Custom vs Off the Rack
Type of Guides
Feather Inlays
Choosing a Blank
Reel Seats
Selecting A Grip
Making The Grip
Recommendations
Gallery
“Hello, my name is
Dennis and I am a rod building addict.”
probably started as a boy helping my dad re-wrapping and refinishing the
bamboo rods that we used in the early 50s. Then I moved to glass, where
I would, on occasion, have to replace a tip top, a guide or add an
extra ferrule after making a 2 piece into a 3 piece unintentionally.
When graphite came along my dad built rods for us. These were first
generation graphite with a parabolic action. I fished these until the
newer generations of graphite came along. Then I took a rod
building class. That was the beginning of my true addiction, spending
less and less time at fly tying bench, and more and more time wrapping
rods. I “needed” one more blank. I studied the physics of of the rods
looking at deflection ratings, resonance frequencies, the modulus of
graphite and tapers. After about seventy five rods, my technical
understanding, and skills had increased tremendously but I was still
building pretty generic looking rods. I wanted my rods to stand out. I
started increasing the complexity of the feather inlays and began
building my own grips. I started adding art to the process. Today I
think I build as good a rod (technically) as can be built and make them
into what I consider a working piece of art. Currently, I only build
about twenty rods a year. Each is different and unique. If you would
like to own one of these special, one of a kind fly rods, please
contact me. I’m not trying to make a living building rods, I do it
because I love it.
If you have any questions my email address is dennis@harperflyrods.com