WV Local Bamboo Rod Maker Talent: Bob Henderson

I met Bob last year at the Somerset Show and loved some of his warm water bamboo tapers. So this year I asked him if I could do a quick review on my blog about his rodmaking venture. His unique and niched skillset makes him a standout local talent in West Virginia.

 D-Bob what inspired you to build your first fly rod?
B-I suppose I had the bug from my father at a young age. He taught me some very basic skills about hand planing but I did not start using them till I was in my late 40’s for turnkeying a bamboo fly rod. Honestly I could not afford the rods that I took a liking to so out of sheer necessity I started delving into crafting my own. After making around a half dozen rods I decided that I should give some to my fishing buddies and it took off from there.
D-Have you sold many rods lately?
B- I probably have sold about a dozen or so in the last year. The economy has really put the skids on a lot of things around here in WV. Flyfishing in general has experienced some real hardships in the last few years from a retailers standpoint. I have friends in Charleston that had to lay a bunch of people off in their fly shop. Its sad but I suppose it allows everyone to sit back and realize that it cannot always be peachy and profitable like in the 90’s. I like to think of my rod making venture as a slow and blossoming personal quest. I have a small group of guys down south that keep me busy making not only trout rods but bamboo panfish rods both for baitcasting and flyfishing. I’d say 60 percent of the rods I’m currently making are for smallmouth and panfish. They really go for rods such as these in the state of Texas too. Whereas a trout rod may not float their boat as much.
D-What kind of tapers have inspired you in regards to warm water bamboo rods?
B- Some of the more renown parabolic makers such as Paul Young have great tapers for heavier bushy fly’s. Some of his Para series can be really tweaked and beefed up to make great Smallie or Largemouth rods. Paul Young tapers have a lot of reserve power so if you start out with his taper dimensions and push the numbers around a bit what you end up with is a really great warm water rod suitable for many kinds of fish especially carp when you get it up to 8 and 9 weights. I just made a carp bamboo fly rod for a gentleman down south, its a 9wt. and he really is a carp specialist at heart but also loves the bamboo feel.
D- Do you have any recommendations for a guy like myself that wants to build his first warm water rod?
B- Most definitely break out of the trout mindset when it comes to taper design. Think about how and where you want to use the rod and most of all the fly’s you wish to use.Expore tried and true heavier tapers and don’t be afraid to beef them up a bit for Largemouth or Carp on the fly. Take risks and enjoy the journey.
D- Thanks Bob.

Bob Henderson has now been making rods coming on fifteen or so years for both warm water and cold water fishers. He made his first set of forms out of kiln dried hickory and still uses them to this day. He’s a sworn “West Virginia Boy” who “would rather spend time on the water than in church”.

WV Fish & Game Alert

Anglers are reminded that West Virginia law prohibits the release of fish or other aquatic organisms into public waters, unless a stocking permit is issued by the Director of the Division of Natural Resources. Stocking permits are not required for trout and black bass stocking provided that disease-free certifications are obtained prior to stocking, or if trout originate from a source within the state. A permit is not required for stocking native or established fish into privately owned ponds.
 
Moving live fish or other aquatic animals and plants from one body of water to another can cause long-term damage to the ecological stability of lakes and streams and can threaten recreational fishing.

My Likings of Bamboo Rod Tapers

Casting my first cane rod as a 17 year old boy was quite a thrill. It was my fathers 9' Paul Young. I loved casting bamboo because of its intuitive nature and natural beauty. Today I still get goose bumps when I pick up a new rod for the first time and give it a spin. I have a collection of older rods ranging from Paul Young, Heddons, Grangers, T&T's, and Dickersons, and love them dearly. Tapers really have not come all that far from the good olde' days other than the fact that glues we use now and finishes are much more durable and heat treating has made a few hurdles in action as well. Tapers all have their own uniqueness and work well with different fishing styles and flys. My newer bamboo rods range from a few Orvis rods, G. Maurer, Chris Bogart, Per Brandin, Pezon et Michel, Clint Bova, Walt Carpenter, and Mike Clark. This quiver of rods pretty much covers my needs for fishing altogether including satiating my taste buds for flat out beautiful rods in every detail.

My tastes for rods is a bit “old school” cosmetically speaking, but I enjoys a crisp dry fly taper overall and the above mentioned rods makers fulfill that requirement very well. The younger rod makers are really doing some excellent work today and the level of detail and craftsmanship is outstanding as well as bringing back some older hardware details to present day like Clint Bova's rods (Baby Leonard style seat interpretation) as an example. I suppose in order to be successful at rod making today and stand out in the crowd you need a point of view and stick with it so that when people see your rods and cast them right away they know who's rod is who's. It was most evident back turn of the century, the styles and casting styles were quite distinctive, i.e. Leonard's, F.E. Thomas, Fred Divine, etc...

