B.D. Morrow Flyrods

Fine. Handcrafted. Elegant.

"I was the fortunate recipient of one of Brian Morrow's magnificent handmade bamboo fly rods a couple of years ago. The rod was so beautiful and obviously such a fine work of art that I found it difficult at first to subject it to the rigors of actually fishing with it! My concern about its toughness, however, was badly misplaced. The Tonkin bamboo used to make the rod came from a small and remote area in China and has a tensile strength greater than that of steel.

The cane was "flamed" with a blowtorch to give it a caramel color and drive out some of the moisture as well. The culm was then split into sections that were hand planed into shape, followed by additional time in an oven to further dry and temper the cane. The ferrules, sliding ring, and butt cap were all hand turned and made of nickel silver with a piece of walnut used as the reel seat insert. The snake guides and ferrules were wrapped with the finest black and white jasper silk thread that was the last of a stock produced in the 1920's. The stripping guide was made of nickel silver and had an inner core of agate especially hand-shaped to fit the guide. A final varnishing of the rod with 4 coats of the best spar varnish available produced an incomparable BD Morrow bamboo fly rod!

I find the action to be somewhat slower and much smoother than my fine Winston graphite rod, which by the way, I quickly bequeathed to my son. The BD Morrow bamboo rod feels as if it is a natural extension of the body and all one needs to do is visualize the perfect cast and the rod practically does the rest for you. It is one of life's pleasures to fish with so fine an instrument. The man is truly an artist."

- Dr. James L. Cox Lexington, KY

Handmade bamboo fly rods.

“Most men go fishing all their lives without knowing it is not fish they are after”

-Henry David Thoreau

Some are infused with a passion for fishing that consumes the soul. A lucky few of us share the fondness for the purity of the sport, akin to the waters in which we wade. Form and function blend together for a quiet day on the water, bamboo rod in hand, and a line taut with possibilities.

For those that know the feeling, bamboo fly rods offer just that.
A one of a kind, handcrafted split bamboo fly rod that combines art and the art of angling. Each order is custom built from start to finish. As the client, you are invited to give as much or as little input in the building process as you like. Feel free to choose the taper, wrap colors, hardware, and reel seat options as you wish.

I arrived in Colorado via Atlanta. While in Atlanta I apprenticed under Gary Lacey for several years. Still do, in fact. Our friendship started when I sent him an old Granger to be fixed up, we started talking and eventually I did a short documentary on his rodbuilding abilities. It was then that I started working with him and building blanks for his L.L. Bean and Granger rod series.

Time passed, as it usually does, and my life changed with the usual obligations. I gladly moved out West when the opportunity arose and have never regretted it. I still build blanks for Gary, but I have started selling my own rods as well. I like to build what I feel are tried and true classic tapers; FE Thomas, Granger, Leonards, and Paynes, . . . but I also like to add my own interpretations when possible. Sometimes a swelled butt or a slightly heavier tip can make all the difference! I routinely wrap in antique gold with scarlet tipping, but custom rods are custom made, so I like to leave it up to the clients. I also make most of my own components, tip tops, inserts, cap and ring hardware, and hand sewn rod bags.

I enjoy rod building immensely. It's therapy for me as well. Gary and I used to joke that building rods was like mental bubble gum. "I'm gonna build the best rod possible, or I'm just not gonna build 'em", he would also say. Good advice, I think I'll do that.