Beautifully Hand Crafted Bamboo Fly Rods By Scott Nilsson
Also Offering Private Bamboo Rod Making Classes
"Scott, I've been fishing the hand crafted bamboo fly rod you built me since it arrived last April. It shoots a line like a laser and it handles everything from small bluegills to good sized bass. I am thoroughly enjoying my time on the water with this work of art. Nice work! You are a true craftsman."
Joe Barbara
Hello,
My name is Scott Nilsson and I have fly fished since 1972. As many of you, know, this sport can reward an individual in a variety of ways. As does a river, the rewards of fly fishing change in many ways over the years and always offer different opportunities. In my case, this sport gave it’s greatest gift by allowing me to make new friends and offering me the opportunity to grow through experimentation. I no longer center my attention on catching the biggest fish, most fish, nor anymore, do I frequently visit blue ribbon waters. I have decided that I do not want to be somewhere doing something I love and having it ruined competing with hundreds of people who subscribe to dozens of fly fishing magazines and buy nearly every item advertised within them that claim to employ the latest technology that will help catch fish. This includes fly rods. I enjoy enticing trout with new fly patterns, studying special circumstances which make trout take a fly and most importantly, maximizing my pleasure while out on the water. That’s where my discovery of the bamboo fly rod has been the most pleasurable event in fly my fishing life, scenery not withstanding. It was this discovery that led me to build bamboo fly rods.
I graduated from the University of California with a degree in economics in 1970. I had never been satisfied working in the corporate world with which this background could provide. I sought a more meaningful contribution that would leave a legacy on my behalf to others. This would satisfy my desire to fulfill the long burning creative desire I had within me.
I now make bamboo fly rods. Thanks to the encouragement of a retired fish biologist friend of mine, I pursued this endeavor. I also owe many thanks to the encouraging and non selfish help that I received from numerous bamboo fly rod craftsmen that have already achieved the fame that I will someday have.
I have concentrated on making bamboo fly rods, that first of all, are pleasures to cast, and can be proud to be owned by their recipients Cosmetically my rods are excellent, but I do not concentrate on cosmetic appointments such as engravings, inlays and the like. I feel that these appointments, although having superb aesthetic value, tend to create a fear within their owner to put such a fly rod to practical use.
I would be proud to make a bamboo fly rod for you. You will find that doing business with me is a straight forward experience with an emphasis
on cooperation as well as a spirit of honest interchange to make sure you get what you want in choosing a beautiful and functional bamboo fly rod.
Expensive? Relatively speaking, yes, however, you do not buy a quality bamboo fly rod from a shelf or catalogue.
It is hand crafted for you, personally, with your name on it and, with my help, is built to your specifications. It is a
fly rod that you can treasure , have fun with, be proud of, and will provide a lifetime of enjoyment.
In addition, this meaningful fishing instrument can be passed down in your family for generations.
I cannot, for the life of me, understand the misconceptions out there about bamboo fly rods. 90 percent of the critics I have talked with have never cast a well made split cane rod. They attribute their dislikes to their experiences with rods that are absolutely inferior to the kind of bamboo fly rod I am talking about. Unfortunately for them, They close their minds, and in fact, even get hostile, about accepting the opportunity to try the kind of rod I make. I have been told that my rods nearly cast themselves. When attending seminars I hear comments such as "they will break" I have had far more failures with graphite rods personally. Most folks equate bamboo fly rods with the ones their fathers or grandfathers owned. Many of these were mass produced, incorrectly heat treated, and inferior glues and ferrules were used in their production, thus failure in these rods was common place. In addition, many of them cast like pool cues because of their length and weight. The finer rods made today are a different breed. They are light, responsive, and durable. They have a feel that cannot be described. That feel is mostly detected in the way a split cane rod loads and in the pressure felt on the forward cast. The accuracy is exceptional. Some of the finest certified casting instructors will often give one of their difficult students a bamboo fly rod to get them on track because they can feel the loading, which is so detectable in a good bamboo fly rod. If your back cast is poor, your forward cast will be poor as well.
Another belief of the misled, is that bamboo fly rods are toys and only to be taken out fishing occasionally to have a little fun with. This belief is a bit right because those who are uninformed mention fun. This is the key word. Bamboo fly rods are great fun and when I have fun, I want more of it. Don’t you? Toys? Yes, they could be called toys, however more suitable words would be a beautiful tool for the precise pursuit of fish.
