Here’s an interesting patent application relating to fly rod construction (primarily bamboo.)
It’s one of the more interesting patents I’ve read (and I read patents for a living.)
Gives some insight about how rod makers are pushing the envelope and applying modern techniques to the traditional craft of bamboo rod building.
If you want to view the drawings/images, you will need a TIFF viewer plug in. There’s a free TIFF plug in here:
Thank you for this very interesting post. It is most apparent that the following be a significiant part of the patent for what ever reason. In addition, it is a very good description of the phrase “fly fishing”.
I quote the patent.
[0006] Fly-fishing requires a rod that casts a weighted line and its attached fly, to a targeted fish. The fly is essentially a lure, sometimes imitating food for a fish. It is delivered despite wind or adverse weather, around or close to obstacles such as brush or trees, in a manner over distance and with controllable accuracy in a way that does not spook the fish. The speed at which the line travels smoothly determines the carry distance of the fly. The ability of the rod to turn over the line and impart speed smoothly to it is termed its rod action, and conveys the impression of power and control to the user. Although tapered bamboo sticks of the distant past could theoretically achieve this function, most were heavy and not straight, strong, or flexible enough to satisfy the demands of the time.
Someone did their homework.
After abot the third paragraph, I was startin’ to enjoy all that “male/female, fittin’ parts together” stuff. I had to quit reading it. :shock:
A real nail biter. Couldn’t stop reading 
There WERE a few misspelt words.
Mark
Although I can appreciate greatly what he has done, including curing the rod blanks under heat and vacuum, the acoustic inspection of the rod blanks, the inspection methodology, culm classification, etc., - one has to ponder all the capital expenditures a rod maker would have to invest - which would significantly increase the costs of their rods.
Already it takes roughly 70 hours to produce a bamboo rod. I see no reduction in time here, solely reduction in failures. Most bamboo rod makers’ first few rods are ‘by gosh and by golly’ there is a rationale, and makers learn from their mistakes. By about the 7th or 8th rod (most times) rod makers are producing a quality product that meets the requirements it was made for with little to no waste. After that, refinements are made to their workmanship and an asthetically pleasing product is made time after time.
The main item here, is that with his patent, he has documented precisely how the exact same rod can be made repeatedly (within some minor tolerance variation).
Appreciated - heck yes. Costly to the consumer - most definately.
darrell,
(I won’t even get into the part of his calling a fly “… essentially a lure …”. What fly fisher in their right mind referes to feathers and fur as a lure … )
darrell, Jim Payne had a line he used all the time.
“Show me his 100th rod, and I’ll tell you if he will ever become a rod builder.”