Fishing the Frying Pan River in Colorado – Bill and Dave’s Excellent Adventure!

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I got to spend a week in Colorado with my great friend and fishing buddy, Bill, in June. Even though water levels had ramped up to 30 year highs on the Frying Pan River, we still were able to find some very nice Rainbows and Browns. With the high waters, there really wasn’t much opportunity to fish to rising fish…small nymphs were the ticket. I fished one of my 8′ 0″ 6 wt bamboo fly rods…and Bill fished graphite…ugh! Mysis Shrimp near the dam worked very well, and small #22 midge and BWO nymphs and emergers worked very well lower down on the river. Here are a few photos of our trip.

Getting primed to fish the Frying Pan our first evening.
Getting primed to fish the Frying Pan our first evening.
Taking a lunchtime break.
Taking a lunchtime break.
A nice rainbow for Bill.
A nice rainbow for Bill.
A big brown that took a mysis shrimp pattern.
A big brown that took a mysis shrimp pattern.
Another nice fish comes to the net for Bill.
Another nice fish comes to the net for Bill.
A beautiful rainbow for me.
A beautiful rainbow for me.
A fantastic rainbow for Bill.
A fantastic rainbow for Bill.

Another bamboo rod building class is completed

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It was busy in the workshop last week as I was conducting my bamboo fly rod building class for two great guys (Mark and Jeff) who came up here from Davis, California. First we got them on the Fall River to test out some bamboo rods to figure out what taper they each wanted. Funny…they each like the same rod, my 7′ 6″ 5 wt Progressive Action Signature Series Rod…so that is what they each built. We spent 7 days going through the bamboo rod building process. They each had strong woodworking backgrounds so they took to the rod building process well. Their rods came out great, and they are now back in California completing the final finishing steps on their rods. Here are a few pictures of our week:

Testing out bamboo fly rods on the Fall River.
A nice catch on bamboo.
Mark is splitting strips for his rod.
Mark and Jeff tag-teaming it on the beveller.
Jeff working hard on his hand planing of thin strips for his tip sections.
All glued up and checking for straightness.
Shaping the cork grip.
Proud and happy students with their bamboo fly rods.

Another Bamboo Trout Net…

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I just finished another Bamboo Trout Net this week. This one is headed to my good friend and fishing buddy, Dale, who lives in Idaho. Dale is one of the best lake anglers I know, and since he does a lot of float tubing, he choose one of my 32″ Float Tube Nets. I know he’ll be very happy with this net.

A very nice 32″ Bamboo Float Tube Trout Net.
Nice Bamboo Grain.
Beautiful View of the Bamboo Fibers.

Another Customer’s Comments…

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Our good friend, Carol Morris, is now the proud owner of one of my 10′ 6″ Bamboo Trout Spey Rods. And, She has already had it on the water, tempting some nice rainbows on the Crooked River this week. Not only do Carol and her husband, Skip, write some fantastic books on fly fishing and fly patterns, Carol is also a fantastic artist. You can check out her work on her ETSY page at: www.etsy.com/search?q=carol%20ann%20morris.

Here are a few of Carol’s comments about her new rod: I’m still reeling (lol), from an awesome day on the river yesterday casting my new rod. I got home a couple hours ago, and Skip and I have been pouring over this beauty, looking at all the amazing details and stunning craftsmanship. I’ve already had some unforgettable memories with it in hand…thanks very much, both of you, for your hospitality, and the time you guys spent in getting me educated on spey casting with bamboo! I had a great time. I’ve never held a rod I’ve felt so connected to before…it is an amazing feeling, and I’m over-the-moon happy to own this beautiful rod…🎣🎣🎣♥️😍

Here is Carol in my shop this week picking up her new rod:

A happy bamboo rod owner.

My Recent Rod Building Student’s Experiences

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I recently completed one of my bamboo fly rod building classes with a local Bend resident, Joe. He chose to build a very nice 7′ 6″ medium progressive action 5 wt rod. Joe was quite meticulous in his building efforts, and his new rod came out great. He paired his new rod with a Hardy-built Orvis CFO reel…pretty sweet.

Joe’s new bamboo fly rod

Joe got the chance to take out his new bamboo rod a few days ago on the Middle Deschutes River. Here are his great comments about his experience: “And there I was, catching a nice 14 inch rainbow at Steelhead Falls on a bamboo rod that I made, with great tutoring, and a fly that I tied. Great fun. Man, that rod flexes down to the cork. VERY COOL. Thanks a bunch, Dave! That’s about as good as it gets.”