High Desert Bamboo Fly Rods

04/21/2025

Making another 8ft 5wt. to replace the one that sold. It will be sold also at a discount.

04/13/2025

I have added two more discounted fly rods A 7ft,4 wt.and an 8 ft, 5 wt.
The 8 ft 5 wt Has sold. Also the 7ft. 4 wt. Has sold.

03/23/2025

I have 3 fly rods for sale at a $300.00 discount. They have not been fished nor are they seconds. The price is $700 each plus shipping. They will come with rod socks, but no tube. They have one tip. They are an 8ft 6 inch 6 wt., a 7ft. 6inch 5 wt. and a 7ft. 6 inch 4 wt.

If you are seriously interested, I can send pictures.
The 7 ft. 6 inch 4 wt. has sold.

10/06/2024

Considering a big scaling back on my bamboo fly rod making. The passion is fading and the work required to make a rod, which takes 10 days is wearing on me. The profit to be made is only about $1,000. I will continue to hold rod making classes which is fun and I will make rods for repeating customers and people I consider as friends. The profits I have made and will continue to make trading Crypto will enable me to be financially solvent. Besides it is fun. Approximately 95% who trade Crypto lose money. I am lucky to be in the 5% who win. Trading Crypto requires a strong ability to tolerate volatility and risk. This would drive most people crazy. So that’s my plan which will give me much more time to enjoy life in my twilight years.

08/26/2023

This one is from Randy Berry, a retired guide who took my class.I have an identical rod that he made for sale at half price. Can't believe no one has contacted me about it. His comment."First brownie on the rod I made in your class. It casts great!

08/16/2023

08/16/2023

Custom Made Bamboo Fly Rod
$550
Listed a day ago in Palouse, WA
Details
Condition
New
Color
Green
Fantastic 7'0" 4 wt. Bamboo Fly Rod Made By Scott Nilsson. The customer could not complete the payments so I am selling this special rod at 50% off. Also have a 7'6" 4 wt. for$700. You save $450.00

It has a light flaming with nickel silver hardware. Green Agate guide to match the Kelley Green silk wraps. The reel seat hardwood is maple burl with a mayfly etched into the end cap dome. The cork griping is a full wells.

08/05/2023

Rod Length Post From Classic Fly Rod Forum
snorider
Bamboo Fanatic
Posts: 3726
Joined: 04/04/13 10:20
Location: Southwest Montana
Re: 8 ft vs 8 1/2 ft bamboo rods
Quote
#16
Post
by snorider » 07/02/17 14:16
Some interesting ideas. I really like to think that the rod length depends on the water you intend to fish. Long rods are required for effective mending in big water where currents are complex and you need lift more line off the water for a drag free presentation. In small creeks where mending is a non issue but brush is a 7' or even 6' rod may be the ticket. Another consideration is the height of the fisherman and arm length. At 6'4" I use a 7'9" rod where a shorter person would use a 8'6" or 9' rod simply because my extra foot or more of reach.

05/31/2023

I recently experimented with a new glue. I used to use Urac 185. The company discontinued a few years back and replaced it with a product called Unibond. It worked well, but the company increased the shipping to $35 per quart. I guess they classified it as hazardous. So the shipping ended up almost twice the cost of the product. Ridiculous. I heard good things about Titebond 3 so I gave it a try and found that it had a good working time and was plenty strong. I straighten tips if needed and was concerned how the glue would hold up when heat was applied. No problem. I am finishing the rod soon. It has not been wrapped yet. It will be a Sir D 7 ft 5wt with one tip. The original taper says it is a 4 wt. Since I added a swelled butt to the taper, it turns out that it now casts like a 5 wt. It behaves best with a 5wt. Line. It has a Full Wells grip and and screw lock seat hardware with a dark maple burl wood insert. Wrap colors to be determined, but leaning towards a reddish brown. The hardware will be nickel silver shinny. I have a few rods with this taper and love them. They are great on smaller streams, but will handle fish up to 20 inches. This rod was not ordered by a customer and since it was a successful experiment and I already have 3 of them, I will be selling it at my cost for materials and a very conservative labor charge plus the cost to ship. It will have a rod sock, but no case. Price $450.00. Less than half of my normal price for a rod like this.

05/14/2023

A note written to a prospective buyer.
Mike… Your question is difficult to answer because many of the attributes of bamboo fly rods are subjective and subtle. Many folks who have only fished with carbon fiber rods base their attitudes of bamboo rods on experiences with an old rod which a relative owned. An example of such a rod would be a South Bend or like manufacture. Another example would be a custom rod made by someone who had a taper which resulted in a casting experience which did not suit it’s user. A 7 ft. 5 wt. made by one maker can act very differently than one of the same length and weight made by someone else.

More objective pleasures, at least for me, are the aesthetics of the bamboo rod vs. carbon fiber. You can Google Wabi Sabi. This refers to beauty perceived due to slight imperfections and then beauty created after the object acquires a patina of use. Another objective fact is that it gives great pleasure to fish with something that you have created. This is why I offer rod making classes.

Once I developed a taper that pleased me, I noticed much more feeling when the rod loaded. I also found that playing fish was more fun due to the fact that the tip section had more flexibility over it’s length. I experienced losing less fish during the fight.

In conclusion then, one must appreciate things made by hand. One must be a person who notices and appreciates subtle differences and one must realize that bamboo fly rods can have a wide variety of casting actions. I consider my rods as having a faster action than most bamboo rods. They have a butt section that provides a lot of power (very minimal oscillation) to a flexible tip. I have converted many skeptics to appreciate the pleasure of a fine bamboo fly rod.