Heading soon into the last summer month of August, our rivers and streams have received a bit of replenishment from showers and thunderstorms. However, on Sunday evening, the Beaverkill at Cooks Falls was still flowing below the 112-year average flow, with water temperatures registering in the 70s much of the past several days; the next break in the weather is Thursday, with some rain and cooler weather predicted by the end of the week.

Last week Streamside covered the story of the “Friendship Rod”, a beautiful bamboo rod custom-built by John Apgar for his friend Tom Mason, that everyone present at the Catskill Fly Tyers Guild picnic enjoyed casting. John is the Steward of the CFFC Rod Shop and runs the rod-building classes at the Museum. He recently finished teaching a class, with another coming up in the fall. Explaining that it can take a whole year to finish making a rod, depending on the person’s time and availability, John said you can start off with raw “cane” and end up with a finished bamboo rod in about 60 - 70 hours. He generously offered to provide the basic steps in making a rod for readers of Streamside, explaining that he often says, “If there are 35 rodmakers in a room, they’ll come up with 38 ways to make a rod - but that at the end of the day they all turn out nicely.”

There are many good books on rod building; at the top of the list is the classic A Master’s Guide to Building a Bamboo Fly Rod by Everett Garrison and Hoagy Carmichael. In fact, much of the machinery and materials at the CFFC&M’s Rod Shop were donated by Hoagy, who is an active member and is often on hand at the Rod Shop. So here’s Part 1 of a “crash course” in the steps taken to build a bamboo rod, as explained by John:

He starts with a 12- foot piece of culm (the stem of the bamboo, most often of the Tonkin cane variety) which is flamed to take out some of the extra humidity. The cane is split into 6 sections, and those 6 are split into three each; 6 for the butt section and 6 for the tip. You’ll notice that the growth rings of the bamboo are closer together on the bottom of the cane, or butt section, and are farther apart on the top, or tip section. With a good piece of bamboo you can get one 2-tip rod and one 1-piece rod if you’re careful in how it’s split.

Next is the Node preparation, which involves sanding down all the growth rings - sanding and pressing the nodes (which are on the outside of the bamboo) as you want them to be flat.

The bamboo is straightened with a node press, then with an alcohol lamp or heat gun heat to straighten it out (John said that at this point the bamboo looks like a snake) You need to get all the turns out - the straighter the strips the better, the more preparation work you do now the less you’ll have to do later. The bamboo is straightened by using the lamp to heat it up, then you bend and manipulate it with your gloved hands. John said you can move and straighten it with the heat, adding that he can straighten a rod with a “set” in it by using an iron - and it will stay straight.

Next you begin planing untapered bevels into each of the strips of the fly rod. The bamboo is run through a machine that has a straight tapered groove of 60 degrees in it, and you must plane one side of each strip against one of the 30-degree beveled sides of the form. The angle on the bamboo must fit in the planing form down to ¼ inch strips or triangles.

After this step is completed, the six strips of the rod need to be glued and bound - to be continued next week!

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A second informational meeting for the Beamoc Chapter of Trout Unlimited was held on Friday, July 25 at the Roscoe Library under the capable leadership of Laura Colangelo. A number of interested people attended, and the Chapter will be officially launched this weekend at Summerfest. 

Mark your calendars for Saturday and Sunday, August 2nd and 3rd - it’s Summerfest! The Catskill Fly Fishing Center & Museum has been preparing for their fun gala midsummer festival for weeks; and this year’s event promises to be a great one.

 Beginning at 9 am each day and running Saturday and Sunday till 4 pm, Summerfest is a Free Fly Fishing Festival and a family friendly event. Held rain or shine on the beautiful grounds of the CFFC, there will be free admission to the Museum, Kids activities such as Kids Fly-Tying and “Bug Hunt”, live music, Raffles, a Barbecue and local beer, Fly Tying demonstrations for adults, and plenty of Vendors of Angling and Artifacts down on the field along the pond, including the Trout Unlimited tent for sign-up and registration for the newly launched Beamoc Chapter. Note that TU is offering a year’s membership for new members at a reduced price of just $17.50. Member benefits include a one-year subscription to TROUT magazine, a TU calendar, an official membership card, discounts on car rentals and hotels, a TU decal, and membership in a local chapter. Additionally, $15 of the $17.50 membership fee is rebated to the local chapter - Beamoc.

And not to be missed at Summerfest is the Hardy Cup! The Hardy Cup is an annual Bamboo Rod casting competition that is held on Saturday from 10 am till 4 pm, free of charge. Participants may use only one bamboo fly rod by any maker (past or present.) 

The goal is to cast for distance as well as accuracy, and is fun to watch or participate in. Sponsored by Hardy Brothers Ltd., prizes are awarded for the top three winners: as in the past, First Prize wins a Hardy Rod and Reel, Second Prize a Hardy Reel, and Third Prize a Hardy Rod!

For more information or for registration, please visit https://cffcm.com/eventscalendar/2025/8/2/summerfest-catskill-fly-fishing-festival-amp-hardy-cup-competition

See you at Summerfest!

Judy Van Put is a long-time member of the NYS Outdoor Writers Association and is the recipient of the New York State Council of Trout Unlimited’s Professional Communications Award.