Bamboo Rods, Furled Leaders, Big Nymphs…McKenzie River Red Side Rainbows

It’s been a while since my last post.  Mary Ann and I hit the McKenzie River this past Sunday for some trout fishing.  Water levels were pretty high, but there were still fish to be found.  I fished a 7′ 6″ ,  5 wt bamboo rod, thread furled leaders by Cutthroat Leaders, and big stonefly nymphs.  Here is a sample:

Photos from the FFF Expo

Last week was the FFF NW Fly Tyers and Fly Fishing Expo. I had a booth there with my rods. Lots of Bamboo friends stopped by to chat. It was great to see Daryll Whitehead and Jeff Smith:

Daryll Whitehead and Jeff Smith - two great Oregon rod builders.

Al Buhr gave a casting demonstration with a BAMBOO rod…in only the way that Al could:

Al Buhr giving a casting demonstration

Al also joined Todd Somsel, Mack Brown, and Mary Ann (all Master-Level certified casting instructors) on the casting pond to discuss the positive aspects of bamboo rods:

Rod Wrapping Stand

After seeing my wrapping video, William (from Tennesee) ask me for a few more details on my rod wrapping stand. I built an oak support stand 36″ long and 12″ high that support the rod sections when I wrap guides. The center support can be moved laterally by loostening a wing nut and sliding the support to one side or another. This helps to accommodate the cork/grip on a butt section or to give additional support near the tip-tops on tip sections.

I put groves into the upright supports that can hold two rod pieces and covered them with painter’s tape to prevent any scratching of the bamboo. I hand wrap everything using just a Dr. Slick Bobbin to hold the thread, holding the bobbin in my left hand and turning the rod with my right hand. I wrap all rods with Pearsalls Gossimer silk thread.

When wrapping a guide, my typical wrapping process is to wrap 6 times, then pack the thread with a plastic packing tool (used for modeling clay) that I bought at a crafts store for less than $1, then repeat.  It’s the yellow tool you see in the pictures above.  The video pretty much shows it all.

Fishing Bamboo Fly Rods on the McKenzie River

Mary Ann and I hit the McKenzie River a few days ago. It was really great to get the drift boat out on the river again. We had a wonderful sunny day…not always the best for trout fishing. We didn’t see a single adult bug all day so we drifted nymphs under indicators. I took out a 7 1/2′ 5 wt rod that worked well in the drift boat. We didn’t have a tremendous amount of action, but we did wake up a few fish. Here is a taste of our day:

NorthWest Fly Fishing and Tying Expo

The Oregon Council of the Federation of Fly Fishers is having their 2012 NW Fly Fishing and Tying Expo next month in Albany, Oregon. It will be a great show, with classes, tyers, demonstrations and vendors. This year, we’ll have 5 bamboo rod builders including me with tables/booths at the show. I’ll also be teaching a class in EuroNymphing Techniques. Plan on stopping by if you’re in the area on March 9th, and 10th. You can find more info about the Expo on their WEB site at: www.nwexpo.com.

Furled Leaders for Bamboo Fly Rods from Cuttroat Leaders

I’ve been so excited about matching thread furled leaders with bamboo fly rods. They have an amazing feel, turn flies over extremely well, and are an incredible match with bamboo. Michael Morin at Cutthroat Leaders offers some really great furled leaders. After watching his video, it’s hard to not try them:

Making wood reel seats for bamboo fly rods

I make all my own reel seat inserts for my bamboo fly rods. You don’t need an expensive lathe, I just use an old craftsman lathe. But, if you’re going to put a mortise on your reel seat, I’ve found that you need a good router table. The precision of the mortise cut is very important or you’ll ruin the insert. I make my cut on a Rockler Router Table with a convex edging bit, sometimes called a finger nail bit (http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=5713). After final sanding, I put two coats of shellac, followed by 8 coats of a high quality tung oil finish, and then a couple of coats of wax. Here a little video of my building process..I hope you enjoy it:

Western Idaho Fly Fishing Expo

We had a great time at the Western Idaho Fly Fishing Expo in Boise last weekend. The Boise crowd was incredibly friendly and made Mary Ann and feel right at home. I had a booth at the show, and I had a lot of great conversations with “bamboo enthusiasts”. Mary Ann gave a few casting and fly fishing classes and I did an impromptu “Building Bamboo Fly Rods” class when the scheduled presenter was unable to attend.

I had the chance to try out furled leaders from Michael Morin at Cutthroat Leaders. Michael’s leaders are a fantastic addition to a bamboo fly rod. I found they roll out very smoothly and are great for delicate presentations on just about any action bamboo rod. I’ll be adding them to all my bamboo rods in the future. I encourage you to check out Michael’s WEB Page at www.cutthroatleader.com.

One very exciting outcome of the show is that I was requested to design and build a Switch Rod in bamboo. The client is interested in casting streamers and skating dry flies for large Idaho trout and wants to do so with a light switch rod. I’ll be designing this rod at 10 1/2 to 11 feet in length, and a 5/6 wt action. I’m currently researching several different tapers to identify the right action for this style of fishing…should be very exciting!

Western Idaho Fly Fishing Expo.

We’re heading out to Boise, Idaho this Thursday for the Western Idaho Fly Fishing Expo on January 13th and 14th. Check out the Show’s WEB site at: www.bvffexpo.com/ . I’ll have a booth there with several of my bamboo rods to cast and Mary Ann will be teaching casting classes. There is also a great program with some of the top fly fishing experts in the West. If you’re in the area, I encourage you to stop by the show and check things out.

Hand wrapping guides on bamboo fly rods

Here is a little video showing how I hand wrap guides on my bamboo fly rods. I don’t use a standard rod wrapper with a tensioner. Instead, I hand wrap using a fly tying bobbin to hold the thread. I use Pearsall’s Gossimer 6/0 Silk Thread on all my rods. Going slow and packing thread frequently is the key to getting great wraps. I spend about 30 to 40 minutes on each guide. So, I’ve sped up the video in the middle to shorten it up. Enjoy!

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  • Dave Dozer

  • Custom Bamboo Fly Rods – Designed and crafted in Corvallis, Oregon