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I just had one of the most enlightening and satisfying weeks of my life.

I've been studying rods, researching rod makers and restoring rods for a long time now - longer than I'd like to admit. But up until last week, I had never made a rod. Now I have.

I had a lot of help, of course. Harry Boyd and Bob Nunley guided four of us through the process during the inaugural week of their Ozark Rod Makers School at Mountain Home, Arkansas. My wife, Sharon, a.k.a. "Shorty", took the class with me along with Lowell Davis and Gene Hodges. All of us had a ball making our rods. Shorty is still grinning - and showing her rod to everyone she can corner. I suspect Lowell and Gene are doing the same.

Harry and Bob work exceptionally well together. The usual egos of fine rod makers were not on display; instead there was a spirit of cooperation seldom seen when two rod makers spend so much time together. That's not to say that they do everything the same way. They don't. And that's the good news for the students: we were shown more than one way to build a rod. Either method will result in a fine rod - and I found that for me, some of Bob's methods were better for some procedures, and some of Harry's were better for others. They constantly reminded us, too, to find our own ways to make the job easier for us. And that's what good teachers do.

I must admit that I was very apprehensive at the outset. I am NOT mechanically inclined. No matter how you look at it, there's a certain level of mechanical comprehension that's required in making a rod with tools, whether by hand planing or by using a milling machine. I was nervous about using measurements down to 1/1000th inch. Heck, I just started using the little lines on a tape measure a few years ago. And I've always thought measuring ferrules down to 64ths was pretty precise! After instruction and a little practice, though, I finally figured out how to read the depth gauge and set up the planing forms. Like most things, it's not really hard once you understand the principles.

Building a bamboo rod is both harder and easier than I imagined. But with Bob and Harry right there beside us, it was always pleasurable. We became so engrossed in our work that we were often surprised when told "It's supper time."

Having restored bamboo rods for about 25 years, I had become habit bound in the procedures I use for several restoration operations. A side benefit of the class was that I picked up eight or ten great ideas that I can use in restoration that will produce a superior job. Some of the tips will actually save time and frustration. Even if you've made a rod or two or ten, I'll bet this class would show you some good ideas that you might have missed.

If you're trying to decide whether you can learn to make a rod, the answer is decidedly "YES, you can." Heck, if I can do it, most folks can with the proper guidance.

I had never even pondered the question of whether a bamboo rod CAN be made in a week, much less whether I could do it - but I did. And when you consider that this was the first time I've ever made a rod, and the short time involved, the rod looks a lot better than it has any right to look! That's how I know I received great training from the "Pros from Dover." I don't believe you could find better teachers among rod makers than Bob and Harry. Their patience is amazing. And so is their knowledge.But more important than knowing how to make a rod is their ability to impart that knowledge to others in a pleasing and effective manner. Hats off to you, Bob and Harry for a job well done!

All of the rods came out looking great. Mine was NOT the best looking rod in the class. Sharon's looks a lot better than mine. And Lowell's looked even better than Sharon's. Gene's was ahead of mine, too. For those who are wondering, I think I did feel a small shift in the Earth when Lowell starting planing his first strips. I was not surprised that Sharon's rod came out so nice. She's been more eager to build a bamboo rod than I have for years. She's also very accomplished at anything she can make "by hand". Sharon knows a lot about bamboo rods, partly through osmosis, I think from hanging around with me for all these years. She's always been my fishing partner, and often out fishes me. As we drove home from Mountain Home I was reminded (not for the first time) how lucky I am to have a wife who loves the same things I do. How many of your wives want a planing form and binder for their birthday?

I must admit that I found myself smiling while wrapping the guides on my rod. I've wrapped thousands of wraps on rods in the past…but these were the first on a rod I made. I'm still smiling at that thought. And in May, when we go to Townsend and I catch a Smoky Mountain trout on MY rod for the first time, I just might never stop smiling.



There's only one coat of varnish over the wraps. We'll take care of that in a few days and I'll post a better picture of the finished - finished rods!