I am an well seasoned (old) fly fisherman. I know a good rod from a poor one. I have been fly fishing for 30 some years. I have been building and making rods for more than 12 years. Repairing and making cane rods for 10 years. I started out building graphite rods and moved to repairing/rebuilding and then to making cane rods. In fact I went to cane rod school to learn how to make replacement sections for bamboo rods I was working on. I like to make cane rods, and I like to see folks fishing and enjoying the rods I make. I don't do presentation rods and I don't restore investment quality collector rods. Life is too short for that sort of trouble. I make solid, well constructed cane rods for trout fishing. If you want a rod for salmon or steel head I can recommend some fine rod makers. Expensive fly rods are a luxury regardless of what material they are made of. However, a quality cane rod is a luxury every trout fisher should have. With that in mind, prices making cane rods accessible to many fly fishermen is desirable, and since I am retired and paid fairly well not to work I can manage the labor end of my costs to that end A quality cane rod does not have to cost much more than a high end graphite rod. Having said that, the operative term is "quality". Know what you are buying, and where it came from. My rods are hand planed to exacting tolerances using the best tools and equipment available . The ferrules and hardware components I don't make are from reputable fabricators known for producing quality products. I do not like or use cut rate components. I have been to three different rod making workshops with instructors who are among the best contemporary rod makers around. I make cane rods for trout fishing because that is want I want to do. I sell rods because it helps to pay for some of my bad habits and I can only fish so many rods. I really like to see folks using and enjoying the rods I make, but as importantly - if you are going to be a good baker you have to bake. Just so - if you are a going be a good rod maker you have to make rods. So in order to be a quality rod maker I make and sell rods so I can make more rods. Fishing a bamboo rod is not just neat thing to do. It provides a nexus with the tradition and history of the sport of fly fishing that seems to be getting lost in the hustle to engineer the slickest line, the fastest rod, the sportiest shirts, and the largest lodges and private water resorts. Getting back to basics is something you should do now if you are interested in doing it at all. |

