So let’s take a look at it. If you are collecting rods as an investment, well that’s a whole different world, there are vintage rods from known builders who are no longer with us, therefore the number of available rods is what it is and not gonna get any better! As we all know some of these rods fetch a small fortune! I don’t know much about this game. There are also some well know modern builders, some of these rods can be sold for what you pay for them almost as soon as you get them, wait a while and you might even make a few bucks! “You pays your money and takes your chances!”

Now let’s talk about rods for fishing! It’s important to know that fly rods are not meant to be one size fits all! No more than trying to play golf with only a putter! Or at least if you want to get the best out of them they’re not. Bamboo fly rods are at their best fishing dry flies and casting them to the range that they are designed for. Now this may sound like a conflict to what was just said, but you can find a rod that is in the middle of the range that will fit many conditions! Let’s say a 7’9” (one of my personal favorites!) this rod can work on smallish streams as it isn’t to long, and is yet long enough to do quite well on a lake or swing those wets and streamers… and yes even nymphs with … well enough about the nymph stuff! But you get the picture.

Let’s specialize here! On those small streams, you know the ones that are real bushy and tight quarters, now you would be better off with a 6′ – 7′ rod that will throw a 3 to 4 wt line and can cast a few feet of line and a short leader with the utmost in accuracy! These rods can make that type of fishing an entire sport in itself! Unfortunately in our quest for that ‘do all’ rod most of these rods are overlooked, and they are just too much fun to pass up! Mid size streams, how about a 71/2′ to that 7’9” rod that will throw a 4/5 wt line? Gives you just what you need to stretch out a bit! For those wets, streamers, and nymphs, maybe an 8′ – 81/2′ rod for a 6/7 wt line. Now there are those of you who are fortunate enough to go after salmon or even salt water varieties! Well I don’t know much about this game but I wouldn’t want to be caught short here, maybe one of those 10′ – 16′ two handed jobs!

OK, so now we have and idea what we might want. Today there are as many rod builders as there are fly fishermen! Or at least it seems that way. You have a great deal of rods to chose from in all price ranges. There are many gatherings where you can go out and cast several rods by many different makers. First hint here: Leave your machismo at home! “What the hell do you mean by that?” you say! Well if you spend the time you have test casting fly rods trying to impress the crowd by throwing the entire fly line… you are not giving yourself the opportunity to find out if this rod is really what you want and need (unless you’re gonna use it in a casting tournament) Cast the rod at the distance you are going to fish it! Try to hit that leaf out there at 10 ft. then 30 ft. maybe out to 50 ft. on the longer ones, pay attention to how you can form a loop, is it effortless? Take a good look at the rod, do you really like it? Does it fit you? Does it just feel right? Is the handle comfortable in your hand? Now you are truly trying to find a rod that’s for you. Or you are close. At least when you go to your builder you can start out at the right point.

So to sum up, don’t buy a putter and expect to be able to drive a ball 350 yards. with it. And don’t buy a 6′ 3 wt for Atlantic Salmon!

Oh and about that rod you were test casting…the one that just fits you? Try like hell to get the maker to sell you that rod! Don’t take no for an answer! You may never find one exactly like that again! And remember if this rod is from a well known maker and you decide you really don’t like it, chances are pretty good that you can sell it and get your money back to buy that next one!

And remember as a friend of mine told me when his wife asked him: “Just how many rods do you need?”

His answer: “One more!”

Joe

So by now you have already bought a book or two… you know you have! And in the back of your mind you are saying to yourself, “I can learn how and have a bunch of nice rods, and then start selling some and make back my investment!” maybe even do this for a living! Well this may be true, especially the first part of that statement, but it’s a hard row to hoe! So here’s the first piece of advise…take a class! Today there are a great deal of choices in people offering classes, everything you can think of from one week classes with several students, which can be a blast, to one on one classes which can also be fun. Just depends on how you are wired and the time you have to dedicate to learning this craft.

Next thing to consider, how many rods do you want to build? I really don’t think you can know that, you might think you do, but you may change your mind after you cut yourself, smash your fingers, glue yourself together and just totally frustrate yourself on that first rod. Second bit of advise…don’t give up! You can do it! You may just decide that it is not for you. That being said, what about all the tools? Well if at all possible you should seek out a class that will give you a complete rod at the end of the session. Maybe a rod with only one tip, but a rod you can actually fish with (two tips is better) I know that when I was teaching I would take the student through the whole process and show them how to dip the first coat of varnish on the rod. This gives you a complete rod that should get a couple of more coats of varnish. I would offer to do the final couple of dips as time gets stretched out here while you wait for the varnish to dry! If your instructor furnishes all the tools and materials, you end up with a rod and a decision on whether you want to pursue making more rods, thus tooling up (this can be expensive) but at least you haven’t bought a bunch of tools that you won’t use anymore (planing forms make very expensive pry bars!)

