At their best, bamboo fly rods are a joy to cast, and sometimes a puzzle to solve.
Handcrafting bamboo fly rods has taught me a lot about myself and the detail with which I approach many things in life. Using a block-plane to try to achieve tolerances of .0005 inch per strip demands a level of attention to detail that makes many other pursuits seem disturbingly rough by comparison.
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While I’m not actively selling rods, if you are interested in medium weight rods (3 to 7 wt.) you can email me at bluewingbamboo@gmail.com and I may make an exception.
I am happy to discuss a potential arrangement and see if I can accommodate you. If not, I’m equally happy to point you in the right direction. I want you to have the rod that is best for you.
If you want to see what’s happening in my rod-shop day-to-day, follow my instagram @bluewingbamboo
Why Bamboo?
I’ve written much more about this in a blog post about why I fish with and make bamboo fly rods, but in short I simply like them.
I like making them. I like fishing with them. I think they can be perfect for much of the fishing like to do. That is much, but not all. I am not a purist, and find that my kayak fishing in the saltwater is pretty hard on tackle. I have some expendable graphite for this. It’s not that I don’t think bamboo is up to the task, I just don’t like abusing my own work.
At their best, bamboo fly rods are a joy to cast, and sometimes a puzzle to solve (I’m looking at you, Paul Young). At their worst, they give people the false impression that bamboo is a terrible choice for a fishing rod material. Don’t believe that for a second.
Other Making
I make a lot of other things, as well.
I learned fine woodworking so I could hand craft a custom gaming table; I’ve made electric guitars and effects pedals to play them through; I’ve dabbled in Star Wars costuming and building lightsabers; I enjoy craft beer, and so I’ve taken a deep dive into brewing. This last one has also led to me becoming a bit obsessed with yeast, microbiology, and biochemical processes involved in brewing beer. I now own a microscope and hemocytometer for doing cell counts of yeast cultures. This is in no way necessary to brew beer. Not in the least. I can just be that nerdy about things.
In order to learn more about beer styles and their history I studied for and passed the Certified Beer Server exam through the Cicerone program. The historic and current cultures surrounding beer and brewing are fascinating as well, and we continue to learn more all the time.
