My rods are best when fished at super-high altitudes. Fished barefoot, the experience is sublime.

A few thoughts follow on the hows and the whats and the whys and the everything elses of bamboo rods. Somewhere in here you might read why it is that you should purchase a rod from me. Good for you--you have wisdom beyond your years. Somewhere I might offend you, and you'll tell all your friends why they shouldn't order a rod from me. Grow up.

There are as many opinions about bamboo rods and rodmaking as there are grains of sand on a beach. Anybody who says there's anything close to science involved is wishing, or lying, or both. While I will grant that there are physics involved somehow in the casting qualities or flyrods, I have to add that because of the natural material involved (bamboo) there will never be two rods which cast the same. They may be similar, but that's where it ends. Exact bamboo rod reproductions are impossible.

The methods employed to come up with the end product are also too numerous to mention. In the end, we all find the most appropriate way for ourselves to produce a fine fishing tool. Bitter arguments ensue, but the only way to find the truth is to fish the rod and find out first-hand how it performs. Of course, any intelligent rodmaker and businessman is going to employ the methods which allow him/her to efficiently make the best product. While the complete learning process takes a lifetime, we can come to some pretty solid conclusions in just a few years; that's what I have done. I have made enough rods since 1997 to form some solid opinions, and I have fished my rods long enough to know that they stand up to the fish; that's the most important thing.

Once structural integrity has been shown to be acceptable, the only thing left is to apply artistic touch. Anybody with a load of patience and time can make a bamboo flyrod, but not just anybody can make a fishing tool that is also a work of art. Throw art into the equation and the opinions and arguments fly once again. What is of great importance to Artist A may be of little or no value at all to Artist B, and the consumer will certainly have an opinion of his/her own.

That background being present, some of my philosophies/opinions on rods follow...

I hand-plane to the final measurements on my rods. Why? Because I like to do it that way and because I'm a romantic. Can a great casting tool be made with a machine? You bet. A company in Twin Bridges, Montana does it everyday. I don't.

I use old tapers on many of my rods and I have "designed" (read: "ripped off from some old guy and modified to fit my liking") a few tapers, too. The old tapers are the best. Anybody who tells you that old tapers weren't designed for plastic lines is absolutely right. Anybody who tells you the old tapers can't cast plastic lines REALLY WELL hasn't ever cast an old taper with a plastic line. Do I prefer the feel and castability of a silk line? You bet. Do I use silk exclusively? No; it's often impractical. Do I recommend that everybody should cast silk on their bamboo rod at least once? Absolutely! Silk lines are amazing, and you just might never go back to plastic.

I mark my rods with a line weight ONLY AS A LOOSE GUIDE! Casting styles vary, as do rod-feel preferences. I prefer heavy lines that load my rods close-in. If it were up to me, no rod would have a weight marked on it, but I recognize line designations as somewhat of a necessary evil in the consumer market.

Finally, I make bamboo rods because I love to do it. I love the craft. I love to cast the rods. I love to fish them. I love the fish they catch. Everything about well-made bamboo rods is cool.

When you're ready to experience a great casting tool of heirloom quality, made with care by a guy who loves and respects the art for what it is, contact me and we'll get the ball rolling.

Thanks for reading!