bamboo rod

Question
About 20 yrs or so ago I purchased a Daiwa Seiko Hexagon Whisker Bamboo fly rod 8'6" 567wt. w/ cloth bag and aluminum tube.  Its a beautiful rod but I can find absolutely no info about this rod anywhere.  Its like it doesn't exist.  Any chance you or a colleague may be able to help?

Answer
Hello Steve --

One reason you are having trouble finding information is that the Whisker series from Daiwa is generally a UK product, from their division in Scotland. Some of them were even made in Scotland (or more likely, assembled there).

The other reason is that Daiwa never made bamboo rods -- they started with fiberglass, went to kevlar, and then to carbon fiber.

My guess is that you have a carbon fiber rod -- Daiwa did make them in a hexagon shape, and they commonly finished them to look like split cane!

Check closely around the ferrules, both make and female ends. You should be able to see the carbon fiber structure.

In any case, you have an interesting piece of history. These rods are no longer made, and the hexagonal carbon fiber construction is distinctive and unusual. Bruce and Walker also made (still makes) hexagonal rods, as the auction below alludes to, however these are not the same product and I do not believe B&W ever sold rods to Daiwa for re-branding.

Value is probably only about $100, however it has a chance to become collectible, thanks to the rare hexagonal shape and the fact that many UK flyfishers really like this rod -- the hexagonal shape supposedly makes it very supple to cast.

If I was you -- I'd keep it, and fish with it!

Does it look like this one?

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Daiwa-Hexagon-Whisker-_W0QQitemZ230423293422QQcmdZViewItem...

DAN