Welcome to Bamboo Rod Works
Bamboo Rods are our passion! We created Bamboo Rod Works to help bamboo rod owners care for their rods. Our services include bamboo rod Restoration & Repair, Identification & History of vintage rods, & Purchase & Sale of vintage bamboo rods. Whether it's a loose ferrule, missing guides, or a complete restoration, we will take care of your needs.
***New: Bamboo Rod List *** 1-25
***We are excited to publish our Bamboo Rod List of high quality original & restored bamboo rods & vintage reels for sale. Please check Bamboo Rod List page to peruse rods. All rods are fully guaranteed. New rods & reels will be added weekly. ***
*Preview: New Restorations - EW Edwards & Gene Edwards Fly Rods 3-25
Three historic Edwards family fly rods: Top, EW Edwards DeLuxe, Abbie & Imbrie, 8-1/2 ft; Middle, Gene Edwards Deluxe, 8-1/2 ft; Bottom, Gene Edwards Deluxe, 8 ft. Note variation in size & design of slide bands
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*See 'Recent Restorations' page for more photographs, restoration details, & test casting...
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*Preview: New Restoration - LL Schauer Fly Rod 3-25
L.L. Schauer fly rod, 8 ft, 3/2, 1930's-1940's, from Stroudsburg, PA.
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*See 'Recent Restorations' page for rod details, rodmaker history, & more photographs...
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**New: FE Thomas Tip Scarf....
1913 - FE Thomas 'Special' fly rod, 9 ft, 3/2 12-24
FE Thomas rods were made over many years, beginning in 1890 by Fred Thomas, & later after Fred's death in 1938, by son Leon Thomas in their historic Maine workshop. Of very high quality these rods often age well, and can be used as fine fishing instruments today.
In the fall we received an historic Thomas rod from 1913, complete w/ full intermediate wraps. It is a fine lightweight 9 footer, taking a 5 wt line. Over the years one tip section suffered a break, & was now 5 inches short. Its owner requested a tip scarf to bring the rod back to full length in both tips.
In the fall we received an historic Thomas rod from 1913, complete w/ full intermediate wraps. It is a fine lightweight 9 footer, taking a 5 wt line. Over the years one tip section suffered a break, & was now 5 inches short. Its owner requested a tip scarf to bring the rod back to full length in both tips.
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Tips were very fine diameter, & scarf required moving the joint down the tip section to cane w/ large enough cross section for a strong joint.
**Please see 'Current Repairs' page for more photographs & full discussion of planning & execution of the scarf. |
Three guides & 17 intermediate wraps were removed to allow the short tip section to fit into the scarfing form.
Pictured are both sides of the finely tapered 4-1/4 in joint, ready for glue up.
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**New: South Bend Restoration....
1952 - South Bend fly rod, model 59, 9 ft, 3/1 12-24
While Payne & Edwards rods create much excitement, this fall a 'workhorse' bamboo rod caught our attention: a South Bend model 59, made in 1952, & given to the customer's father by his wife as a wedding gift. His father used it for a lifetime of trout fishing...
Original rod's heat treated cane glows w/ dark patina, w/ original decal largely intact. Cane of added tip section (below) is much lighter & from a different period of manufacture.
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Examining the rod, I was struck by the cane's rich caramel patina, marks of long use, & sturdiness of construction - which gave its owner 50+ years of service.
Asked to put the rod back into 'good condition', I felt it was important to respect its history, & to preserve the marks (& wounds) from years of use. The cane was cleaned & old varnish healed & polished, but not overcoated. Wraps were replaced w/ matching b&w jasper silk, & original guides were polished & reused where possible. One loose ferrule was reset, & fit of both female ferrules was adjusted. |
Longstanding sets were removed, & following customer's instructions, a new cork grip was built in the full wells style of the original rod. Lastly, a 'new' 2nd tip section was added to the rod, from a similar SB model w/identical tip taper. Though both rods were labeled model '59', tip ferrules were very small, & tip dimensions surprisingly fine.
Shipped off just before the New Year, the rod will fished by its owner, then passed on to his son & grandson as a family legacy... MF
Shipped off just before the New Year, the rod will fished by its owner, then passed on to his son & grandson as a family legacy... MF
**New: Payne Restorations ....
Last winter we were deep in Granger's, & late spring brought several Payne fly rods to our shop. This is always a big event here, followed quickly by a search for proper Payne winding silk! The B-C 5115 'java brown' is our standby, followed by several others as stand-ins when needed.
