About Rod Prices

Rod Prices

So, I get a lot of Emails asking about My rods. Most are general questions about the rods that I build. Some people wanna know more about My rod building background. The other big question is the price.

The Rods That I Build

I build the kind of rods that I like to fish. Medium fast tapers are what I like and what I spend time trying to develop. I like two piece rods. If a rod needs hollow scalloped to make the taper work the way I want then that is the way the rod is built without any extra cost. All reel seat hardware and the spacers that go into it are made by me. These are utilitarian, nothing fancy. They hold the reel where it is supposed to stay. Grips turned here also. Sometimes ferrules too if needed. Snake brand guides are standard. Stripper guides are REC or agate. Rods are wrapped in silk and or nylon. All cane is flamed to varying colors depending on what I feel like making at the moment or by request. All cane is heat treated in a professionally made heat gun oven or a very good convection oven for node-less rods. I am currently doing a run of node-less rods now. I like the actions better and the straightness of the sticks can't be beat. I believe I am going to stay with nod-less rods from here on out. The glue for My rods is UHU endfast 300 that is heat set.

My Rod Building Background 

I get this question a lot. I wish I could tell you that some famous old rod making legend showed me all the secrets to building a bamboo fly rod. That isn't so. I learned to build bamboo fly rods by doing research and work. I have been at this for about eight years now and still strive to learn and improve on every rod. I have put many hours into bamboo rod making. It is a great passion of mine. I truly enjoy it. Making a useable tool from a pile of sticks, some metal tubing and cork rings is very rewarding. A functional piece of art that a person has put his own blood, sweat and tears into. It takes around 40 to 60 hours to build a bamboo fly rod from scratch. If I don't make the ferrules a little less.

If your are looking for a name or some sort of lineage that is linked to it, I am not your rod builder. Sorry to disappoint. What I am is honest and hard woking at something that I really love to do. If you don't like the rod I built for you then send it back. No worries at all. I stand behind the rods that I create and will fix any issues that you may have with the rod if they do arise.

The Price

I am a new rod builder. I have just started selling rods outside My local area within the last couple years. I would like to thank all the kind people that have taken a chance on a rod from a newer builder on the rod making scene. I have had great feedback and reviews on all rods that have been sent out to customers. Again Thanks.

My current prices for rods start at $600.00 for a single tip rod and $750.00 for a two tip rod. I think this is a very fair price. On the low end of the bamboo fly rod market. I want to get rods out there for people to fish and to get the word out there about My rods. I believe a more than fair price is the best way to do this. All rods include custom made bag by My wife Betty and a standard landmark aluminum tube.

I hope this helps to answer a lot of the general questions I get about My work.

I appreciate all those who have taken interest in My rods. 

I also don't mind answering any rod building questions sent My way. If i can help I will. If not maybe I can send you in the right direction. We all have to start somewhere. You do not have to act like prospective buyer to ask a rod building or supply question. I will still help out if I can.

I do not sell blanks at this time. Thanks to all those that have asked. If I decide to make some for sale they will be listed on the sell page.

About Emails

If I do not answer an email within a short period of time, I may not have seen it yet or am fishing or at work. I will get back to you. Please do not take offense. I spend two solid days a week and many nights in the shop. I am also part owner of our long time family business. This is the work that I refer to. I have a family. Building and selling rods does not or could not pay all the bills. For now any way. My dedication to rod building is just as important as anything and the days spent in the shop are real work to make a product that I and the new owner will be proud to have.

Thanks to all those interested. I hope that this does not sound like too much of a rant. Just want to make things a lot clearer.

Instagram

I do have an Instagram account that you can check out. It is in the top left corner. Just some rod photos, building, fishing etc.

A Favorite Picture of Mine From My Favorite Stream

Thanks for looking. All questions, comments, suggestions, etc. are welcome.

Rod #431604

Rod #431604

Here is rod #431604. It is a light and dark strip node-less 7'10" 2/2 for a Five weight line. This rod is hollow built in the butt section. The reel seat hardware and ferrules are both made in house. Reel seat timber is Norfolk Island Pine. Snake brand guides wrapped in Black Gossamer silks tipped in Orange.

