History of fishing rods from then to now

Ever wanted to know the history of your fishing rods?

According to Dennis Anderson of the Minneapolis-St. Paul Star Tribune, the first commercial fishing rods were made of bamboo, a natural product that lent itself well to casting and to fighting fish. But availability, and ultimately price, were concerns. Yet still today, some fly fishing purists insist on using only bamboo rods - new models of which can cost in excess of $1,000.

Next came steel. Less pliable than bamboo, steel fishing rods were popular early last century. What they lacked in sensitivity they more than made up for in durability. Detecting the soft bite of a 1-pound walleye might have been difficult, but steel rods didn't break when caught in car doors.

Fiberglass fishing rods came on the scene after World War II. The first ones were solid glass - and heavy. As manufacturing processes improved, hollow rods were developed that were far lighter, far more sensitive and far better for fighting fish. They remain in use today.