My buddy Sam and I once a year pull out some of our favorite oldies and do some “baby swapping” as we call it. Then hit our favorite WV stream with some silk line. I think Sam still has one of my old Leonards in his stash from years before, I have threatened him repeatedly that I will call out for an Amber Alert if he does not return it soon. Sam if you see me driving around in your vintage Cherokee in the next few weeks you'll know why!

Dave

WV Sweat Lodge

Sam and I hit the river early, early relative to heat not time. So at 4 am on our home water in WV we figured we had maybe 3 hours max of decent fishing before the temperature would rise to a bazillion degrees Fahrenheit. Just as we were leaving the rainy, humid, Cambodian purple hazed humidity Sam caught a lunker near a sweeper. His 7'3" 4wt. bent and bobbed like a pit bull was at the other end chasing a squirrel. Limp as a wet tube sock after the boxing match Sam pulled the trout in with his net looked up at me and said “I'm done” let's find the nearest air vent with 69 degree temperatures. When we got out of the haze this morning we made a beeline for a local McDonald's, and nursed some Egg McMuffins and coffee and enjoyed a break from the near fatal outbreaks of humidity in this region. After Sam nursed his coffee for a bit he said “I dunno what feels better catching that lunker or soaking in this air conditioning” The summer of no love.
Dave

Copper River Trip

Sam and I just got back from our Copper River trip. It was a breathtaking trip to say the least as well as some Rainbow dry fly action that made our pacemakers run on overdrive. We fished our brains out and then some, had some great guides, great food, spooky float plane trip, and missed some sad fishing (at least here in WV) back here in the lower 48! 

We brought both bamboo and graphite rods with us to Alaska. My Winston WT 9' 6wt. got a workout and was considered a light rod by standards by our guides but was a blast to hookup with the average 18" plus Bows. Sam fished his 8wt. Temple Forks rod and swapped it in and out with his Clint Bova bamboo rod an 8' 3pc. 6wt. that handled the big Bows great, no sets to speak of! The rod I made last winter a Paul Young Para 17 taper an 8wt. worked great for me especially when casting deer hair mouse patterns. These really worked well along with buggy looking “Fast Freddies” a dry pattern our guide introduced to us that looks like a hybrid of an Adams and Champaign Crystal Egg pattern.

Now finally back on our home waters Sam and I both looked at one another the other day and let out a harumff. I had to tear Sam out of two bars in Juneau that he took a liking to. I feel like he's gonna ditch me and move up there when I'm not looking. We are both already planning our next trip for 2102 and planning on bringing a few more friends with us.

A few of our home waters are fishing decent but no hoots or hollers just a lot of reminiscing of the Copper.

Dave

Outstanding Putnam County Gunsmith

GUNSMITH

Head to Putnam county for your one stop custom gun shop.

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EYEWITNESS ONLINE WEBCAST VIDEO C L I C K   T O   P L A Y

From early on in his life, Steven Cale had a passion for hunting, outdoor adventure and especially guns. Not just shooting but the mechanics f all types of shotguns and rifles. After graduating from Trinidad State Junior College in Colorado with a degree in gunsmithing, Steven returned to West Virginia and opened Timberline Outfitters in Putnam County. Cale is truly a full service, full-time gunsmith. He specializes in welding, woodcrafting, machine work, metallurgy, chemical processes for blueing, restorations and custom gun building. If you are looking for a one of a kind, custom made shotgun or rifle, look no further than Scott Depot and Steven Cale's Timberline Outfitters

Special Thanks to WCHS for video bio

Finding Nemo

The mountain streams of West Virginia offer a multitude of prolific hatches as well as tons of trout in pocket water. Its worth fishing WV because all the days I spend fishing for trout only a hand full of these will I see someone else on the water. If you like solitude then you’ll love fishing in West Virginia. These streams have shorter runs and amazingly deep pockets to hold large trout. Brown, rainbow and brook trout are most abundant and willing to take a fly. You can be successful year round with good nymphing techniques. Most times of the season dry fly fishing can be outstanding. If this sounds a bit like WV propaganda it kind of is. But I am always inspired to bring others into the state because it fosters revenue as well as stream rehab and restoration. Out of state money is always good money for us. I encourage all to explore and even get lost...hey It's not call “Wild & Wonderful West Virginia” for nothing!
Have a great 2010 fishing season


see you on the river

Dave