I have always wanted to fish with a split cane rod, ever since I was lent one a few years ago. I normally fish with a Winston rod (I know - I spoiled myself may years ago when living in the US and treated myself to one) which is quite "fast" and sometimes is a bit tricky to cast on some of the more difficult stretches, (at least thats my excuse) and I must be one of the best trout spookers in the Club, so I wanted to try a split cane slower rod. The trouble is though that most split cane rods are very expensive. After a bit of research I found a Chinese website for a company who sell Chinese made bamboo (Tonkin) rods - https://www.cnflyfishing.com/. The rods are made by a company "Rodcore" who also sell reels, lines and so on. I ordered a 7ft 6in #4 rod last week and it arrived in five days (Fedex). I couldn't find any reviews of these Chinese rods online so didn't know what to expect as regards quality but am pleasantly surprised. The quality and finish are very good. They are very reasonably priced - not the £two or three thousand demanded by custom builders. If anyone would like details please get in touch.
I've had a few dry casts on the lawn and it feels really nice, quite soft, much slower than my Winston and it is possible to drop a fly quite accurately provided you go for accuracy as opposed to distance. I will try it for real this evening.
Great post and question. I'm like you in wondering how bamboo rod would fish specifically for dry fly use but i went a different route to get a slower actioned rod. I got a Taniwha glass fibre 7ft 6" 4 weight which is perfect for many of my fly fishing needs on the club waters. The slower action and easier rod loading with a shorter length of line out of the tip has definitely changed my success rate at closer range.
Another highly recommended option is to get Sandy Nelson to custom build a glass rod specifically for your needs.