Now how about just buying a rod? “What!!!” you say. Why are we talking about that? Well if you are thinking that you might build your own and save money…let’s take a look at that. So a class will probably cost you about $1000. You will build a rod, maybe a very nice rod (probably, hopefully!) so let’s say you have a rod that cost you $1000 and a week of your life. Not a bad deal since it is a blast to do. But how do you start to recoup that investment? Remember you told SWMBO that this was the plan! OK now you have to spend another $1000 or so getting tooled up! And believe me I am talking about the bare minimum if you are very well disciplined! If you’re like me…well let’s just say there is a Bridgeport milling machine and four lathes, couple of belt sanders, oven, presses, dies, well you get the picture!

Back to buying rods, if you have invested in rods made by well known builders the chances of getting your money out of them is pretty good, you may even make a few bucks, that is the only reason we are talking about buying… kinda goes with that little thing you said about ‘an investment’

So make a choice and have fun, maybe do both!

Remember that you have been bitten, all we can do is try different ‘treatments’ …

There is no known cure to man!

Enjoy…he he!

If you want an easy way out…Here it is!

Joe

Well like everything else I do, going out and buying all the tools is not an option…you gotta make them! So I set out making a forge…first one…Oh yes one won’t be enough! First one, charcoal burning forge (still in use) then a forced air propane one! Well that’s out of the way, they both work pretty well! Now an anvil, had to find a good one, couldn’t make that! Hammers (more than one) Now I need a belt sander for 2 inch belts, made that! Well we are in pretty good shape here, let’s get to work!

Well I found some old leaf springs that are a good source of steel and got to it, made about a half dozen knives and each one was getting better! Now we need sheaths for these knives so I had to teach myself how to do the leather work to make the sheaths! So I am running around showing off my handy work. “I’ll take that one” one guy said! “I really like that one” someone else said, how much? Next thing you know all my knives are gone! “You gonna make Damascus?” somebody asked me. No I don’t think so…well it wasn’t long and I was forge welding steel to make Damascus blades!

Well one thing led to another and I was asked to make a knife for Todd Helton (1^st baseman for the Rockies!) then Todd called me and asked me to make a knife for one of his team mates (Jason Giambi) and so goes the story…thing is I really need to get my bamboo fly rods done and these knives take up a bunch of the very limited time I have! What a problem to have, huh?

Well the moral of the story is…I need to retire and start working on the stuff I like to do! Period

Now who in the world would come up with a retirement plan like that? I need to retire so I can get to work…sheeeeeesh!

You don’t have to be crazy to be a bamboo rod maker…but it does help!

Joe

Photos and engraving by Jeff Graham

Click on the thumnail for larger view,

Thank you for your interest,

Joe E. Arguello

The last couple of year I have been spending a great deal of time doing R&D, making tools, and refining my processes. I am now in a position where I can make everything that goes into one of my rods. The only thing that I am not making on my rods currently is the tip tops, but I do have a design I am developing, I should be offering them soon. I feel that I am not only making truly custom rods but I am making some of the finest rods available at any cost. There is just something about drawn reel seat hardware that give the rods a warm custom feel to them. I have also acquired a roll stamp to put my name on the butt cap. This hardware can be fitted with whatever kind of wood and I have come to use Olive wood from Jerusalem as my standard filler wood, but there are options that I will consider. The lines of the drawn hardware are just right and they don’t have that machined look.

As I stated in one of my previous blog posts, I started making agate stripping guides by cutting and polishing the agates, this is so time consuming that I had to quite making them. I have recently found a source for finished agate rings and have started making my agate stripping guides once again. The frames are hand twisted from 18% nickel silver wire and the stones are bezeled in 18% nickel silver bezel material. The agate stripping guides are made to jewelry quality and are the finest available. Snake guides that are hand twisted out of spring tempered wire can be made just the way I want them and I feel that the nice flat profile when you look at them from the side is not only pleasing to the eye but also has less resistance to a fly line as it makes it’s way through them. I prefer the English reverse twist as do many of my customers.

Ferrules made from both nickel silver tubing and also drawn from flat nickel silver stock can be made to look and function better than anything commercially available. They can be sized to fit a taper exactly. All hardware is offered in both silver or oxidized. Upon the choice of hardware, everything is considered to make the rod as ascetically pleasing as possible. The finest cork avalable is used for the handles. Fine silk of the proper color is used to wrap the guides onto the rod blank, as well as the signature and ferrule wraps. I shoot for a very simple understated beauty, not unlike that of a fine English double barrel shotgun!

Last but not least I have recently modified my forms, which I made before I ever made the first rod, to incorporate a swelled butt when desired, this will be the standard unless someone wants a very specific taper. Each rod is hand inked by myself with my name, the rod length and a serial number which is made up of the year and number of rod for that year. I finish my rods in several coats of varnish which are carefully applied to obtain a flawless finish. A rod bag is sewn, by myself to fit the rod perfectly and a powder coated aluminium tube is fitted to the rod. Leather rod tubes are in the future.

