On the home page of this website, I mentioned that there is nothing like catching a fish on a fly you have tied yourself. To that, I would append, “With a rod, you built yourself.” A couple of years ago, Dave Weingold and I traveled to Louisiana to attend Harry Boyd’s rod building class. In two days, we both completed a rod blank with the ferrule attached. I thought I could build the rod, but I didn’t have the equipment necessary to make the blank. We completed the blanks with Harry’s excellent instruction and had a wonderful time. I would recommend his class to anyone who wants to build a blank or even a complete rod.
I returned home, determined to acquire the equipment to build more rods. I now have a planning form, beveler made from a router, and binder built to the instructions in A Mater’s Guide to Building a Bamboo Fly Rod by Hoagy B. Carmichael. But there is more that I need.
Recently I found Headwaters Bamboo on the web. They sell bamboo rods at very reasonable prices. In addition, they sell blanks with the ferrule attached for about $300. Because a bamboo culm costs about $100 and time saved, I think this is a bargain. The picture above is my 6’6″ 3 weight. It has two tips and cast perfectly. As I said, there is nothing like catching a fish on a fly you tied and a rod you built.
I have no affiliation to Headwaters Bamboo. If you buy a blank or rod from them, mention my name. You will not get a discount but I might.
On their website, you will find a link to Rolf Nylinder’s film Floating Flies on YouTube. This is a good video, and I think you will enjoy it.