I’ve been working with Olivia Elia for over 4 years now mentoring her in the art of building bamboo fly rods, and she is now building some incredible bamboo fly rods. She is also a talented Luthier building custom acoustic guitars and a musician. FlyFish Journal Magazine recently showcased her in an article in their magazine. And…now they have come out with a wonderful short video about Olivia…and there are a few shots of me also! You can check out the video at: SOMETHING OUT OF NOTHING: Handmade Guitars and Bamboo Fly Rods crafted by Olivia Elia.
Tag Archives: buildling bamboo rods
I’m now offering Custom Bamboo Wading Staffs
For the past few years, I’ve been working at designing and building Custom Bamboo Wading Staffs, and I’m excited to announce that I’m now offering them to customers. I build these Wading Staffs from the same Select Tonkin Bamboo that I build my fly rods with…they aren’t made from engineered bamboo flooring material. I offer these Staffs in lengths from 48″ to 52″, and build them with a custom Cork grip, an English Walnut end cap, and Pearsalls Cardinal Silk wrapping thread. I also include a retractor from Gear Keeper. The cost for these Bamboo Wading Staffs is $600.
Custom Bamboo Wading Staff
Custom Bamboo Wading Staff
Bamboo Fly Rod Fishing in Colorado
I just got back from 10 days of fishing with my best fishing buddy, Bill, who lives in Fort Collins, Colorado. Had a fantastic time, and Bill did a great job playing the role of a “local guide” for me on his home waters. We fished the Big Thompson River, the Pouder River, and the middle Fork of the South Platte River. Most of the time I fished my 7′ 9″ 4 wt Signature Series bamboo or my 8′ 0″ 6 wt Fast Action Series bamboo. We caught fish on Trico Mayflies, BWO Comparaduns, Ants, and Hoppers. Here are a few random photos from our trip.
Bill and Dave’s Excellent Colorado Fishing Trip.
Nice little brown from the Big Thompson River.
Rainbow from the Pouder River.
A rare Green Back Cutthroat from the Pouder River.
The Poudre River.
Fishing the middle Fork of the South Platte River.
A big rainbow that took a #24 Trico Mayfly.
A new Series of bamboo fly rods.
For the past 1 1/2 years I have been working at developing a new series of bamboo fly rods…a Fast Action Series. I’ve designed these rods with a fast action for windy conditions, casting especially large flies, or for those anglers who just like fast action rods. They also do great with smaller flies as well. I’m pleased to now offer these rods to my clients as another option and offer them in 4 wt, 5wt, 6 wt, and 7 wt, configurations. I build these rods with Custom Rosewood reel seats with engraved hardware, and dark claret, straw, and black thread wraps.
5 wt Fast Action Series
5 wt Fast Action Series #2
5 wt Fast Action Series #3
5 wt Fast Action Series #4
Getting Out Fishing Today With Our Bamboo Rods!
I was able to get out fly fishing today with my good friend, Joe, on Whychus Creek, the small creek in the canyon below my house. Whychus creek is one of my favorite spots here in Central Oregon…beautiful water and no other anglers around. I took out my 6′ 8″ 3 wt. Fast Action Series Bamboo Rod and Joe took out his 7′ 0″ 4 wt bamboo rod he built with me in my workshop. After a bug sampling that showed a lot of stonefly nymphs, I started with a #10 black rubber legged black stonefly nymph. Joe started with a #16 Tan X-Caddis pattern. We both were successful and caught several nice rainbows. After an hour, I wanted some dry fly action so I changed over to a #12 Yellow Stimulator pattern…Joe stayed with his X-Caddis. For the next 2 hours, we both raised a lot of feisty native rainbows, and by the end of the day, we each caught about 15 fish. What a fun day with our bamboo rods on one of our small creeks here.
A Big, Black Stonefly Nymph
6′ 8 3 wt rod
Joe with a great Bow And Arrow cast.
One of the beautiful native rainbows we caught.