Anthony Joseph Pagley Jr. : Completing Six Rods

Completing Six Rods

Before I Start With The Normal Rod Journal Stuff

I have been working on building the best rods that I can for the last Eight or more years now. It has taken many many hours to get to the point where I have a certain aesthetic that I really like. I make My own reel seat hardware, turn the timber and wrap rods in basic earthtone colors. The signature wrap will always be the same and so will the look of My rods. I will also continue to try and improve on anything and everything I can.

I have developed the kind of tapers that I like to fish. Mostly medium fast to faster tapers. For bamboo any way. I also use tapers that have been around forever. They are still the kind of rods that I like to fish. I will work with you in certain areas if you like the style of rod that I build. I will not build a rod taper that I don't like.

I do this as a side job because I think it is great that someone in another state or country is out there fishing one of My rods and enjoying it. I also do it to take care of the costs of building more rods. When I say job, it is work and it is time consuming.

I appreciate the people that give Me a chance to make them a rod greatly. Especially the ones that say hey I wanted one of your rods so do it your way. There is no greater compliment than that.

Thank You to the nice people that took in a new builder at the very beginning when I first started selling rods. This is a tough market with tougher customers. I can say that everyone who has purchased one of My rods couldn't have been nicer and the feedback and reviews have been wonderful.

Thanks to the folks who are waiting very patiently for this new crop of rods also. They will be ready soon.

I stand behind My work. If anything at all happens to your rod please contact Me and it will be taken care of.

I hope to be doing this until I can no longer stand up to push a block plane down the forms. Always moving forward and improving on anything that I can.

Thanks Again,

Anthony

So I am finishing up six rods. Hope to be done with all before the end of April. If one of them belongs to you, Thanks for being patient.

It is much easier to work on each step of the build on all of the rods at the same time. Less time cleaning up messes and retooling.

Wrapping and varnishing has begun on all the rods. Here are some of the steps that have been completed so far.

Splitting Strips

Splitting strips is something that took me a lot of time to get efficient at. I found the easiest way for me is to use a vise to keep the splits stable and from running out at the nodes.

Here are 24 tip strips from one culm. All useable.

Roughed Triangles

Some roughed out strips. A couple nodeless rods and tiger striped flamed. Not in the photo are a couple of very nicely flamed blanks. They were flamed low and slow over a natural gas burner to a nice dark brown color.

Photo of roughed out triangles. You can see all the power fibers.

Heat treating in the oven.

Final Planing a Strip

Very fine shavings at the end.

Node Work

The most time consuming and agonizing part of building a fly rod.

Hollow Scalloping

Strips below hollowed scalloped for an 8'10" Eight Weight

Grips

Ventilated grip made for My own personal Five Weight. Done the way Bob Summers does them. Glue up the cork as normal. Then use a very sharp thin cut off tool or grinding wheel to cut out the recesses between the glue lines. Touch up with sand paper and turn grip as usual.