Boyd Rod Company, Harry Boyd, Jr. - Hand Built Bamboo Flyrods

Here are some publications I have written, and some notes others
have written about me and my rods.

Below are a few of the comments I have received about my rod work and my rod making classes.

After looking all over my shop and gear bags I could not find a WF4-F line
So I loaded a Ocuma 45 reel with 200 ft of #30 spun gel and a new Orvis WF-5F line. Stepped out to the pasture casting range.
Made a couple of loop trials and found it very responsive. So I set about doing the FFF Master's Task list. About 30 minutes of casting my Great Grand Kids showed up. Smileing like a kid at Christmas. I place the new rod in the shop. I can hardly wait until I get the line wet with a fish on the other end. I am sure I will read the fish's mind through this rod.
Harry I could pass the Masters with this little 4wt 7' 7.5" rod. It seems to know what I want it to do. I have just started training it. After a few more hours, Days, Months, Years, I am sure it will just keep improving.
I want to thank you for making such a fine fishing tool. You have put the enjoyment and love in this fine cane wand.
I have not given it a name yet. It will earn one I am sure.
Thank You Brother
ol Al

Your rod not only looks great but boy does it cast. I have a special
display case for trade rods and yours is the first one in the case. I
would much rather trade rods with friends than sell them. There's
something special about having something a friend made by hand. I know
how much love and care goes into your rods and I'm honored to own
one------It's a real beauty.

See you at the next SRG.
AL

G-Morning Harry:

I took the rod to PA this weekend and a few of us spent the morning test
casting it amongst others... Very nice... As expected, no complaints... It
will do quite nicely... In fact, maybe I was a bit hasty in thinking it was
too much for PA creeks... When the wind kicked up on the Penns, I wish I
hadn't left it in my room at the Inn... a good twenty miles away... I never
learn...
Bob

Hello Harry,

With the plugs I did as you said and it works good.

I am certain your rod is the most powerful bamboo rod for an honest # 3 I ever cast. I am very curious what the rod will do when fished. You made an excellent taper and a very good looking rod. What you did with the nodes is the best of all US rods I got or I have seen, even better than Bradford who comes second. I did not count Moran, because he is British .

Tight lines
Michael

Good afternoon Harry,

Yesterday I fished your rod fort he first time on one of my home waters, just 20 minutes to ride by car from my home. I fished that water for the first time this year, because it was either too cold or too high. It was raining a lot since I came back from Italy. I fished your rod about 6 hours on a stream 6-10m wide. There are not many trees on the borders that you can cast. I fished your rod with a Sage WF 3 Quiet Taper and a 6X leader. I wanted to try a 7X first but did not do it because the water was still higher than normal and not entirely clear. I caught about 30 brown trout and for the first time in 20 years (since I fish the stream) 1 grayling. The biggest trout I caught was 1 pound. So I cannot say yet how your rod will do on bigger fish, but I can tell a lot about your rod now. It is definitely the best true 3-line rod I ever fished.I shall prefer it even to my shorter 4-line rods because it can do everything the 4-line rods are able to do. I fished the rod with dry fly emergers cast upstream and could easily!! reach all distance I needed even against a little bit of wind. I would have been able to cast further but that would not have make sense because I cast as far as I could see my the hot red CDC wings of my emerger. For all trout I caught the rod had more than enough power to fight the fishes fast. About half the time I fished your rod with a bead-head nymph with 3.5 mm bead. Before I did so I asked myself whether the rod could do it. I do upstream nymph fishing mostly using roll casts. Your rod could do it -just- what short 6 ‘ for a # 5 could not: lift the nymph any time even with longer line, roll cast the nymph without going straight in the air (it came out a little bit higher than on a stronger rod though) and on over head casting you just had to slow down your cast and I could cast all distance needed with that nymph fished on the ground. After 6 hours fishing your rod did not tire me at all. I am curious what your rod will do with bigger fishes over 2 pounds. I am pretty certain it will handle them easily because I could fell there is backbone in the rod.

I did not make any pictures yet. I still hope to catch bigger fishes with your rod. I think I shall do the pictures when I fish In Austria and Slovenia with my so at the end of June ,because he can make photos then. If you need photos earlier please tell me.
Tight lines,

Michael

Just got back from MT. Home, had five great days of fishing. I used the rod for three of them, we may have to talk again. I received your package and instructions for the rod. During the trip I violated one of your rules, I landed fish some what vertically, I checked the rod and I do not think I hurt it. IT WAS FANTASTIC, I even land a bow over 20 inches on it. Man was that a fight cause I tried not to stress the rod, I knew that fish was big enough to break it. The rod cast well and equally with either tip and it handled a full slow sinking line nicely. Even got your work an admirer from Portugal. Met a young gentleman who is on the Portuguese National Fly Fishing Team and let him try your rod, a fight then ensued to get it back.