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rod building workshop?
if you knew a fly angler who was really curious about how a rod was built, and had some manual dexterity and attention skills, would you think a rod building "workshop" might be a good idea?
fly fishing and fly tying have been a lot of fun, and now i have enough equipment to last me for the next millennium. i'm no longer really tempted by rod/reel sales. ( fly tying materials are another matter!)
however, recently i saw a nifty sounding experience advertised, and i wonder if any of you rod builders would recommend it: fellow in Maine is offering a week-long "build and fish a bamboo rod" workshop. seems to me it would scratch the itch of wanting to try to build a rod without requiring the purchase of yet another set of tools and materials that might lie around forever waiting for me to get that elusive and rare object, the round tuit. it's not inexpensive, like most really neat experiences, and would require a week away from home.
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If the guy is an expert and you can afford it, I say go for it. I would think it would be a great experience and you will likely learn a lot. I've been thinking about doing it myself, but I don't have the time to devote to it right now.
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Casey
I think I know of the trip (rob building) of what you speak. From what I have read and the support you get while building the rod and afterwards the biggest problem would be what weight to build.
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Sounds like a good idea to me. If your looking to get into building Cane rods then having someone that knows what they are doing will save you a lot of trial&error doing it on your own. The tools to build good cane blanks on your own can be very costly though so be prepared to drop some serious money if you decide you like doing cane blanks after this workshop. Forms can run $500-$800 then you can planes and such which can cost a pretty penny. But if it's something you want to learn then I say go for it!
Steve
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If the person teaching it is Kathy Scott's husband David, go for it! In fact, perhaps Kathy would know about it. Kathy? Are you around? I know she just posted recently about the Boo event up in Maine the day before the Super Bowl....do a search.
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Bob Nunley (a sponsor here) and Harry Boyd, two top bamboo rod makers, are doing a similar class.
http://www.bamboorodschool.com/
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thanks, everyone!
thank you all very much! FAOL strikes again: my question got the very best sort of answers, all of which offer food for thought. the worst part is that now there are choices to think about--life should always be this good!
i'll let you know the end of the story, but you'll probably have to wait until next year.
