I build beautiful, high-performance bamboo fly rods… for fishermen

I hollowbuild all my bamboo fly rods. This technique was first developed on the West Coast by E.C. Powell and Winston’s Lew Stoner. They wanted to build the bamboo rods capable of handling wind, big rivers, and big fish — yet still be light enough to fish all day.

Today — more than 70 years after hollowbuilt fly rods were developed, I am one of a small handful of builders who are refining and improving these techniques — and producing some of the best-casting, best-fishing bamboo fly rods ever made.

My techniques are descended directly from those developed by legendary builder James Reams, one of the best builders working in the craft today.

Internal Tapering for maximum performance…

Unlike some builders, who simply remove a set amount of interior “pith” from their bamboo blanks, I also alter the rod’s internal taper (as well as the easy-to-measure external taper) for maximum performance.

It means embarking on a time-consuming process of building, fishing, changing tapers when I’m developing a rod, but it also results in a rod that performs better.

Cast one. You’ll be surprised.

Each rod is painstakingly crafted by me from a hand-selected culm of bamboo to exacting tolerances.

Each represents more than 50 hours of labor, each is hand-wrapped, and each is varnished with Epiphanes Spar Varnish in a climate-controlled, negative-pressure “clean room” which results in a glass-like finish.

Imported from Holland, Epiphanes is a high-solids spar varnish with greater UV inhibitors that not only coats a blank beautifully, but it goes on wraps like glass.

All my rod sections are glued with traditional urea formaldehyde resin glues – adhesives that have withstood the worst fly fishermen have to offer. There are no short-cuts to quality.

My Strong, capable four-sided Quadrods

My quads are based on tapers I developed myself through extensive field testing. Quads use a boxlike, four-strip construction that results in a rod that tracks dead straight while casting.

They also hollow build very aggressively — the shallow strip angles allow me to take more non-performing pithy material out of the center of the rod while still maintaining the same glue area.

They’re powerful, smooth casters. My favorite rods.

8′6″ 5/6wt 2/2 “Lux”
A wonderful, full flexing rod capable of amazing accuracy at extreme distance.  Whether you’re trying to put a size 16 PMD all the way across the Deschutes, or you need that extra distance for the easily-spooked fish at the Ranch, this quadrate is the ticket. The rod is smooth, and powerful with a delicate tip. An outstanding fly fishing tool. $1795

8′3″ 5wt 2/2 “The Quad Rod”
My best-seller, this might just be the ideal all-around Western rod. This is also the rod I fish year-round on the Upper Sacramento. Whether presenting a #22 BWO in the winter or a #6 Hopper in the summer, the Quad Rod offers exceptional power but with a tip light enough to preserve the delicacy bamboo is famous for — and all this in an aggressively hollowed rod that feels very light in the hand. $1795

7′9″ 5wt 2/2 “Quad Rod Jr.”
A good choice choice whenever a longer rod is not required — and 7′9″ is the favorite length of many bamboo users. A very smooth, progressive action combined with a light tip makes this rod a great choice for fishing under low canopies. Like all quads, it tracks beautifully during the cast.  This rod is appointed with the Reams full wells grip, deluxe uplocking slide band reel seat, blackened nickel silver hardware, and pale yellow wraps. A stunning rod. $1795

7′3″ 4wt 2/2 “Baby Quad”
A very smooth, delightful, four-sided alternative to a short hex rod. Reminicent of the wonderful shorter Payne tapers, but in the quadrate iteration.  Gold tone bamboo, blackened nickel silver hardware, with tapered cigar grip.  Downlocking slide band reel seat. A distinctive rod for smaller streams and smaller prey. $1795

My Smooth, Responsive Hollow-Built Hex Tapers

Six strip rods — “hexes” — are the most common bamboo fly rod design. Tested, classic tapers abound, and these rods hollow build quite nicely, though not as aggressively as the quad (four strip) design. Most of my hex rods have their roots in the best of the “classic” tapers, though I’ve modified them for hollow building.

8′3” 5wt 2/2 “Simplicity”
This is staggered ferrule rod is the bamboo connoisseur’s rod; an absolute delight to cast and fish. Its secret? The lower ferrule has been placed below the midpoint of the rod, which smooths and optimizes the rod’s action. As a result, the tip is slightly longer than the butt, strategically placing the nickel silver ferrule at a point on the rod that lightens its feel in the hand and doesn’t impede rod action.

