chrono

Some of the rods I have made and photographed since beginning in 1994. My photography skills have improved along with my aptitude for making rods. (Clicking on any rod picture will open a new window with more, larger photos of the rod) Use the back button on your browser to return to this page
Each rod maker numbers his rods differently. My four digit serial numbers are based on my age at the time of completion and the rod's sequence in that year. My first bamboo rod was completed at age 39 (though I was 37 when I started!). Thus my first rod is #3901.
Lowell Davis took over the reigns at our Southern Rodmakers Gathering after I stepped down. At our 10th SRG, we presented this rod to Lowell. It was worked on by many of those in attendance. It's a two piece, 7' four weight. Bob Nunley made the blank, Mark Wendt the ferrules, Jeff Fultz and Barry Bauer the grip, etc. Many people worked on the wraps, donated components, accoutrements and services. We hope Lowell will enjoy this one-of-a-kind rod.	A three piece hollow built 8'6" five weight I made for myself. The tan wraps tipped yellow, a moradilla reel seat insert, and dark cane combined for a pleasing aesthetic. Light tips enable the rod to flex easily on short casts, and the powerful butt section will throw 80'+ with a smooth single haul.
A single tipped, 7' 4 weight demo rod made to compare with the similar bamboo ferruled rod. While casting the two rods together at SRG 2006 some preferred the metal ferruled rod, some the bamboo ferruled rod.	This is the Otter Creek taper I built for myself in 2007.
This hollow built, bamboo ferruled rod is an 8' 3/4 weight. This rod was severely tested throughout 2007 and performed quite well. I will begin offering bamboo ferrules as an option on some rods I sell in 2008.	Stripping guide on an 8' 6" hollow built five weight built for Steve in Washington State. A light but powerful rod which handles big fish on small tippets.
Rod Number 4805 is an 8' hollow built three weight and features claret intermediate wraps. This is the 122nd bamboo rod I have made.	In 2006 I began experimenting with bamboo ferrules. So far the results have been good. If testing continues to prove these ferrules successful, I may offer them as options in the future.
An orange agate stripping guide, wrapped with orange silk and double- tipped in crimson red. This rod features a cherry burl reel seat insert and an unusual Wells type grip I first saw on a rod by a famous contemporary rodmaker. The detailed engraving on the reel seat is jewelry grade.	Andrew from New Hampshire chose these colors. While I had my doubts at first, the blue silk tipped red has grown on me. The wooden reel seat insert is quarter-sawn white oak and its appearance changes depending on viewing angle.
Blued ferrules, claro walnut seat, java beige wraps tipped black, and a Wells-type seat that is a favorite among those who cast with thumb on top. Engraving is minimal and gives a custom look.	The darkest flamed rod I've made, this one now belongs to a good friend. It features black wraps, burl cork enhaced grip, and a fishtail oak reel seat. Based on my P101 taper, it is a joy to cast.
A rod which I enjoyed making for Dr. K in Germany, and one of my favorites. It features a Bellinger upslide reelseat over claro walnut burl and medium brown wraps tipped dark brown. This is a hollow-built 8' 6" three piece rod for 5/6 weight line.	Another rod from my "orange period" built in 2006. Though I built this rod for myself, a good friend wanted it more than me. The insert wood is Carpathian Elm Burl. A three piece Otter Creek rod.
My interpretation of the PHY Perfectionist, made for a friend from the FLYFISH@ email list.	A presentation rod made in 2005 which features engraved hardware, morticed walnut swelled butt, and double tipping, orange and dark brown.
A copy of a Payne 200 taper rod built for a North Carolina gentleman whose original Payne 200, handed down from his father, was stolen.	An unusal grip, made from the bark of a Douglas Fir tree. The lighter material seems identical to cork. The darker reddish material is more firm. This rod, a quick and powerful 7' four weight, belongs to a beautiful lady in north Arkansas.
A 7' 9" three piece two weight built for myself, and passed along through this site. The reel seat is a "G.W. Boyd Inspired" seat given to me by Russ Gooding at Goldenwitch. The grip is cigar shaped and wrapped with rattan.	Engraved hardware sets off this blued seat over black ash burl wood on another two weight rod.
