The bamboo totally soaks up the radical energy that a trout can throw at you, and you seem to have a lot more control over the fish.

N.A. Taransky Bamboo Rods are all hand-crafted and hand planed. The highest quality Tonkin Cane available is flame tempered for additional stiffness. Rods come standard with two mirror matched tips, split from the same culm of bamboo. Reel seats feature fine Nickel Silver hardware and spacers from timbers including Australian hardwood burls. Stripping guides come in titanium or hand-crafted classic agate. Artistic engraving or scrolling on ferrules and reel seat hardware is available upon request. Taransky rods come in a classic aluminium tube and hand-crafted bag.

Bamboo has totally re-invented and invigorated my fly fishing to the extent that I no longer own any graphite rods.

I am totally obsessed, no sorry, possessed. If you are looking for a beautiful, powerful, hand-made fishing tool, give one of these rods a flick around. They dispel all the slow and sloppy stigmas associated with some bamboo rods of the past.

For more information contact Nick Taransky on 02 6297 5134. www.taranskybamboo.com.au