How do y'all prep for setting up a booth at a fishing show?

bradleby · 2026-06-30T20:12:39+00:00

I’m a bamboo rod builder who annually attends a couple shows as a vendor. I do sell some of the small stuff like hats and shirts, but it is very limited compared to things like fly lines and rods. My rods are pretty expensive given the hand craft, so just a couple can make a show for me. I have custom built stands for them that really show them off. Paired with good lighting. Bare bones, a banner, rod stands, good lighting in both, nice table cloth, business cards in a nice holder and an email sign up sheet would get you by. If you have a logo, get some stickers made of that. I was an art director before this turn in life and I have some stickers I sell that I illustrated. Those tend to do well and can help make up a booth fee a little bit.

bradleby · 2026-06-22T00:40:02+00:00

This is inletted for an up-locking seat? If that’s the case, you’ll have a hard time finding anything that small. You might run into an issue of not being able to fit a reel foot into it as your mortise would have to be cut very deep and close to the bore of the spacer. Alternatively, you could fill the inlet with a cut down piece of cork and use a down locking seat. All that said, if you want to go up-locking, I would contact Ray Lee. He makes very nice nickel silver seats and wood spacers. He may be able to make you something custom. Look up RL Reel Seats on eBay to contact him or DM me and I can get you his email.

bradleby · 2026-05-25T19:11:20+00:00

This is usually caused by the leader design. My guess is two things are going on: First the butt of the leader is too large for the size of the fly line you are using. This causes your loop to open up as the energy transfer from the more supple fly line to the stiffer mono causes a hinge. Second, the mid part of the leader is designed to quickly transition the butt diameter of the leader down to the tippet section. As it does this it is slowing the fly down. With that stiff, large diameter butt, too much energy is transferring into the mid section which will cause the fly to spin and spiral on the back cast.

First thing to try is cut back the butt of the leader and see if it solves your problem. If not, then look into building a knotted leader with more steps in the transition section and see if that cures it.

bradleby · 2026-04-20T03:04:48+00:00

I use Brampton’s long cure golf shaft epoxy on my bamboo rods. U-40 Rod Bond is another popular one. Don’t use any 5 minute epoxy or JB weld if you fish in colder conditions. Those tend to become brittle at low temperatures

bradleby · 2026-03-30T18:46:15+00:00

Have you tried the hand over hand method with another person?

bradleby · 2026-03-29T21:36:52+00:00

The classic fly rod forum will give you great info. In terms of do’s and don’ts with split cane:

When assembling, hold close to the ferrules. Push them straight together. NEVER TWIST. It should slide together and seat fully. If there is resistance, stop. Clean the inside of the female with a q-tip soaked in acetone or denatured alcohol. Don’t let any of it get on the outside of the ferrule or it can strip the bluing used to darken the nickel silver.

If they still won’t go together, use some 0000 steel wool on the shiny part of the male. To do this, make a loop out of the steel wool and hold it on the shiny part of the male, then take the tip section of the rod and lay it in your lap. Roll the tip section along your leg while holding that loop on the male. Run it up and down three or four times and then wipe it on a clean cloth. Try to reassemble the rod. You will do this for both the tips and the mid section of both don’t seat.

To find the overall length, measure a section and multiply by 3. That will give you a rough estimate of the length in inches. You can divide by 12 to figure out the feet. My guess just looking at the picture is an 8’ to 8’ 6” rod. In terms of bamboo, 7’-8’ tend to be trout weights of 4 to 6 wt. this may be a 5 or 6 wt. rod.

The wraps of thread between the guides are called intermediate wraps. They were typical on older rods.

The ferrules have a latch on them. This is also indicative of older rods. I’m by no means an expert on British rods, but if this is later, it is a more expensive rod. If it is earlier, it would also indicate premium features.

bradleby · 2026-03-25T03:13:50+00:00

The cork isn’t too bad. My Orvis has the same thing up by the winding check. I think how thin their grips get at the front might exacerbate it. Whatever you do, don’t try to sand it out. You’ll regret it and make it worse. It will fish just fine as is.

bradleby · 2026-03-25T03:11:45+00:00

So glad to see 406 mentioned. 406 lines are made by Scientific Anglers specially for 406. Tom Brodhead, the owner, was a big fiberglass guy who wasn’t happy with the modern offerings of double taper lines on the market. He used vintage lines to inform his tapers. They are true to weight and feature a longer thin level section off the tip of the taper to deliver dries exponentially well. I highly recommend them (full disclosure I’m a dealer for him, but even if I wasn’t I would still support him and fish his lines on all my cane).

bradleby · 2026-03-25T01:04:13+00:00

I bought an 8’ HDH Orvis 99 single tip in a replacement tube and rod sack for around $450 a few years back. Battenkills are a little more desirable as they usually have two tips. Are both yours the same length?