Ordered for a physician from Shreveport, Louisiana by one of his fishing partners, this 8' three piece five weight is based on my Otter Creek taper. A midnight stripping guide, hunter green silks tipped black, and an engraved seat over spalted maple burl make a really nice gift.	This 7' five weight was built for another friend from FF@. It works beautifully on the small streams of North Carolina.
Another of Dr. K's rods, an 8' three piece 3 weight. Though an 8' three weight might sound soft and noodly, this taper isn't that way at all. Clear wraps tipped crimson, blued hardware, and black ash burl look nice together.	An all-around experimental rod. This is my first rod with a radically swelled morticed butt. Twelve strips of cane, six dark and six light, form the radical swell. This 7' four weight single tipped rod is for sale.
A rod I made as a fundraiser for our local Federation of Fly Fishers club. This rod was raffled for well over its selling price. Burl cherry wood with nickel silver hardware from Bob Venneri looks nice on this three piece 7' 6" four weight.	Step-down ferrules on my personal fishing rod, a 7' 6" five weight P101 taper. This rod has many miles, and even a few fish to its credit.
An 8' two piece 8 weight I built for Silver Salmon in Alaska. Unfortunately my Alaska trip was postponed and I did not get to try the silvers. This rod has been modified by adding a downlocking Bellinger seat since photographed.	Another 7' 6" five weight P101 made for the owner of one of the leading graphite rod companies. It features clear wraps tipped red.
The Dry Run Creek Special is my entry level rod, available in either 7' four weight, or 7' 6" five weight. This single tipped rod has an aluminum reel seat and simple claret wraps. This one is impregnated, an option I no longer offer. Beware of small rod companies who advertise impregnated rods.	An Otter Creek Special 8' three piece 5 weight purchased by a Dad for his son. This stained tiger maple reel seat is one of my specialties.
My friend Tom Rogers guides the White and Norfork Rivers in Arkansas. I built this 8' three piece 3 weight for him a few years ago.	One of my personal favorites is this 8' three piece 3 weight featuring a bi-color spalted maple seat and Leonard-like hardware. Should you spot this rod on Silver Creek in Idaho, please ask its owner to send me the money he owes me.
A hollow built 7' 6" five weight based on the P101 taper that is wandering somewhere around the streams of northern Colorado.	Another P101, this one built for a friend in Memphis
Clear wraps tipped crimson	A freind's wife bought him this Otter Creek for an anniversary present. The wraps are bright red, tipped hunter green. Perhaps I should call it "Christmas wrapping."
Triple tipping with Gossamer silk, java beige, antique gold, java beige is enough to cause eye strain. This 6' two piece 4 weight features and engraved reel seat and is a favorite taper.	Another 6' two piece 4 weight, this one made for one of the webmasters at Globalflyfisher.com who edited and published my series of articles on making bamboo rod blanks. The reel seat is an up-down slide with Venneri hardware. I really like the versatility of this seat and wish it were still available. I make a similar seat.
Since almost every rod I make is custom designed, rod owners often choose to have their name inked on the shaft.	A 6' 6" three weight with tiger maple seat and single turn inlaid silk.
A Leonard 50DF purchased from Carmine Lisella started me on the road to bamboo rods. This is my first rod based on the Leonard 50DF taper. I plan to build another in 2007.	The Otter Creek is a favorite among those who fish big waters with small flies. The powerful action will bang out long casts, but the fine tips protect light tippets.
An 8' three piece 5 weight Otter Creek I made for friend and fishing buddy Jeff Cascio.	An early P101, 7' 6" two piece 5 weight built for the wife of a New York friend and fellow rod maker.
The FLYFISH@ Email List did a fundraiser to help kids in flyfishing a few years ago, and I finished out this Rick Fick blank as one of the prizes. The rod resides in the Netherlands today.	A three piece 7' 6" four weight rod made for a gift for a major Coca-Cola stockholder. The nice reel seat is by REC.
Another early P101 wrapped to match Payne colors	Clear wraps tipped black on a 7' 7" two weight owned by my friend Les in New England.
An impregnated 7' 6" two weight that uses no grip check in the reel seat hardware. This taper has extremely fine tips but will still handle long casts for a two weight rod.	Don't look too closely here! This is the first bamboo rod I made. Twenty-two months after beginning the journey, at the time I thought it was the prettiest rod ever. Now I know better

