How to Rebuild a Bamboo Fly Rod

Fly-fishing is an exhilarating outdoor sport that is best enjoyed with the perfect equipment. When an angler stands out in a stream for a long time the weight of the rod becomes important. Bamboo rods are lightweight and handle well. They are made of multiple strips of bamboo, and take a lot of time and expertise to build correctly. Bamboo rods are much more expensive than steel, graphite, or fiberglass. So, it might be in a fisherman's best interest to rebuild rather than to buy a new bamboo rod.

Things You'll Need

  • Colored thread
  • Epoxy glue
  • Protective outer coating
  • Small paint brush
  • Pencil
  • Guides
  • fine sandpaper
  • new grip/handle
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Instructions

    • 1

      Inspect your rod sections. Rub with fine sandpaper to remove loose coating and to smooth roughness. Brush a protective coating of tong oil, polyurethane, varnish, or polypropylene. Set the rod sections aside to dry. Reapply another coat. Set to dry.

    • 2

      Locate the rod's spine by standing the rod section straight up. Press gently on the tip and note which way the rod bends. The outside curve is called the spine. Mark that with a pencil. Repeat with the other sections.

    • 3

      Decide whether you want to place the guides on the bottom or the top of the spine. If you put it on the top, you'll have a more dramatic fly. If you put it on the bottom, you'll get more strength when lifting the line out of the water.

    • 4

      Slip the grip onto the rod. Mark the rod lightly with a pencil where the grip stops. Remove the grip and paint epoxy from the base of the rod to one inch from the pencil mark. Slide the reel seat onto the rod. Push the grip nearly all of the way back onto the rod. Let go and squeeze the top edge, while pulling the grip over the reel seat the rest of the way on.

    • 5

      Glue ferrules in place.

    • 6

      Select guides that will be the smallest for the line to pass through. Use one guide per foot of rod. Mark placements for your guides.

    • 7

      Paint glue to the largest guide. Set the guide's foot in the place marked closest to the handle. Tie a thread around the guide's foot and the rod. Wrap the thread around and around, laying each revolution aside the last, being sure to cover the string's end. When you are several revolutions from the end of the foot, tie a loop with another string and press the middle of it onto the rod to be wound over. Continue covering the foot with the original thread, and then cut it and thread the end into the new loop. Pull the end of the loop out, back toward the beginning of the wind, and the end of the thread will tuck underneath the wound wrapping to prevent unraveling. Repeat this process with all of the guides. Paint a protective coating on the wound thread.

    • 8

      Attach the tip with epoxy.

    • 9

      Glue a hook keeper as an inexpensive safe option onto your rod between the guides.