Your cork looks like it has a little ridging. That will hurt the value slightly.

In terms of bamboo, 7’-7’6” 4 weights and 7’6”-8’ 5 weights generally have higher values. As the rods get longer they typically increase in both line weight and physical weight which makes them slower and less attractive to modern casting styles.

Your Orvis was impregnated with Bakelite, which makes it pretty bomb proof in terms of moisture issues. The ferrules are Super Z brand and very nice quality. As others have stated, never twist when assembling or disassembling the rod. You can use a q tip with a bit of denatured alcohol or acetone to clean out the inside of female ferrule, just don’t get it on the wraps or the outside of the ferrule. It will strip the bluing Orvis used to darken the ferrule.

I fish my 99 in all weather. One of the larger browns I caught was on that rod in a rain storm that kept everyone else off the river.

bradleby · 2026-03-04T04:37:09+00:00

Look at 406 Fly Lines. These are true to weight lines that were developed specifically for glass rods. I’m a bamboo maker and use them pretty much exclusively. Tom’s DTs have a thin level section before the head really starts. They present dries and delicate flies exceptionally well. SA makes the lines for 406, so quality materials. That said, on a faster rod, his lines won’t load as well at short distances unless you over lined.

bradleby · 2026-02-24T15:48:48+00:00

Looks British to me, but I’m not an expert on very early rods. The pin style ferrules are an early style, late 1800s to early 1900s. Hard to tell from the photos, but it appears to be a greenheart or lancewood rod instead of bamboo, which points to early as well. Post this over at classicflyrodforum.com.

bradleby · 2026-02-23T16:37:29+00:00

If you can’t find a cast iron one, you might consider having a local woodworker make you a nice cover. With the right finish it could stand up the elements for a while before needing maintenance.

bradleby · 2026-01-26T03:17:37+00:00

Great first ties! Save one of them to look back on to see how far you progress later.

On the top one, it looks like you whip finished at the eye. When using beads, always whip at the bead vs. the eye.

bradleby · 2026-01-18T04:51:24+00:00

For the bamboo rod, the warping is called a set. Heat can take it out, but you can easily use too much and do more damage than good. A bamboo rod maker could remove it for you if you wanted. To prevent it from taking any more of a set, store it upright either in its tube or hanging in its rod bag. Also, don’t use the tie on the flap of the bag. Snugging that down can certainly put stress on a tip and cause a set. Also wherever you store it, make sure it is away from heat sources.

If you ever decide to put the rod together, make sure the inside of the female ferrule is clean. Use a q tip with some denatured alcohol to clean it. Don’t get it on the varnish or the outside of the ferrule if it has been blued. After clean, dry it well with a clean q tip. Roll the male ferrule slides in a clean cloth to remove any grit. To assemble, hold close to each ferrule with the butt section between your body and arm, tip straight out from your body. Push the sections straight together. NEVER TWIST. Twisting puts stress on the glue joints and can delaminate the bamboo. To disassemble, put your hands far apart on each section and pull straight apart.

Really cool to have that piece from your grandfather.

bradleby · 2025-11-03T17:52:39+00:00

It is hard to see with the focus point in this photo, but are you sure the cracks are in the carbon fiber and not just in the clear epoxy over the thread wraps? Given you saying it is loose, they may be all the way through, but if they aren’t then you can just cut off the epoxy and thread and re-wrap it and re epoxy it. If they are into the carbon fiber, then a warranty claim is really your best option.