1963 - Payne 204 fly rod, 8-1/2 ft, 3/1 6-24
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An email arrived 'out of the blue' from Zambia in southern Africa, describing a Payne rod that had been in the family for many years. It was a gift to her father from her mother in 1963, when Jim Payne custom made the one tip 8-1/2 ft rod & inscribed it as a Christmas gift.
Now in the hands of his daughter, it had withstood decades of African heat, & though the varnish was dark, its overall condition remained surprisingly fine; the silk wraps, however, were weak & would need to be replaced. |
AFTER - Payne model 204 custom built by Jim Payne for owner's father in 1963, a Christmas gift to him from her mother. Inscribed & dated on special request (probably in the Payne shop). Guide wraps are Payne brown tipped w/ purple.
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It would be a week or two before the rod could be taken into town & shipped out. Could it be finished in time for a planned Montana fishing trip in July? - Yes!
Email notification of shipment followed, & 2 days later I startled to a noise outside the front door. Investigation found a FEDEX driver laying the rod tube on the porch! Wow! More photos & text to come...
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AFTER - Cork grip was left original as tribute to Littleford, who had used the rod for 40 years on African waters. Note original ferrule plugs and hang tang affixed to rod bag. W/C & male ferrule wraps are tipped purple, yellow, claret.
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1930's -1940's Payne salmon fly rod, 10 ft, 3/2/2 7-24
The following week another Payne arrived, this time a 10 ft salmon fly rod from Maine w/ two identical mid's, two tips & extension butt, sold by A&F. This was a beautiful historic fly rod, perhaps from the 30's or 40's, w/ some replaced wraps (stained) that required re-wrapping, & varnish that was beginning to break down.
More text to come...
AFTER - Old varnish was polished down about 3/4, leaving some color on the cane. New wraps & all original wraps were sealed w/ shellac & coated w/ 4 coats of spar varnish. Full rod then received an overcoat of spar varnish.
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AFTER - Rod has two identical tip sections, w/ pockets in original rod bag to accommodate 5 sections. Reel seat was cleaned & polished; while cork grip was lightly sanded, but retains color of earlier use.
Guide wraps are Payne brown tipped purple. W/C & male ferrules tipped purple, yellow, purple.
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**Creeping Up on 'Granger Green'.... 2-24
Top guide wraps are original. Bottom left wrap is untreated silk from 4th spool (see below. Right wrap is same silk color preserved w/ lacquer & varnished.
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This last winter we were deep in Granger fly rods: a 9050 Special & 8040 Victory first had our attention. The Victory required polishing the cane & a full rewrap (using original guides), for which a large spool of original Rice's orange/black jasper silk was available.
The Special however, after polishing, needed only 2 guides re-wrapped, but required a close match to the original "Granger Green" silk. While older Special's often sport "gold" wraps, either actually wrapped w/ gold (when green wasn't available), or appearing "gold" under aged varnish. The earliest Special's from 1930 show this effect most prominently. |
Later Special's, however, usually have a 'snappier' yellow-green silk, adopted by Wright & McGill between 1949 & 1951, shortly after taking control of Granger rod production [Sinclair, 2010, p 241]. The original Rice's silk used was unrecorded, but Sinclair suggests BC#9375 (Parakeet) is an excellent match.
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Older W&M models have aged varnish over the wraps (at 70 years of age) however, giving the green silk a yellow cast. Matching these wraps can be a challenge.
First using the 2nd spool from left, wraps were too dark & too green when coated w/ lacquer CP. Next the right hand spool was used, which was brighter, but too yellow. Cutting the new wraps off again, we settled on the 4th silk, resulting in the wraps shown above. The 3rd time's a charm rule applied here... |
Vintage silks (from left): Sunset 25, 00; BC 9125, sm 'A'; BC 9375 (Parakeet), A; Abby & Imbrie, unmarked; Seavey Foster & Bowman 475, sm 'A'; Belding- Hemingway 333, 00.
Abby & Imbrie silk used for Granger Special wraps above.
