Bill Felter

Choosing a Bamboo Fly Rod

The emergence of the Sweetgrass Rod Company has spurred yet another round of interest in bamboo fly rods and each week we answer dozens of questions from folks who are starting to give bamboo a look. With the price of high quality graphite rods climbing higher and higher, a fine bamboo rod is no longer out of reach and to some they are starting to seem downright affordable. So with that I thought it would be useful to create a small primer for those looking to purchase their first bamboo rod. This will by no means be a complete “how-to” but it should point someone …

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Bamboo Fly Fishing Rods built in Baltimore Maryland IV, Hon

I’m way overdue for an update on the rod so here goes… Since my last post I’ve run the individual strips (18 in all) through the router-powered beveler, which cuts the initial 60 degree angle into each strip. Then I started working on the tip sections. The tip strips were further straightened and I scraped off the layer of enamel that covers the outside of the bamboo. Taking off the enamel is one of my favorite parts of rod building because it’s the first time I get to see the true color of the bamboo as it will look on the finished rod. It’s like …

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Bamboo Fly Fishing Rods built in Baltimore, Maryland III, Hon

Not much progress to report on the rod this week because I just got back from a week in the wilds of western North Carolina. I fished a little bit while I was down there but many of the streams I saw were low and warm and the ones that weren’t low turned in to a river of clay-colored slurry as soon as anyone even mentioned rain. I realized how spoiled I am with the Gunpowder River just a 30 minute drive from my house in Baltimore City. Even after a heavy rain the upper river is never more than slightly off-color and the cold …

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Bamboo Fly Fishing Rods built in Baltimore, Maryland II, Hon

I just wanted to update all of you on the bamboo rod I’m building for the shop and to lend some insight into the rod making process. There are five major steps in making a bamboo rod: 1.preparing the bamboo for planing 2.planing 3.gluing 4.attaching the components (guides, ferrules, reel seat) and 5.applying the finish (varnishing). So far I’ve flamed the culm (pole) of bamboo with a propane torch, split out the 18 individual strips that will become a butt section and two tip sections. A bamboo rod is not made of a single piece of bamboo which has been shaped into a hexagon from …

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Bamboo Fly Fishing Rods built in Baltimore Maryland, Hon

I’m proud to introduce the Backwaterangler.com community to our very own Bill Felter. Bill is a Maryland State Licensed Fishing Guide, Backwater Angler Clinic Instructor, and Bamboo fly rod Builder. Bill will be contributing to the site on various topics including fly fishing reports, guide know-how and bamboo rod building, of course. –Theaux Hi there, it’s Bill. I just started working on another rod for the shop. I finished flaming and splitting the culm that will become a copy of the famous Model 97 taper designed by Jim Payne. It’s a 7-foot, 2 piece rod with 2 tips that casts a 4 weight line. I …

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