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“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.
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