Handcrafting Bamboo Fly Rods

The bamboo fly rod represents the pinnacle of the fly-fishing art: its apparent simplicity and delicacy belie the craftsmanship and strength that are the hallmarks of all great rods.

Wayne Cattanach begins in the Kwangsi and Kwantung provinces of China, where Tonkin bamboo takes about eight years to develop the qualities that distinguish it from all other materials: a tensile strength akin to steel, light in weight, with the flexibility that gives all bamboo rods their relaxed action.

He describes the process that will take anyone from lengths of hard, raw bamboo to a beautiful finished rod with clear, step-by-step instructions, including how to: find the best supplies; select tools and materials; make and use heat treaters and binders; select rod taper, weight, and action; cut culms; straighten bamboo strips; primary and secondary planing; stagger bamboo strips; give proper heat treating; bind strips; apply finish; mount the reel seat, ferrules, and tip top; and much more.

Scores of illustrations and line drawings demonstrate crucial techniques that before this book could only be guessed at, and Wayne's years of experience with pupils and bamboo are brought to bear at every step as his invaluable tips not only instruct, but also explain how to avoid common beginners' mistakes. This is surely the most thorough book available for those who want to have the pleasure of making, and fishing, their own bamboo fly rods.

Wayne Cattanach has been making bamboo fly rods in Casnovia, Michigan, for seventeen years. He also writes articles regularly, and teaches rod making in seminars across the country.