Catherine Creek is a local creek I enjoy fishing. It is perfect for small, cane rods, the kind I first became interested in making. I build only a few rods per year. That way I can put the detail that I believe each needs into the rods.

Building

I build each rod by hand. I start by picking the right culm for the rod I will be making. Generally, I flame the cane, and then split it to get me the number of splines needed. Nodes are heated, pressed and filed to get the level af flattness and straightness needed. The splines are rough planed, oven tempered, and then final planed. This gives me the blank to build the rod.

Next, ferrule stations are added, ferrules, grip and realseat are fitted. Snake and stripping guides are wrapped, finish applied, and then the entire rod is dipped in varnish and hung to dry in my drying cabinet. It all sounds very simple, but it does take some time to complete.

Our Company

The company is mostly me, though my wife does make the rod bags and wants to get more involved in the business. I do have a full-time job other than rodmaking, so for me it is more about doing something I enjoy than anything. I hope that this attitude comes through the in rods that I make for people.