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Leonard 'Tournament' Family Heritage - 3 Full Restorations - Completed 9-23
Last year we perused a CA family's collection of 1920's -1930's Leonard rods, each complete w/ original canvas 'put up' bags, vintage tip tubes, & in many cases, original 'hang tags'. All 8 rods had been purchased by owner's Bay Area grandparents & well cared for over the next almost 100 years.
Rods ranged from 9 ft, 9-1/2 & 10 ft, 'Tournament' or 'Special Tournament' models.
Last year we perused a CA family's collection of 1920's -1930's Leonard rods, each complete w/ original canvas 'put up' bags, vintage tip tubes, & in many cases, original 'hang tags'. All 8 rods had been purchased by owner's Bay Area grandparents & well cared for over the next almost 100 years.
Rods ranged from 9 ft, 9-1/2 & 10 ft, 'Tournament' or 'Special Tournament' models.
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Three of 8 rods were chosen for full restoration. All 3 had varnish breakdown, requiring removal of outer layers of varnish, & thorough cleaning of original silk wraps.
Since 2 of 3 of the rods had full silk intermediates, careful cleaning of wraps & resealing w/ shellac (used at Leonard in 1920's) was followed by 3 coats of thinned spar varnish. Many of the original guides were corroded, requiring careful cleaning/ polishing to avoid damage to the wraps. Where guides were very heavily corroded, resulting in wrap staining, wraps were replaced w/ matching vintage silk.) |
Ferrules & reel seats were cleaned, polished, & full rods received overcoat of thinned spar varnish. In early September finished rods were picked up on a yearly trip north to fish WA & OR rivers for steelhead.
** New Bill Edwards Quadrate Partial Restoration 10-23:
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Aged silk wrap colors are often a topic of discussion among restorationists. Vintage Edwards family rods are no exception. In a not-too-long-ago email to Patrick Garner I asked what color "ponge" actually is. He replied that he was just talking to Streamer Abrams about this very subject!
It is accepted that off-white or 'ponge' (natural silk) wraps usually become yellow to gold under aged varnish. With this expectation I began to remove the outer layers of aged varnish from an Edwards Quadrate (9ft, 3/2). Imagine my surprise when I discovered the trim wraps were bright white under the old varnish! ...And the more you look, the more you see! The faint original signature reads Edwards 'Quadrate', & appears faintly black against the cane. Normally the Edwards signatures were scripted in white ink, though examples of black signatures exist [see Garner, 2007]... |
Butt & mid sections (top) of Edwards Quadrate w/ outer varnish removed, revealing bright white trim wraps. First tip section (middle) shows one guide wrap cleaned & adjacent wrap still covered w/ aged varnish. 2nd tip section (below) awaiting cleaning.
Faint original signature on Edwards Quadrate rod. What appears to be model number is visible on adjacent flat, still masked by varnish...
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** EW Edwards Sons Mt.Carmel Restoration 3-23: All bamboo rod work is satisfying, but when I work on a vintage Edwards rod, I am smiling! Over almost a year I have worked on this 9 ft Mt.Carmel (circa 1930's), built when EW's two sons, Gene & Bill, crafted rods for Horton Mfg Co, Bristol. CT.
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Restoration of Mt Carmel in progress. Distinctive hookkeeper/signature wraps w/ double tipped guide wraps & fully wrapped ferrules set Edwards rods apart from their contemporaries.
...Please see Recent Restorations page for additional photos
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*Highlight* 5-22
We recently had the privilege of working on a Peter McVey fly rod. Peter was the owner of the renown fishing lodge on Corbett Lake, BC, for many years the site of a bi-annual gathering of west coast bamboo rod makers. This delicate 7 ft 2-piece rod was made by Peter for his own use, & its current owner acquired the rod about 8 years ago, while visiting the lake on his yearly pilgrimage & befriending Peter.
Peter McVey 7 ft fly rod, impeccably crafted w/ a delicate medium full action. Peter kept a rod beveler in his shop at Corbett Lake, only occasionally shown to guests. Although a voluble & friendly host, he kept much of his rod making process under wraps.
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Scarfed butt section w/ female ferrule newly installed & wrapped. Scarf was completed using Garrison's scarf ratio (1:20+), resulting in a joint fully 7 inches long. Front half of scarf joint is just visible, reinforced by first snake guide wrap.
