Rod Building Classes
Scott Nilsson offers intimate, one-on-one rod building classes at his shop in Palouse, Washington.
Learn the art of crafting a bamboo fly rod from one of the finest rod makers in the Pacific Northwest.
Cost $1,500 for a 10-day class (rod materials included).
Palouse offers several lodging options within minutes of the shop. Scott can provide recommendations upon request.
Classes run approximately 10 days. You will leave with a completed, fishable bamboo fly rod.
Scott's book serves as an excellent study guide before and during the class.
- Selecting and splitting the culm
- Straightening and heat treating nodes
- Planing strips to taper
- Gluing and binding the blank
- Fitting the hardware (reel seat, cork grip)
- Wrapping and finishing the guides
- Varnishing and final finishing
The curriculum is tailored to each student's pace and experience level.
"The ten days I spent in Palouse, Washington crafting a handmade bamboo fly rod were extraordinary. Scott is, in a word, an artist."
— Class participant
"The ten days I spent in Palouse, Washington crafting a handmade bamboo fly rod were extraordinary. Scott is, in a word an artist."
How It's Made
Additional Information
“Crafting A Bamboo Fly Rod”
By Scott Nilsson
A comprehensive guide containing 34 chapters with illustrations and some tapers.
Available here http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/0692615318/ or
click on picture at right (desktop, or above on mobile device) if you need to get to my site contact page to get a signed copy.
This book was written primarily to encourage the non-professional craftsman. The purpose of this book is to help you on your journey to make a bamboo fly rod by minimizing frustration and confusion. It is intended to take some of the anxiety out of the process, which often prevents a fly fisher's desire to go ahead and make a fine bamboo rod. Making a fine bamboo fly rod is not as difficult as you may think. My son, Tor, made a fine rod when he was twelve years old.
Some of the steps in building a bamboo fly rod are critical and deserve much more attention than do others. There will be enough things to learn about without getting overwhelmed over small details. I will do my best to point out to you how to make your experience as simple as it can be, while at the same time, minimizing your frustration. I have spent countless hours studying this process and have faced every imaginable pitfall. It is because of this experience, that I have been able to streamline and prioritize the steps required to make a bamboo rod.
It is a fact, and always will be, that as in any profession, there will be disagreements on the principles and techniques used to accomplish a goal. I am sure that in my profession, that there will be those who disagree with the methods that I use to construct a fine bamboo fly rod. It is their right to do so. My goal is to produce a fine, good looking fly rod that is fun to use, gives pleasure during its use, and is durable. I simply enjoy seeing a person make a bamboo fly rod when the techniques are translated to him in a manner that will assure his success. I have made many dozens of fly rods for customers throughout the United States. Those customers have given me comments that have made my adventure in making bamboo fly rods extremely rewarding.