Nick Taransky

Nick Taransky

 Nick is one of Australasia’s finest contemporary bamboo fly rod makers. He began making bamboo fly rods after a life changing moment in 2001, when he attended a specialist rod making session hosted by well-known American bamboo fly rod maker Jeff Wagner. By 2004, split bamboo rod making had become his full-time career. Since then, he has constantly worked on developing and refining tapers, influenced by the golden era of American rod making, including Paul Young, Lyle Dickerson, Ed and Jim Payne, Everett Garrison and even underrated makers like Francis “Digger” DeGere. 

Nick’s work has been extensively published[1] and he is recognised internationally as a leading bamboo fly rod maker. He has made hundreds of bamboo fly rods, in over a hundred taper variations. In recent years, Japanese rod making and advanced fly fishing techniques have had a profound impact on his own rod making, through travelling to and working with master Japanese bamboo rod makers including Ushu Nakamura and Naoto Shibuya.

Nick’s appreciation of the mastery of fly casting and rod dynamics, and their input into bamboo fly rod design, has been informed by leading international fly casters, including Peter Hayes who has made a significant contribution in promoting bamboo as a high performance fly rod material. Taransky also acknowledges feedback and input from Tony Loader, Matthew Howell, and Tomonori “Bill” Higashi, Naoto Shibuya, and Kenshiro Shimazaki, who have helped him to appreciate the “dynamic and astonishingly effective Japanese casting and fishing styles”.

From 2004 up until 2021, his primary workshop was based in Queanbeyan, in the Snowy Monaro blue ribbon trout region of NSW. In 2015 he added a workshop in Tasmania, at Peter Hayes’ Lodge on the banks of Brumby’s Creek, where he also began offering bamboo rod making classes modelled on Jeff Wagner’s format. More recently, he has relocated his home and workshop to Taihape, New Zealand, on the banks of the Hautapu River. 

Nick Taransky has fly fished widely in both salt and fresh water, including the Australian mainland, Tasmania, New Zealand, the Australian Tropics, Southern Saltwater, Lord Howe Island, Kiritimati (Christmas Island), and the USA. His partner Miri is also a dedicated and talented fly fisher.

Nick considers that: 

“Bamboo is best suited to line weights between #3 and #6 and lengths between 6 and 8 feet.[2] Within this range the weight and flex of bamboo is at its best. These shorter length rods have many advantages in tight, bushy surrounds. For those technically minded, the modulus of bamboo lies between that of fibreglass (S-glass) and graphite.”

Nick currently offers a refined list of favourite tapers[3] that cover a wide range of fishing styles and angling scenarios. Many reflect his own passion for dry fly sight fishing, where fast, accurate and delicate presentations are required. However, he also offers rods that are suited to other techniques including weighted nymphing, dry/dropper, two-handed swinging, lake fishing with wet flies and saltwater fly rods.

Nick has singled out the following mentors for particular mention:

·      Ray Brown: 1990s (before rod making but as a fisher of bamboo). Ray shaped his overall philosophy, which is to be an angler first and seek out rods to solve specific challenges from there. He cites, as an example, the influence of Lee Wulff on the development of short, powerful dry fly rods like the Partridge FA6345 6’3” for #4/5 line. 

·      Jeff Wagner:  2002 to the present, for helping Nick to learn the craft and giving his ongoing mentorship, inspiration and friendship together with high quality rod making and teaching.

·      Peter Hayes:  mid-2000s to the present, for his inspiration on Nick’s own casting, and for showing him the need to understand casting and be able to cast well in order to design and make quality rods.

·      Naoto Shibuya:  2012 to the present, for teaching Nick to appreciate the Japanese Dry Fly Long Leader Technique for casting and fishing, and how to make rods for this style of fishing. He is also a key reference for understanding the application of Urushi lacquer on rods.

·       Tomonori “Bill” Higashi: 2012 to the present, not as a rod maker but as a central figure in Japanese and world fly fishing and casting. As a mentor he has connected Nick with many aspects of Japanese fly fishing, and with important tackle-making artisans.

Taransky Rods and Tapers

Nick singles out Paul Young (1890-1960) as his favourite rod maker from the past. Young was an incredible innovator, and so many of his tapers are both unique and outstanding.

Of the rods Nick offers, his favourites are:

·      The Bush Creek, 6’6” 3-piece, two tips for #4/5 line – his personal “go to” rod for tight Australian small streams and conditions for over a decade (dry fly).

·      The Monaro 45, 6’6” and 6’9” 3-piece, two tips for #4/5/6 line – a hunting rod for sight fishing for large cruising trout (dry fly).

·      The Taranaki, 7’3” 3-piece, two tips for #5/6 line – a powerful rod for NZ and larger Australian streams (nominally a dry fly taper, but also a capable nymphing rod).

·      The Imp, 7’7” for #3/4 line (2-piece, two tips in Tonkin Cane with Nickel Silver Ferrules or 4-piece, two tips in Madake Cane and bamboo ferrules, one tip lighter) – Japanese Dry Fly action for Long Leader fishing. It has become an equal favourite with the Bush Creek but using a very different approach to dry fly fishing. Interestingly, when fished with a conventional leader it also makes a nice light nymphing rod.

[1] https://www.taranskybamboo.com.au/resources-info/Articles/

[2] https://www.taranskybamboo.com.au

[3] https://www.taranskybamboo.com.au/rods/

Taransky Bush Creek 4106 6'6" #4-5 (PH)

Taransky 6' 3" 3/4wt NT 18M02 (NT) 

Taransky Salmo Sardinius Banty 2/2 4'4" 4/5wt (NT)

Taransky PWY Para 15 8' #6 2/2 (FvR)