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An unfortunate break in the butt section broke the ferrule tabs & left the section 1-1/2 in short. A simple fix would be to replace the female ferrule w/ a high quality close-to-matching CSE ferrule, & mount it on the broken section. Sometimes the longer way round is better, however. In this case this meant scarfing the end of the butt section back to full length, then creating a new ferrule station on the newly extended butt.
Test casting the rod for strength of the joint & to determine best line weight showed full strength in the scarfed section. Casts to 55 feet were smooth w/ owner's WF5F line. Performance w/ DT5F was similar, w/ the 55 foot limit even more pronounced. [With DT4F (SA Ultra), the rod had to be pushed uncomfortably to achieve proper loading. Perhaps a newer WF4F 1/2 size heavy would be ideal, providing longer casting distance when needed, while still loading the rod properly...]
Test casting the rod for strength of the joint & to determine best line weight showed full strength in the scarfed section. Casts to 55 feet were smooth w/ owner's WF5F line. Performance w/ DT5F was similar, w/ the 55 foot limit even more pronounced. [With DT4F (SA Ultra), the rod had to be pushed uncomfortably to achieve proper loading. Perhaps a newer WF4F 1/2 size heavy would be ideal, providing longer casting distance when needed, while still loading the rod properly...]
*Highlight* 4-22
Last month we received a John Channer fly rod (7-1/2, 2-2, 4-5 wt) for ferrule work. Channer's rods were unknown to us, & it was a privilege to work on this fine rod, then cast it w/ both 4 & 5 wt lines. A little research turned up several 'Classic Fly Rod Forum' posts on John, a Durango, CO, rodmaker who built several hundred fine rods from 1995 to 2010. Like Jim Payne whose rods he admired, John was a gentleman's gentleman in the eyes of those who knew him...
Last month we received a John Channer fly rod (7-1/2, 2-2, 4-5 wt) for ferrule work. Channer's rods were unknown to us, & it was a privilege to work on this fine rod, then cast it w/ both 4 & 5 wt lines. A little research turned up several 'Classic Fly Rod Forum' posts on John, a Durango, CO, rodmaker who built several hundred fine rods from 1995 to 2010. Like Jim Payne whose rods he admired, John was a gentleman's gentleman in the eyes of those who knew him...
Learn more about John Channer in this engaging 2008 interview:
http://classicflyrodforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=31617
http://classicflyrodforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=31617
Finely detailed original script includes maker, rod #, length, line weight, & owner's name. Understated red & brown wraps complement exceptional cane work & varnish.
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John Channer 7-1/2 ft, 2/2, 4 or 5 wt, has mildly swelled butt, a Channer trademark. Lightweight rod casts 4 & 5 DT lines w/ equal authority.
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Christmas Project 12-21
At Bamboo Rod Works our priority goes to customers' rods, which often leaves little time for working on our own rods. Last Christmas & New Year's holidays provided welcome respite, & a window to start work on a long set aside 90+ year old rod.
HR Sedgwick made high quality rods in small numbers in Hartford, CT in the 1920's to early 1930's. It is said that his rods were owned by well-heeled Hartford area businessmen, & the number of surviving Sedgwick rods seems small indeed. Some compare his delicate rods to Ed & Jim Payne across the river. [Campbell, AJ, Classic & Antique Fly Fishing Tackle, 1997] ...more text & photos to come
At Bamboo Rod Works our priority goes to customers' rods, which often leaves little time for working on our own rods. Last Christmas & New Year's holidays provided welcome respite, & a window to start work on a long set aside 90+ year old rod.
HR Sedgwick made high quality rods in small numbers in Hartford, CT in the 1920's to early 1930's. It is said that his rods were owned by well-heeled Hartford area businessmen, & the number of surviving Sedgwick rods seems small indeed. Some compare his delicate rods to Ed & Jim Payne across the river. [Campbell, AJ, Classic & Antique Fly Fishing Tackle, 1997] ...more text & photos to come
Nine foot Sedgwick (3/2), w/ delicate embellished slide band reel seat, short grip, & intricate signature wraps. Ferrules are reminiscent of Leonard. Faint ghost marks on butt are indicated w/ blue tape to guide future wrapping of intermediates.