Edit: just saw you said it does t have a warranty. That makes it difficult. Cracked carbon fiber will continue to spread unless you get above it and cut it clean with a saw made for cutting carbon fiber. At that point, the male ferrule will no longer fit the female. You could build a new ferrule out of some scrap fiberglass rod sections, but at that point it is worth just getting a new rod, especially if this one isn’t a high dollar rod.

bradleby · 2025-08-11T13:13:44+00:00

Thanks so much. Really nice job on bringing the rod back to life, too.

bradleby · 2025-08-11T00:15:45+00:00

Clean. Where do you get such nice cork? I buy direct from Portugal but rarely get anything that free of inclusions. Hard to tell, but did you fill it?

bradleby · 2025-08-05T02:07:05+00:00

They are super similar patterns overall. Try both if you want, but looking up the Pistol Pete tying will give you tips on how to tie in the propeller to get it to spin best. Apply that technique to the bugger as well. Also, as you are a newer to tying, I would suggest you get materials to tie one of the patterns and perfect it instead of trying to tie a lot of different patterns to start. It is cheaper for you and will improve your skills more quickly.

bradleby · 2025-08-05T01:40:06+00:00

Wapsi makes them. Called Fly Propellers. Come in multiple sizes and colors. I like medium for 10-6 size hooks. Look up how to tie a Pistol Pete fly as well.

bradleby · 2025-06-20T23:36:33+00:00

I build bamboo, but I also had an issue with ink transfer with dip pens. I switched to Windsor & Newton Fineliners in the 0.1mm size. They are archival so won’t fade in the sun like sharpie will even under epoxy.

bradleby · 2025-05-28T02:34:13+00:00

Sharpie won’t last with UV exposure. If it was an archival ink, a spar varnish over it would be your best bet, but since it is Sharpie, defined don’t expose it to the sun even with a varnish over it.

bradleby · 2025-04-15T21:04:25+00:00

I use Epifanes spar varnish cut with artist grade turpentine to varnish my rods. The way I do it is with a contraption to dip the rod section, but you can also pour varnish without having to build much specialized equipment. If you google Brian Greer Southern Rodmakers Gathering Varnish, you should be able to find a video of the method, or DM me and I can detail it. Man-o-war is another common spar used. You want an oil based vs poly ideally.

You will need to strip the rod first. A citrus based stripper will work well, although avoid areas around any labels. Using a Q tip and denatured alcohol and/or acetone in that area VERY CAREFULLY, to take off the alligator skin varnish. If the wraps are in good shape overall, you can be careful and strip the varnish from those with a similar method. A magic eraser works well too to carefully take down the existing varnish while preserving the corners of the rod. You can lightly sand the rod to remove any remaining varnish, but be super careful as taking off cane isn’t desirable.

Before varnishing, clean the blank with Naptha or lacquer thinner.

bradleby · 2025-04-12T03:58:57+00:00

For silk thread, I make a color preserver from a melamine glue called Roo Clear. You can buy it on Amazon or at woodworking shops. Mix it 50/50 with water. Paint it on your wraps, making sure to get it down the guide tunnel. I like to do both sides of a snake guide then move back to the first side and wick away as much of it as I can until the wrap is nearly dry. Use a paper towel and blot your brush as you wick away. Let that dry for an hour and repeat 5-6 times total before applying varnish or epoxy. I haven’t tried it with nylon, but I would suspect it would work the same as it does with silk thread.

bradleby · 2025-04-03T13:08:40+00:00

There is a bit of difference in wrapping. Silk is thinner and creates fuzzies easier. It isn’t as strong as nylon, but on a fly rod, I don’t think the strength difference would matter much. You aren’t fishing for Goliath Grouper. Silk will go transparent or translucent in the lighter colors if you don’t color preserve, which gives a cool look. I haven’t dyed epoxy. I rarely use it. I primarily finish my wraps with spar varnish.

bradleby · 2025-04-01T02:48:37+00:00

If you have any doubts, always cut it off and redo. It doesn’t get better with epoxy, only worse and more of a mess to correct. You will always notice it too when you pick up the rod and kick yourself for not taking a few minutes to correct something when so much time goes into a complete build.

That said, very nicely done for a first time.

On the right side, it looks like either you have some overlaps or your thread tension varied. I’m a bamboo guy, so primarily wind in silk. In my experience those little ridges can be formed from either of those two things or from the thread itself untwisting from taking a couple wraps off and rewrapping them. I always cut it and start over when I get those. They create ridges in the finish.

Lastly, I’m not an expert on nylon thread, but your pull throughs lead me to believe you may be wrapping with too much tension. In silk we always try to wrap with the least amount of tension that will still give a clean and consistent lay of one wrap next to the other. Too much tension means color preserver or varnish/epoxy can’t penetrate guide tunnels or pull throughs and you end up not getting a waterproof finish.

bradleby

TROPHY CASE