I get a kick out of the extremely high prices gathered by some of the bamboo fly rods that came from the old "bamboo houses". Some of these rods are exceptional, but for the most part collectors have driven up the prices to astronomical levels for these rods which are actually mediocre fishing instruments. Collectors seldom fly fish, or if they do, few of them are accomplished at it. I have a rod collection that I am proud of, they look great on the wall and are fun to brag about, however, only two or three of them are worthy of fishing compared to the rods I make, as well as some of the rods my competitors build.
The best advice I could give, if you want to take fly fishing to another level, is to keep an open mind and ask questions from a competent bamboo fly rod builder. That is to say, one that has built at least 50 to 100 bamboo fly rods and understands tapers to the extent that he understands how to manipulate those tapers in order to arrive at a rod that acts as you wish. There are some builders out there that simply download tapers from the Internet and try to fit those tapers to their customers needs. Also, beware of purchasing bamboo fly rods offered by folks who sell Chinese rods from fancy web sites. They won't tell you up front that the rods are from China. Periodically I will purchase some imported blanks and supplies to check and see how this competition from China is progressing. Recently I have seen products on the Internet (eBay) that advertise their products to be as good as those produced by domestic builders. I have purchased some of these products to check their quality. Believe me, they are very mediocre. Blanks advertised as straight and well heat treated are neither. Agate guides have wrong sizing and extremely thick and irregular feet. Ferrules advertised as fitting well do not and their sizing is wrong. Cap and band sets that look good in pictures really look like they came out of a Cracker Jack box when you receive them. Products from China are improving, however I would say that they are at least 10 or 12 years from catching up with domestic products. If possible, the better choice would be to visit or speak with a quality builder. Discuss with him your requirements and choose a rod that suits your style. I have changed my liking in bamboo fly rods several times. I am lucky enough to own somewhere in the neighborhood of 35 fly rods, but my first choice would be my 7' 4 wt. Remember that one builder's rod of any given length or weight will differ considerably from that of another builder's rod.
If you are willing to do these things, I think you will join many of my customers in saying " Wow, I really like these rods". If you are willing to take that step I am sure that you will be pleased. I would encourage you to contact me to discuss your bamboo fly rod. Why wait a year or two to receive the rod you really want. I offer an excellent bamboo fly rod at a great price with a relatively short lead time from your order date.
High Desert Bamboo Fly Rods
Quality hand crafted bamboo fly rods by
Scott Nilsson
208 841 6562
Buying a bamboo fly rod... A few words about pricing
The cost of a truly fine bamboo fly rod most often puts people off. It is not until a prospective customer really has a grasp for what is involved making a fine rod until he can recognize why the rods are so expensive. My students pick up on this every time they build a rod with me. I put a minimum of 60 hours into one rod, so you can see that my hourly wage is quite low when you subtract the material cost of approximately $150.00.
When looking at the sites of many builders you will find price ranges from about $500.00 up to $3500.00. The low end rods are either Chinese or made by makers who really don’t put out that great of a product. The high end rods are usually priced that way because of the fame of the builder. The waiting time for these rods is usually a year or more. I would stack my rods up to any maker charging up to $2000.00 and I have a relatively quick delivery time which is usually three weeks. My prices range from $850.00 to $1,000.00. Special cosmetic requests and three piece rods can add a modest amount to the cost.
Bamboo fly rods differ a lot from one maker to the next. You take quite a chance when you just buy a bamboo fly rod in the dark, so to speak. As an example, there is a rod on consignment here in Boise that looks great. Nice finish work, but the rod action is very whimpy( a low taper angle). If I purchased this rod for the $1400.00 asking price without casting it, I would be very disappointed fishing the rod. Regardless of the price, It is most important to know what to expect from the rod you are buying. Don’t rely on phrases such as fast, medium fast, slow, parabolic etc. It is my opinion that unless the buyer has a lot of experience fishing bamboo fly rods and really knows what he wants, he should consider a bamboo fly rod that makes for an easy transition from fishing a graphite rod. Such a bamboo fly rod would be fairly light, have plenty of power and would have a fast action relative to other bamboo fly rods. The faster action I am talking about means that the rod will be active in the tip section and you won’t feel a lot of movement or vibration in the grip portion of the rod. When flexed or flipped, the tip will come back to being still after about 2 or 3 oscillations. I achieve this by placing a swelled butt in my rods and I use a relatively steep angle of taper. The lower this angle is, the slower the rod will be. The rods I make for most customers represent this kind of rod. They are capable of either laying out a delicate dry or they will also handle weighted nymphs and buggers.