Some of the rods I have made and photographed since beginning in 1994.
My photography skills have improved along with my aptitude for making rods.

(Clicking on any rod picture will open a new window with more, larger photos of the rod)

Use the back button on your browser to return to this page

Each rod maker numbers his rods differently. My four digit serial numbers are based on my age at the time of completion
and the rod's sequence in that year. My first bamboo rod was completed at age 39 (though I was 37 when I started!).
Thus my first rod is #3901.

Lowell Davis took over the reigns at our Southern Rodmakers Gathering after I stepped down. At our 10th SRG, we presented this rod to Lowell. It was worked on by many of those in attendance. It's a two piece, 7' four weight. Bob Nunley made the blank, Mark Wendt the ferrules, Jeff Fultz and Barry Bauer the grip, etc. Many people worked on the wraps, donated components, accoutrements and services. We hope Lowell will enjoy this one-of-a-kind rod.

A three piece hollow built 8'6" five weight I made for myself. The tan wraps tipped yellow, a moradilla reel seat insert, and dark cane combined for a pleasing aesthetic. Light tips enable the rod to flex easily on short casts, and the powerful butt section will throw 80'+ with a smooth single haul.

A single tipped, 7' 4 weight demo rod made to compare with the similar bamboo ferruled rod. While casting the two rods together at SRG 2006 some preferred the metal ferruled rod, some the bamboo ferruled rod.

This is the Otter Creek taper I built for myself in 2007.

This hollow built, bamboo ferruled rod is an 8' 3/4 weight. This rod was severely tested throughout 2007 and performed quite well. I will begin offering bamboo ferrules as an option on some rods I sell in 2008.

Stripping guide on an 8' 6" hollow built five weight built for Steve
in Washington State. A light but powerful rod which handles
big fish on small tippets.

Rod Number 4805 is an 8' hollow built three weight and features claret intermediate wraps. This is the 122nd bamboo rod I have made.

In 2006 I began experimenting with bamboo ferrules. So far the results have been good. If testing continues to prove these ferrules successful, I may offer them as options in the future.

An orange agate stripping guide, wrapped with orange silk and double-
tipped in crimson red. This rod features a cherry burl reel seat insert
and an unusual Wells type grip I first saw on a rod by a famous
contemporary rodmaker. The detailed engraving on the reel seat is
jewelry grade.

Andrew from New Hampshire chose these colors. While I had my doubts at first, the blue silk tipped red has grown on me. The wooden reel seat insert is quarter-sawn white oak and its appearance changes depending on viewing angle.

Blued ferrules, claro walnut seat, java beige wraps tipped black, and a
Wells-type seat that is a favorite among those who cast with thumb on
top. Engraving is minimal and gives a custom look.

The darkest flamed rod I've made, this one now belongs to a good friend. It features black wraps, burl cork enhaced grip, and a fishtail oak reel seat. Based on my P101 taper, it is a joy to cast.

A rod which I enjoyed making for Dr. K in Germany, and one of my favorites. It features a Bellinger upslide reelseat over claro walnut burl and medium brown wraps tipped dark brown. This is a hollow-built 8' 6" three piece rod for 5/6 weight line.

Another rod from my "orange period" built in 2006. Though I built this rod for myself, a good friend wanted it more than me. The insert wood is Carpathian Elm Burl. A three piece Otter Creek rod.

My interpretation of the PHY Perfectionist, made for a friend from the FLYFISH@ email list.

A presentation rod made in 2005 which features engraved hardware, morticed walnut swelled butt, and double tipping, orange and dark brown.

A copy of a Payne 200 taper rod built for a North Carolina gentleman whose original Payne 200, handed down from his father, was stolen.

An unusal grip, made from the bark of a Douglas Fir tree. The lighter material seems identical to cork. The darker reddish material is more firm. This rod, a quick and powerful 7' four weight, belongs to a beautiful lady in north Arkansas.

A 7' 9" three piece two weight built for myself, and passed along through this site. The reel seat is a "G.W. Boyd Inspired" seat given to me by Russ Gooding at Goldenwitch. The grip is cigar shaped and wrapped with rattan.

Engraved hardware sets off this blued seat over black ash burl wood on another two weight rod.