I made this rod as a do it all five weight. One light tip and one heavier tip. The light tip is nice with a TT 5 weight line and the heavy tip casts a Peach DT 5 nicely. 

I took this rod out recently to fish the Sulphur hatch on a Central PA Limestone Stream. The rod performed great and I am very happy with the taper. I fished nymphs and streamers with the heavy tip and it handles both very well. The lighter tip was great for dry fly fishing later in the day. Although the rod is hollow built. I did not get too carried away with it being node-less. I know with the strong heat set glue that I can probably get it a bit lighter.

The rod balanced perfectly with a 1920's 3" St. George reel.

This will be my new go to Five weight taper.

This rod had a quick rubbing out of the varnish. Not a complete polish. Had to get it out on the water.

There are Three Four turn wraps at 12", 15" and 18"

New Grip Option

Shop Made Ferrules From Tube

Orange Agate

Orange Tipped Wraps

Norfolk Island Pine Timber

The Sulphur Hatch

Spent a day out in Central PA looking for some dry fly fishing over wild Brown Trout. The first stop was a very famous stream that is known to be moody at best. The weather was great which translates to bad fishing. Very sunny and not a lot of hatching during the early morning and afternoon. Still a great wild place to be. No risers early but that surely changed later in the day. I did some exploring and left for another famous spring creek in Central PA.

The Tunnel At Poe Paddy

The next spring creek was pretty much dead in the afternoon. As the day went on there were intermittent clouds that begin blocking the bright sun. This when things started to take off. Sulphurs started coming off and fish begin to rise. The conditions were excellent. The bugs started sporadically  at around 5:00 and built up from there. The topwater action lasted for hours and I got to give this new rod design a great work out. Nothing better than breaking in a new rod on a great hatch. I don't have many pictures of the day because the fishing was that good. One of the best Sulphur hatches I ever encountered. Bugs floating on the water everywhere with trout just carelessly eating them one after another. Not the usual half hour before dark spinner fall.

Beautiful Spring Creek Trout on Dry Flies

Thanks for looking. I will soon post a casting video of this rod.

Alternating light and dark strip node-less Five weight

Node-less Five Weight

Putting the no node hollow built five weight together. This rod has a nice fast action. It is node-less with alternating light and dark splices. This rod has blued shop made ferrules and will be wrapped in Black and Orange silks with an Orange matching agate stripping guide and a Norfolk Island Pine reel seat spacer with shop made hardware. The rod is hollow scalloped for weight reduction. I will post more on this rod when finished.

Short Video of the Hand Planing Process

The Grannoms

The Grannoms came and went. I was lucky enough to have a very pleasant day fishing them a couple of weeks ago. Not many pictures and not great quality either. Hey who wants to take pictures when you have great hatches and lots of eaters.

Brown Trout, Bamboo, Hatches, Limestone Trout and Bad Light for Photos

My Favorite Trout Stream

Thanks for looking.

Rod #421512

Rod #421512

Finally got one done for Myself. This is a 7'10" for a 3/4 Line. It is semi hollow built with truncated ferrules. House made reel seat hardware with straight Koa timber. This rod comes in at 3.1 oz. Not too bad. It cast a cortland Sylk WFF 4 pretty good. I have yet to cast other lines with it. I will make a casting video when I do. This is the third version of this rod. We'll see if its the one.

It is the rod with the winding check in the photos. Wrapped with My usual Black tipped Orange.

Four turn wraps to mark 12", 15", and 18"

Straight grained Koa. Plain but its for Me so....

Stripping guide wraps

The Node-less Rods

The blanks for the node-less rods are now glued up and ready to be cleaned up and fitted with components. The two tone rod will be a 2/2 7'10" Five Line and the other will be a 2/2 7'10" Seven Line. Both will be semi hollow scalloped.

Showing the alternating light and dark splices

Thanks for looking as always.