# wooden fly rods



## willg180 (Mar 7, 2011)

I was thinking about attempting a fly rod build. I figured, if I can tie my own flies, I can build my own rod right? So what do y'all think would be the sturdiest and springiest wood that would best serve the purpose of a fly rod and how should I treat it?


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## firemedic (Dec 26, 2010)

It's traditionally been split bamboo. I tie my own flies as well and looked into rod building some time ago but never actually did it. If you google it you'll find plenty of info.

Good luck

~tom. ...GEAUX TIGERS!... ...GEAUX SAINTS!......


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## willg180 (Mar 7, 2011)

I... just looked at the process... and wow. I mean... WOW. besides the incredible care and time it takes, which isnt an issue, the equipment required is astounding! ... and i have none of it. do you think it is feasible to do this without all that? maybe even hand tools? Because there had to be a way to do this back in the day when this equipment was not available right?


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## firemedic (Dec 26, 2010)

Once again, google it. I'm sure you can figure something out.

~tom. ...GEAUX TIGERS!... ...GEAUX SAINTS!......


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## Hammer1 (Aug 1, 2010)

Building a bamboo fly rod is quite involved but it's primarily done with hand tools, a block plane and a scraper. The hard part is that a rod is a long tapered hexagon. Six pieces of cane that have been split out of a stalk of cane, straightened and shaped, then wrapped together. All the pieces have to fit nice and tight as well as provide the proper taper for the rod action. It's a heck of a lot more work than tying a fly.

The most important and expensive tool involved is the tapered jig that is used to plane the pieces to size. The materials you need aren't cheap either. A good way to make a real Tonkin cane fly rod is to take a class. Many rod building classes around the country but average cost is $800 not including the materials. Some classes take an entire week, that may mean motel, food and travel expenses, too. You could easily be looking at $2000 or more.
http://www.thomaspenrose.com/bamboo.htm 

Depending on your wallet and interest, you might consider restoring an older rod as a place to start. There is a $50 Kingfisher on this site. http://www.thomasrodco.com/?area=vintage_rods_reels. Obviously, your rod and it's weight will be determined by the type of water you fish as well as the size and type of fish. You probably don't want a 4 weight in the surf looking for stripers in the 5 to 30 pound class.


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## Mose (Dec 7, 2010)

I looked into the bamboo rod building option once a long time ago and was overwhelmed with what it was going to take to maybe accomplish the task. No wonder they charge so much for a nice bamboo rod. 

I ended up building some graphite rods which was very fulfilling. At the time I didn't have the woodworking hobby I have now. I would think that if you wanted to wrap a graphite rod you could turn your own reel seat and build a nice set up to wrap your rod. It's still fun to fish a rod you built even if not bamboo. Maybe add a sweet wood case etc...

Best fish I ever caught was on a rod I built and a fly I completely made up... rainbow trout... about 3in long...weighed about 2oz... that was the fish not the fly. I didn't say he was big, just good. 

Good luck


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## Dierte (May 26, 2011)

My dad just started making graphite rods. I inquired about a bamboo rod and he just laughed at me. The graphite rod seems very time consuming. I couldnt imagine building a bamboo one.


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## psherburne (Mar 12, 2012)

*Fly Rods - suggestions on where to start*

Unlike most of the folks on the thread that are experienced with woodworking and discussing moving into fly rod building - I am starting at the other end. I have built a bunch of fly rods but am just moving into woodworking. a couple of suggestions.

1) start by building one on a fiber glass or in expensive graphite blank. TFO makes decent, inexpensive blanks. There are some decent books on how to do this. But it is time intensive even starting with a manufactured blank. 
2) use decent components - there are real expensive ones, but you don't need that for a basic fly rod (especially the first one). Although the name is goofy the place I find best for online components is mudhole.com. (by components I mean blanks, reel seats, winding check, guides, tip tops, threads, etc, etc).
3) if you decide to build an "wooden one" there is ONLY one material to use - bamboo - which has been discussed elsewhere on this thread


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## lightningmike (Jan 18, 2014)

Hello I am new to this forum, but I was flipping by and noticed someone talking about wood fly rods. This is something I haved worked with for some years, and it is not as hard as some people think. I have been fly fishing for about 50 years and used all types of rods. But when I started using wood rods that I made myself it was a whole new game. Nothing compares! Not grafite , OR bamboo! I can make a very nice rod in a weekend , complete with cork handle and guides. I also make wood reels to go with the rods. I use different woods like hickory, poplar, and red oak. red oak makes a very very nice rod. If anyone is interested I can go on about this.


Mike


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## fyshy (Mar 31, 2017)

Mike,
Please pm me regarding wood fly rods. Thank you.
Neal


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## m.n.j.chell (May 12, 2016)

Another fly tier here ... but not really interested in building my own rod ... takes up too much bench space, and I don't have that much to begin with.

