Bob Clay instructional videos

[CDCdun]

I have been doing a lot of spey fishing for steelhead lately and have been all over the internet scouring information. I came across April Vokey’s website and saw that she and Mr. Bob Clay are putting together a “masterclass” on bamboo rod making. It will be a series of videos that will follow Bob Clay as he goes through the process he uses of making a bamboo fly rod. It won’t be free, and the price seems a little steep, but if it contains good information it may be helpful to some of us here. It isn’t available quite yet, but should be soon. I thought some here might be interested in it.

https://courses.anchoredoutdoors.com/co ... h-bob-clay

Jake

[Jdcross]

I watched his promo video.
It sure sounds interesting.
A bit pricey yes but for a novice like me I think I would learn a lot.

[AlexP]

Thanks for posting. I also watched the promo video and it sounds very interesting, specially for somebody like me that does not know anything about building a rod.

Are there any other makers that might have instructional videos online? Either free or for a fee like this one? There are some really good ones for tying flies, but I have not come across any high quality ones for rod building.

Thanks

Alex

[Chased]

Thanks for posting. I also watched the promo video and it sounds very interesting, specially for somebody like me that does not know anything about building a rod.

Are there any other makers that might have instructional videos online? Either free or for a fee like this one? There are some really good ones for tying flies, but I have not come across any high quality ones for rod building.

Thanks

Alex

There are a few free videos that I know of floating around Youtube and Vimeo. Mostly short "overview" type videos. There's a series by Farmington River Rods on youtube that are nice. I'm betting the $200 spent on the Bob Clay master class will be worth its weight in gold.

[lkbamboo]

This "renowned" bamboo "rod builder" doesn't seem to know the difference between "Rod Builder" and "Rod Maker"

Builder "to build or form by putting together parts" so I assume he doesn't make the blanks

Maker "to bring into existence by shaping or changing material"

You build a Graphite Rod and you make a bamboo rod

That's why we call them "Rodmakers Gatherings"

Lowell

[norcal_1]

speaking of Bob Clay, Art Lindgren wrote a book about him recently. It's sold out most places in the US but is still available at Oscars Sports in Canada (www.oscarssports.com) for I think $30 plus shipping.

[CDCdun]

This "renowned" bamboo "rod builder" doesn't seem to know the difference between "Rod Builder" and "Rod Maker"

Builder "to build or form by putting together parts" so I assume he doesn't make the blanks

Maker "to bring into existence by shaping or changing material"

You build a Graphite Rod and you make a bamboo rod

That's why we call them "Rodmakers Gatherings"

Lowell

Semantics. Bob Clay is certainly a renowned bamboo rod maker. He is very well known for his bamboo spey rods, which he makes from the culm on the banks of the kispiox river. They are highly regarded by most everyone who casts a spey rod and cares about bamboo. Out of curiosity, if I make my own bamboo blanks from the culm, and then purchase the parts needed to finish the rod, guides, reel seat, etc...am I bamboo rod maker, or a builder, or perhaps both?

Jake

[Tim Anderson]

Oh yes, Bob Clay is certainly a "maker" of Bamboo fly rods. I agree with Jake, "builder" vs. "maker' is a semantic question and in no way should Bob's use of the word "builder" denigrate his work as a truly great rod maker.

I, personally, find the supposed distinction between builder and maker somewhat amusing. I got into making bamboo rods mostly because of German rod makers. The only German word for one of us is Rutenbauer, which translates directly to rod builder and not to rod maker.

Tim

[henkverhaar]

Or how about the equally artificial distinction between 'home builder' and 'home maker' (or homemaker) - in this 'set' the 'builder' is clearly the entity creating the home/house from scratch, whereas the 'maker' is the entity taking the bare house and turning it into a home by attaching stuff'...

As said, semantics. I bet that the distinction was only created when (plastic) blanks became readily available, allowing non-professionals (and small time builders) to finish their own rods?

[Tim Anderson]

And for those who like the semantic distinction between builder and maker, consider this. I make the components of my rods (well, everything except the guides) and build the rod from those components.

Tim

[Jdcross]

I enrolled.
Builder or Maker Bob Clay knows much more than I.
I plan to learn a lot.

[BigTJ]

Keep us posted on how you like it. Can the classes be permanently downloaded or are you only allowed to view them for a certain period?

[kermit]

With the large number of free YouTube bamboo rod making vid's available, I cant see paying $197. This may be a good vid to complement the Morgan Hand Mill manual, if that's what you use.

[Jdcross]

BigTJ, I understand I can watch the videos for an unlimited period but no downloads.

Kermit, I've never built or made a bamboo rod. Am refurbishing an old Hardy and have two Sharpe Scotties.

Am fascinated by the process of making a bamboo rod so would like to watch how it's done by a person who fishes the same waters I do.
I don't have any equipment at all.

[kermit]

I published this for free. Although not a vid. it is very informative. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1BE2 ... _vtHo/edit

[AlexP]

I am in the same boat than Jdcross. Fascinated by the process and no equipment at all.... Although there are some videos in YouTube, what I have seen lacks the type of instruction I am expecting in this class. For example, in the Farmington videos mentioned above, the maker does state that he keeps some of his techniques, secret. Although I appreciate his free videos, they might not be as useful as Bob Clay's class.

I will enroll and hope I am not disappointed.

Thanks for everybody's input, especially Kermit for that document, appreciate it.

[oddsnrods]

I became interested in bamboo just before the internet came along and it took me 5 years to gather the basic knowledge and equipment required to get things going; then yet more years to jump in to figure out how to do it. Almost 30 years later, I now consider that I just may have served my 'apprenticeship' , although after almost 40 rods of various types- I am still still learning.

Good luck to Bob Clay and his video series.

Malcolm

[Jdcross]

I’m watching the video series now.
I fly fish for steelhead on the Skeena river system with a Spey rod.
Bob is building a hollow five sided 11’ Spey rod in the class so it’s very interesting to me.
The part on hollowing and making spliced joints is quite amazing.

[Jdcross]

I published this for free. Although not a vid. it is very informative. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1BE2 ... _vtHo/edit

Kermit

Thank you for sharing your booklet.
You are right it is very informative.
You do beautiful work

Jim

[3creeks]

I paid for the video on Anchored and for the money I think it falls a little short. While it's interesting to me to watch him plane a rod with the Morgan Handmill, which I'm entertaining thoughts about buying eventually, I think it does a disservice to the majority of the subscribers to show that technique. So few people are going to buy one of those that it's kind of useless. I also think Bob skips over a lot of detail that a beginner would need to know. It's almost an intermediate class more than a beginner's. That said, I'm all in on anything bamboo and I am picking up helpful tips in almost every segment. Stick to free Youtube stuff if you're a beginner.