Adam,

All of the bamboo rods that I currently have are built by a man in Florida named Jim Haynie (no website). He builds a tremendous fishing rod for a great price. I can't say enough good things about the rods, they're light, powerful, very fishable, hand made, and are very appealing to the eye. Plus you can't break them I landed a 10 pound breeder on one of mine.

You can get a rod custom built to a specific taper, with all the other specifics (guides, wraps, reel seat etc.) or you can choose from one of the many he has already built. I'm not sure where you are located but McAlisters Fly Shop in Riverton CT carries a lot of Haynie's rods and you can go there to try some out. If you do decide to order one I can send you Jim's phone number so you can speak with him directly, or just give him a call ask him questions about bamboo in general, he's a great guy and I'm sure he'd love to share his knowledge with you (just tell him that
kyle pirro refered you to him).

As far as tapers goes you really have to dive right in and try out different rods at shops. I can't really explain it all to you there are just too many tapers (and I don't know 1/2 of them). My suggestion however would be to stay away from these new "fly by night" tapers and stick to the tried and true ones at first, if you get more into it then start to experiment. I don't know if you hunt but choosing a specific bamboo rod is like choosing a new rifle, and choosing the caliber would be like choosing the taper. So take your time and try out a bunch of different rods.

But Jim Haynie is a very smart man and if you decide on a basic feel that you like tell him and he can build a rod around that. My favorite rod that I own was built by telling him I want a medium/slow feel, no idea what the taper is but he nailed it right on the head.