The Widened Hex Factor
Since my beginning with bamboo rodmaking I have been very fascinated by the work of Michael Montagne. My great interest for his work is due, of course, for his capabilities of making bamboo rods but above all I’ve always been interested in his role as an innovator of the bamboo rodmaking world.
In fact, at least for my experience in taper design and for my taste, his work showed me the way of designing tapers that is better than any other....
Lining Up the Reel with the Guides
For a long time, gluing the reel seat on the rod is the last thing I do with a rod. The seat is glued in place and before the glue sets, I put a reel in the seat. I then use the open area of the reel to twist the reel and seat to line them up with the stripper guide. Dean Darling, one of my former students, came up with a simple solution for lining up the reel with the guides. With his permission I am doing this small article....
Minnesota’s Forgotten Rodmaker
With split cane fly rods, if a rod survives, the maker survives. Sometimes, the continuance is just between a fisher and the name on the fly rod in hand. In extreme cases, the maker becomes larger than life; witness makers like H.L. Leonard, F.E. Thomas, and Jim Payne, to name a few.
In the case of St. Paul bamboo rod maker Robert C. Nord, that legacy came very close to being lost. Instead, by chance, an angler in Illinois developed...