BUT ... I also do wood working, and I want to see some photos of wood fly rods, please, LightningMike. It's always been my understanding that nothing but bamboo would hold up to use as a fly rod. I'm really interested in the woods you mentioned!

I do agree with psherburne ... build a rod with a purchased blank first. Jumping into making a bamboo blank, then finding out you don't actually enjoy wrapping a rod would be anti-climatic. It would also be a let down to get a beautiful blank built only to ruin it with sub-par wrappings, grips and seats.


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## Pineknot_86 (Feb 19, 2016)

I built custom rods for eight years. Yes, you can build some nice rods with turning your own grips and reel seats. It is not that complicated. The easiest, to me, are fly rods. Put the reel seat on the end and then the grip, measure for the guides, wrap and coat with epoxy. It has to be rod building epoxy- not any of the shelf epoxy will work as it isn't as flexible. I looked into bamboo rods but the outlay of planes, forms, wrapping machine, etc. was in the neighborhood of $2K.
Spinning and casting rods are a different breed as you have to place the reel seat in just the right place.
Go to www.mudhole.com for all your needs. You can even get a video with your first order. They also offer classes around the country.
Also, go to www.rodbuildingforum.com for some great looking rods and a great bunch of folks. They deal with all aspects of building including a section on bamboo.
Dierte, I could build a basic fly rod in about 8 hours- start to finish. It was more when I used a light epoxy on the wraps and had to wait for it to set for about 8 hours and then apply the second coat. Then wait another 8 hours for that to set. BTW, you have to have some way to slowly turn the rod so the epoxy is even and won't run. RBF will have all that.
Old fly rods were made mainly of bamboo and still are. Tonkin bamboo is the best quality for rods. The culm of bamboo is split into six pieces and then tapered on the form with a hand plane. There is a quad blank that is only four strips. I have read that alder, hickory and some other woods were also used in days gone by.


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## Kerrys (May 2, 2016)

Wood was a common material used for fishing rods a few hundred or even thousand years ago. Here is a good read on the history of the "rod"; http://www.fishingmuseum.org.uk/rods_overview.html


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## Sethmose (Dec 30, 2021)

lightningmike said:


> Hello I am new to this forum, but I was flipping by and noticed someone talking about wood fly rods. This is something I haved worked with for some years, and it is not as hard as some people think. I have been fly fishing for about 50 years and used all types of rods. But when I started using wood rods that I made myself it was a whole new game. Nothing compares! Not grafite , OR bamboo! I can make a very nice rod in a weekend , complete with cork handle and guides. I also make wood reels to go with the rods. I use different woods like hickory, poplar, and red oak. red oak makes a very very nice rod. If anyone is interested I can go on about this.
> 
> 
> Mike


Hi Mike,
My name is Seth, an avid woodworker and lover of all things fishing. Being from eastern Canada our fly fish season is over until the spring. I’ve been diving into possibly making my own rod but am not keen on importing bamboo.

I noticed that you mention in this thread that you’ve had great success with red oak (which conveniently is very available to me). I was wondering if you could share some of your knowledge with me about how to achieve a good rod. I’m looking for a short 6.5’ to 7’ 3wt brook rod and a 9’ 4 wt rod. Any recommendations as afar as lamination count and tapers?

sorry to bombard you with these questions, I hope these find you well.

Hope to talk soon!


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## Tom-G (Nov 11, 2012)

You might not get a response as the last time lighteningmike was active on the forum was 2014.


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## John Smith_inFL (Jul 4, 2018)

welcome to the forum, Seth - have you checked into any of the Fly Fishing Forums ?
I bet they would have a lot of people there that make their own rods.
this thread is almost 10 years old.


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## Sethmose (Dec 30, 2021)

John Smith_inFL said:


> welcome to the forum, Seth - have you checked into any of the Fly Fishing Forums ?
> I bet they would have a lot of people there that make their own rods.
> this thread is almost 10 years old.


 Knew it would be a shot in the dark but I figured I may as well try! I will check some of the other FF forums to further my research!


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## Tom-G (Nov 11, 2012)

Seth,

Everything you need to know about building a bamboo fly rod in a home shop is covered in this book:









A Master's Guide to Building a Bamboo Fly Rod


Learn the science and art of creating a one-of-a-kind bamboo fly rod.Fly fishing has a long and storied history. While many flyfishermen will find ...




www.simonandschuster.com





It is out of print and the prices on used copies are running $100+. Some places are offer used versions of this book for over $1000! However it is available as an ebook for about $35 on Amazon. There have been a few versions of it published. I read the original version 30+ years ago and used it as a guide to restoring a bamboo fly rod. 

If I recall correctly, Mr. Garrison was a retired engineer and built may bamboo flyrods in his home shop over the years. Those rods come up on the used market from time to time and run $4,000 - $10,000.


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