Video on making a split bamboo fly rod........

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-zOvJp6_sw8

It is wonderful that there are some folks left who are carrying on the craft......

I heard once that there is about 900 registered split cane rod makers.

so much work, very relaxing to watch- I liked the jig he used to wrap the twine on the blank.
When you look at the amount of labor and time involved the rods are a great value compared to a new graphite rod.

Years back I thought I'd try it, but the tools are a bit pricey....

I had been wanting to gather tools and build some split cane rods but just couldn’t take the leap into buying/making all of the tools. My wife gave me a 10 day long rod building school that I used last summer. It was a great experience and made me appreciate the amount of labor involved.....and I’m still interested in building more, great sense of accomplishment when completed. Fun to fish with as well.

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Amazing......what a classic reel seat.......beautiful.

I needed some new Flex Coat to finish a rod I was making for a buddy. None of the local fly shops stocked it but one told me to check "Payne's". I hadn't heard of Payne's. What an amazing surprise. This is E.F. Payne's legacy shop. It's now owned and operated by David Holloman. Payne and Leonard were the first and foremost bamboo rod makers in America. David actually has most of the original machinery these guys invented back in the 1800's to make rod making easier and to make the quality more consistent. Both Payne and Leonard began as machinists and gunsmiths, excellent gunsmiths. Leonard tried and tried to get Payne to come work for him. Finally he made Payne an offer he couldn't refuse but Payne still negotiated that even while working for Leonard he could still make guns and rods under his own name. Mr. Holloman is a treasure trove of historical information. I could sit and listen to him for hours. Unfortunately, Mr. Holloman is suffering some health issues and is trying to sell Payne Rods. He is holding out, trying to find a family run business or someone who will sustain the history and Made in the USA culture of the company. He said he has raw material (ie, bamboo, stainless steel tubing from pre-WWI, bronze guides from 1930's, and Spanish cedar for inserts) enough to make rods for the next several hundred years. Mr. Holloman has had offers from Japanese businessmen and German conglomerates but they want to take the company in a different direction. If anyone is serious about owning and continuing a slice of American bamboo rod making history get in touch with David Holloman at E.F. Payne's Rod Shop in Bend, OR.

That was an outstanding video. How I would love to own a custom built bamboo rod. I plan on refinishing the rod my grandpa bought fresh out of WW2.