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Cork rings glued up to create short 4-1/2 in grip, a characteristic Sedgwick shared w/ slightly earlier Hartford rodmaker Henry Andrus.
Reel seat was found loose on spacer & is newly polished.
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New Fly Casting Book
I learned to fly cast at my father's knee on family vacations in northern California. I sometimes say I can fly cast in my sleep, which I probably do. I know I can do it w/ my eyes closed. In a new fly casting book, Perfecting the Cast, 2020, Ed Jaworowski builds on the techniques of his long time fishing companion Lefty Kreh, & goes on to advance the principles of efficient casting to a new level. It is a treasure.
I learned to fly cast at my father's knee on family vacations in northern California. I sometimes say I can fly cast in my sleep, which I probably do. I know I can do it w/ my eyes closed. In a new fly casting book, Perfecting the Cast, 2020, Ed Jaworowski builds on the techniques of his long time fishing companion Lefty Kreh, & goes on to advance the principles of efficient casting to a new level. It is a treasure.
*** Our Long Promised Bamboo Rod List will be published soon! We will offer a Selection of Fine Original & Restored Bamboo Rods For Sale - Please check back for details! ***
A New 'Scarf Joint' page has been added. More & more we are asked to scarf rod tips & mid-sections of favorite rods back to full length, including Edwards', Leonard, Powell, Granger, Heddon, Hardy, & a recent Ron Kusse, & Peter McVey. We are proud of our scarf work, & present photos & information about our techniques. Our scarfs are guaranteed for the life of the rod.
*And if you haven't already, take a Look at John Gierach's terrific article about bamboo rods, which reads like an updated version of his enjoyable highly informative 1997 book, Fishing Bamboo.
https://bamboo-rod-works.com/gierach-article.html
We have raised our prices a little (not a lot) to balance the amount of work we put into each rod.
We always do more on a rod than we charge for - our rule at Bamboo Rod Works is 'A rod doesn't leave our shop until it is right'.
Please enjoy browsing our site for newly posted recent restorations, current repairs, test casting results, & blog posts., & Contact Us with any questions, for an Estimate for repair or restoration, or Free Help in Identifying your rod.
We enjoy what we do & Guarantee all our work. We look forward to helping you in any way we can with your Antique, Classic & Contemporary bamboo rods.
**Please continue to call & email us with your questions, comments, & requests for help identifying your rods. Talking to rod owners around the country is a great satisfaction in doing this work.
Mark Frey
A New 'Scarf Joint' page has been added. More & more we are asked to scarf rod tips & mid-sections of favorite rods back to full length, including Edwards', Leonard, Powell, Granger, Heddon, Hardy, & a recent Ron Kusse, & Peter McVey. We are proud of our scarf work, & present photos & information about our techniques. Our scarfs are guaranteed for the life of the rod.
*And if you haven't already, take a Look at John Gierach's terrific article about bamboo rods, which reads like an updated version of his enjoyable highly informative 1997 book, Fishing Bamboo.
https://bamboo-rod-works.com/gierach-article.html
We have raised our prices a little (not a lot) to balance the amount of work we put into each rod.
We always do more on a rod than we charge for - our rule at Bamboo Rod Works is 'A rod doesn't leave our shop until it is right'.
Please enjoy browsing our site for newly posted recent restorations, current repairs, test casting results, & blog posts., & Contact Us with any questions, for an Estimate for repair or restoration, or Free Help in Identifying your rod.
We enjoy what we do & Guarantee all our work. We look forward to helping you in any way we can with your Antique, Classic & Contemporary bamboo rods.
**Please continue to call & email us with your questions, comments, & requests for help identifying your rods. Talking to rod owners around the country is a great satisfaction in doing this work.
Mark Frey
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"A good fly-rod is worth every cent you pay for it -- and more; also it should be said that good tackle of any sort is not only its own reward but is absolutely essential if you would have the best of the sport. Shoddy tackle conduces to careless work on the stream and consequently to poor success. On the other hand, good tackle tends to interest one in its proper handling, both in casting and also fishing the flies, and as a result the angler finds his interest and success increasing rather than otherwise." from The Fine Art of Fishing, Samuel G. Camp, 1911 |