I appreciate your interest and I hope that you find a great bamboo fly rod.
Private bamboo fly rod building classes are available
You should invest the time and money to get the wonderful experience that this student describes during his trip to Boise. He had, to say the least, an eye opening experience
of the capabilities of the fly rods that I am so proud to make.
My classes cost $995.00 which includes a friendly, informal, but intense method of instruction. If you are handy with tools and a fast learner, you will produce a bamboo fly rod that you will thoroughly enjoy. You will begin by casting many of my rods to select the one that feels best to you and suits your kind of fishing. We will then select a culm, split it, and I will lead you through every step to finish the rod. My students usually shoot video and take detailed notes of each step. The length of the class is 6 days, however several students have decided to stay 10 days in order to make an additional blank that they can finish at home. I do not charge extra for additional time spent. I only charge for the additional parts required to make a second rod. There is usually enough bamboo left from the first rod to do this. The extra time is also valuable to learn how to wrap the silk and varnish the first rod, which can extend beyond the 6 days. Most times there is enough bamboo left from the first rod to make the second.
I have gotten along so well with most students, that I invite them to stay here in my home instead of paying hotel expense. They most often then, share grocery expense. If your schedule does not allow you to stay more than 6 days, I will finish your rod at a nominal cost and ship it to you.
Making a Bamboo Fly Rod
In 1954 for my twelfth birthday my father gave me his old steel pull-out fly rod and ever since fly-fishing has been one of my passions.
My friend’s father who would often invite me to fish with them had a bamboo fly rod that he could cast further than any other fly-fisher person I knew at that time and I promised myself back then that one day I would own such a fine rod.
Many decades later having an arsenal of steel, fiber-glass and carbon fiber rods I decided that it was now time to acquire a bamboo fly rod, but I not only wanted to own one, I wanted to build it my self.
Having retired two years ago in 2005 I thought the time was now right for me to take up my desire to build a cane rod. I started searching the internet for bamboo fly rod builders who would be prepared to teach me the rudiments of this fine art. Having read a number of books on the restoration and the fundamentals of building a bamboo fly rod from scratch, I had a fair idea of what I was letting myself in for.
So what made me choose ‘High Desert Fly rods’ for this experience?
Maybe it was the promptness that Scott Nilsson came back to me, or just his straight talk on the phone that made me want to go with High Desert Fly Rods. Well, what ever it was I believe I made the right choice to go all the way out to Boise in Idaho from Philadelphia to spend time with Scott building a superb cane rod.
From the minute I arrived at Scott’s home it was down to business. He came out with a dozen or so bamboo fly rods for me to cast out on the lawn. From the second I cast one I was convinced that bamboo was now the only way to fly-fish. After much deliberation I eventually decided that I would like to build a 7 ft 4wt two piece bamboo fly rod as this rod felt like an extension to my arm.
Although having read quite a bit about bamboo fly rods I had not realized the amount of work and attention to detail that is needed in building such a masterpiece, and a masterpiece it certainly is as every one is unique, no two bamboo rods can ever be exactly the same and that’s what makes them so special.
During the time I spent with Scott building my rod I found him to be attentive and helpful in all respects and a stickler for detail. “If it’s not done correctly then it’s not done right” and you start again. I now know why these rods cost so much and I can now appreciate that fact.
Working with Scott was a pleasure and I found him to be very open and more than willing to share his experiences and rod building know-how with me. I took loads of pictures and made half a book of notes and sketches.
It was a proud moment when I finally took the finished product it in my hand and cast it out on the lawn. I believe that in building it yourself it means so much more to you and you will treasure it for years to come as you have put part of your heart and soul into it and it becomes almost a living thing, one day maybe it will become an heirloom.
Yours truly,
Terry F. Grills
terryfgrills@gmail.com