Tag Archives: bamboo switch rod

New Switch Rod

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I’ve just added a new light Switch Rod to my set of Bamboo Fly Rods that I build and offer for sale.  This one is a 10′  6″ – 3 piece/2 tip – 5 wt rod.  I had a great time designing the progressive taper and the cork grip section…got some great help from Chet and Bill at Bellingers with some design ideas and some custom machined reel seat hardware.  This rod casts a light line amazingly well.

This rod went to Paul from Idaho. Here is a short little video of Paul trying out his new Switch Rod. By the way…very nice casting stroke, Paul!

Western Idaho Fly Fishing Expo

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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!