Ordered for a physician from Shreveport, Louisiana by one of his fishing partners, this 8' three piece five weight is based on my Otter Creek taper. A midnight stripping guide, hunter green silks tipped black, and an engraved seat over spalted maple burl make a really nice gift.

This 7' five weight was built for another friend from FF@. It works beautifully on the small streams of North Carolina.

Another of Dr. K's rods, an 8' three piece 3 weight. Though an 8' three weight might sound soft and noodly, this taper isn't that way at all. Clear wraps tipped crimson, blued hardware, and black ash burl look nice together.

An all-around experimental rod. This is my first rod with a radically swelled morticed butt. Twelve strips of cane, six dark and six light, form the radical swell. This 7' four weight single tipped rod is for sale.

A rod I made as a fundraiser for our local Federation of Fly Fishers club. This rod was raffled for well over its selling price. Burl cherry wood with nickel silver hardware from Bob Venneri looks nice on this three piece 7' 6" four weight.

Step-down ferrules on my personal fishing rod, a 7' 6" five weight P101 taper. This rod has many miles, and even a few fish to its credit.

An 8' two piece 8 weight I built for Silver Salmon in Alaska. Unfortunately my Alaska trip was postponed and I did not get to try the silvers. This rod has been modified by adding a downlocking Bellinger seat since photographed.

Another 7' 6" five weight P101 made for the owner of one of the leading graphite rod companies. It features clear wraps tipped red.

The Dry Run Creek Special is my entry level rod, available in either 7' four weight, or 7' 6" five weight. This single tipped rod has an aluminum reel seat and simple claret wraps. This one is impregnated, an option I no longer offer. Beware of small rod companies who advertise impregnated rods.

An Otter Creek Special 8' three piece 5 weight purchased by a Dad for his son. This stained tiger maple reel seat is one of my specialties.

My friend Tom Rogers guides the White and Norfork Rivers in Arkansas. I built this 8' three piece 3 weight for him a few years ago.

One of my personal favorites is this 8' three piece 3 weight featuring a bi-color spalted maple seat and Leonard-like hardware. Should you spot this rod on Silver Creek in Idaho, please ask its owner to send me the money he owes me.

A hollow built 7' 6" five weight based on the P101 taper that is wandering somewhere around the streams of northern Colorado.

Another P101, this one built for a friend in Memphis

Clear wraps tipped crimson

A freind's wife bought him this Otter Creek for an anniversary present. The wraps are bright red, tipped hunter green. Perhaps I should call it "Christmas wrapping."

Triple tipping with Gossamer silk, java beige, antique gold, java beige is enough to cause eye strain. This 6' two piece 4 weight features and engraved reel seat and is a favorite taper.

Another 6' two piece 4 weight, this one made for one of the webmasters at Globalflyfisher.com who edited and published my series of articles on making bamboo rod blanks. The reel seat is an up-down slide with Venneri hardware. I really like the versatility of this seat and wish it were still available. I make a similar seat.

Since almost every rod I make is custom designed, rod owners often choose to have their name inked on the shaft.

A 6' 6" three weight with tiger maple seat and single turn inlaid silk.

A Leonard 50DF purchased from Carmine Lisella started me on the road to bamboo rods. This is my first rod based on the Leonard 50DF taper. I plan to build another in 2007.

The Otter Creek is a favorite among those who fish big waters with small flies. The powerful action will bang out long casts, but the fine tips protect light tippets.

An 8' three piece 5 weight Otter Creek I made for friend and fishing buddy Jeff Cascio.

An early P101, 7' 6" two piece 5 weight built for the wife of a New York friend and fellow rod maker.

The FLYFISH@ Email List did a fundraiser to help kids in flyfishing a few years ago, and I finished out this Rick Fick blank as one of the prizes. The rod resides in the Netherlands today.

A three piece 7' 6" four weight rod made for a gift for a major Coca-Cola stockholder. The nice reel seat is by REC.

Another early P101 wrapped to match Payne colors

Clear wraps tipped black on a 7' 7" two weight owned by my friend Les
in New England.

An impregnated 7' 6" two weight that uses no grip check in the reel seat hardware. This taper has extremely fine tips but will still handle long casts for a two weight rod.

Don't look too closely here! This is the first bamboo rod I made. Twenty-two months after beginning the journey, at the time I thought it was the prettiest rod ever. Now I know better