It’s one of the smoothest casting rods you will handle. It’s the result of a truly empirical quest; a wonderful blend of high performance and delicate presentation. Those who enjoy the intellectual pursuit of trout will appreciate this rod as one of the best trout hunting tools they have cast. As with all of my rods, this is hollowbuilt in both butt and tip. It features a short ferrule, (described by some builders as a “micro ferrule”) which decreases the weight as well as minimizes the interruption of the rod’s flex. $1595

Chris:

I am closing up my place on the AuSable this weekend. It has been an interesting season. We have had frost every month this summer. Very cool and I mean that literally and figuratively. I just want to say one of the highlights of the season is receiving and using your rod. A number of my bamboo friends have also used it and it has garnered rave reviews on all occasions. The looks are impressive, but the way it handles a line, point and shoot, and working fish is everything one could ask for.

I hope our paths cross again in the near future.
C. H.
Ann Arbor, Michigan

7′ 4wt 2/2 “Antelope Creek” Based on the legendary Paul Young Midge (lengthened slightly, and modified to accommodate my hollow building process, making this taper even more of a joy), this might be the perfect small stream rod. Extremely delicate, it’s lively and fun to fish. Stalking small brookies with this surprisingly versatile taper in the shadow of Mt. Shasta (or your home water) is an act of joy. A smaller cigar grip with a small Struble nickel silver uplock reel seat complement the feel and action of this rod. $1595

7.5′ 5wt 2/2 “The 90DF” This is a quick, crisp dry fly rod with a slightly swelled butt — great for throwing tight loops under overhanging branches or dries at fussy, rising fish. An extremely lively taper – made more so by hollow building. It’s also a great rod for graphite fishers who want to divide their time between longer graphite rods and short, lively cane. If you fish a 905 graphite rod, and are looking to step up into a fine bamboo rod, this is a great choice. $1595

8′ 5wt 2/2 “The Upper Sac Special” Developed to fish Northern California’s blue-ribbon freestoners, this rod is a solid performer. Very light in the hand, this smooth-casting, medium-action taper is very reminiscent of the legendary Granger 8040, but livelier and lighter. Perhaps my best all-around hex taper, this is a great rod for dry flies, pocket water, and everyday use. Gold tone bamboo, pale yellow wraps and blackened hardware. $1595

8′ 3″ 4wt 2/2 “The Spring Creek Special” The only way to build an effective long 4wt is to hollow it. This taper feels authoritative in the hand yet presents a fly with amazing delicacy; never soft or weak. Ideal for spring creeks, but is fine with wind and big fish. If tough trout in tough lies are your fly fishing challenge, this rod is for you. Whether on Hat Creek at dusk or Silver Creek in the morning, this rod is the answer when anything but a delicate presentation sends trout running for cover! Another best seller and a new classic in the making. $1595

8′6″ 7wt 2/2 “Big Dog Special” Though most believe that longer, stronger bamboo rods are too heavy to fish, this wonderful 7wt showcases the advantages of hollow building; the rod is surprisingly light, lively and agile — yet retains the strength to really put the wood to big fish. Ideal for stoneflies, summer run steelhead, big trout, lakes, etc. Some of the best water in the world is located in southern Oregon. The put-in for the river that inspired this rod is 121 miles from the front door of this shop. A full wells grip with uplocking Struble anodized aluminum reel seat is featured on this rod. Gold tone bamboo with pale yellow wraps and blackened ferrules. $1695

Travel Rods

The convenience of 3 piece travel rods can’t be disputed – wondering how your favorite stick is faring in the cargo hold makes for a jittery start for your flight, and hiking through brush or on overnight trips is easier with a shorter rod profile. I offer the following rods for just those situations.

8′ 3″ 4wt 3/2 “The Spring Creek Special” This rod translates well to a 3-piece format. The strong feel and fine tip make this a rod that can be fished from Ketchum to Manchester. A beautiful rod with the Reams full wells grip and deluxe uplocking real seat. Comes with the standard aluminum tube with brass caps as well as the currently airline-approved cordura case. This is a gold tone rod with pale yellow wraps. Blackened nickel silver hardware. $1695

7.5′ 5wt 3/2 “Riffle Water” The go-to rod for backpacking, quick weekend trips, or whenever you might find yourself with a few minutes in hand, and a stream nearby. As with all of my rods, the Riffle’s hollowbuilt, and because of its shorter length, it features a tapered cigar grip and downlock slideband reel seat. The cane is gold tone, with beautiful pale yellow wraps. Comes with traditional brass capped aluminum tube as well as airline-approved cordura case. $1695

8′6″ 7wt 3/2 “CC Deluxe” My hollowbuilt rendition of the classic Payne Canadian Canoe taper. This is a marvelous, straightforward rod that has no surprises…unless you’re not used to picking up 50 feet of fly line and delivering the bug 70 feet away with just one backcast. It’s light enough that you can fish it all day from a fast-moving drift boat, yet strong enough to control big fish. A great performer, especially with the long-belly Salmon-steelhead floating lines. Comes with two cases. Gold tone cane, blackened nickel silver ferrules and an aluminum black anodized Struble uplocking reel seat. $1795