So to sum up I am offering truly fine custom made Bamboo fly rods that are the result of many years of experience and always striving to improve on my technique. I feel that I am in complete control of the process and can make a rod that is one of a kind. My customers find themselves in possession of a fly rod they can use for a lifetime and hand down as a family heirloom. Rarely do you see a J.E. Arguello fly rod on the secondary market and I am very proud to say that my customer do not give up their custom rods.

I take great pride in my work and would be happy to make you a truly custom fly rod you will cherish.

Thank you,

Joe E. Arguello

When I first got started, all I had to go on was what was published in whatever book I could find, the internet was in it’s infancy and there was very little published on the subject, to be fair my computer skills were very limited at best and Google was not even in existence! And to get my hands on an old Payne, Dickerson or Garrison…well dream on! So I built the rods as I found a taper, as I stated in one of my earlier posts, the first rod I made was built on a taper that I got from “The Bamboo Rod” by Claude M. Kreider this taper is published in that book and is in 6” increments, so I had to put it into a piece of graph paper and extrapolate the numbers to 5” since I had built my forms to be set as such! Well cut to the chase here Joe… I built the rod, it was a 5 wt. End of story! And so it was for quite some time. I would find a taper, build the rod, and carefully ink the line size on it. Well you know if you keep at this for a while you’re gonna build several rods… you’re gonna cast them… hopefully you’re gonna fish some of them! At some point you may forget your reel with the DT- 5 line and only have the one with the WF – 6 on it, well I hope you don’t decide to go home because you don’t have the ‘right’ line size, you know the one that you so carefully inked on the rod! So you decide that you will fish with the ‘wrong’ line although your day is already headed in the wrong direction! Little do you know that this is the best thing that could have happened to you! And one more thing, there’s something about the sound of running water, birds singing, the smell of the wild flowers and last but not least the sight of a rising trout that just seems to melt all your troubles away…even the idea that the line does not match the number that you so carefully inked on your new DT- 5 wt. Rod! Now comes the reward… you start to notice how easily you can place the fly right where you want it! Much better than the last time you fished it with a DT -5 wt. Line! You start to notice how effortless you can form a narrow tight loop. You start to notice that this rod really shines! Now if you can approach this experience with and open mind, you are well on your way! Well that is how it happened, I then started trying different lines on different rods… hummmm! Next step… well you just can’t start asking other peoples opinion on line sizes on rods that you build, especially asking them to cast a rod with a line other than the one you so carefully inked just below your name … under several coats of varnish, now can you? So I decided to not put the line size designation on my rods any longer! Now comes the next revelation… you know I am a pretty fair caster, and I know of at least one of my Bamboo rod building friends who is a certified casting instructor! What I have found out is that we all have different casting styles! Case in point I had a rod that I loved with a 4 wt. Line, the person that bought it, just had to have that 5 wt rod! Go figure. Then there is the water you are fishing, you know is it big water where you need to cast a bit farther, small water were you need to cast 20 ft. max.? There are countless variables in play here. I personally really like the idea that I am not stuck to a line size that is so carefully inked on the rod, right there under the maker’s name next to the serial number! We are free to try out different lines and find the one that fits the rod for our casting style and fishing conditions!

Now to sum up, this in no way implies that the builder you get to make that dream rod can’t build you a 5 wt. Rod if you ask for one, most builders today have all the information, tools and skills to do just that. What this is all about is simply to say that you should try different lines (sizes, makes, types) maybe you will find that the rod of your dreams has been in your hands all along! You may even want to ask the builder to build you a 5 wt… “uh, but can you not ink the line size on the signature please?” I’m sure you will not offend the builder and if you do, well … it’s your rod! Or maybe you can just ignore the carefully inked line size designation because…

There’s something about the sound of running water, birds singing, the smell of the wild flowers and last but not least the sight of a rising trout that just melts all your troubles away!

Let’s go fishing…oh wait… gotta get that garden in first!

Joe

Well I did make several agate stripping guides for rods I was making, what a job! I once said: “If I were to get paid for the time it takes to make a stripping guide, I would have to charge $600 for each one!”  Well as luck would have it agate stripping guides became available right about then, and they were selling for around $25 ea. What a bargain! I quit making them!

Recently, I found a source for agate rings, cool, back in production! I have been stocking up as my supplier has only been able to get me a hundred or two at a time I have been buying them as they become available. I put the word out that I had some when I first got a shipment and was willing to sell some agate strippers to other rod makers. I have made and sold about 200 of them and everybody really likes them! I ran out of rings and even though I have since stocked up I decided that I would not make anymore until I got caught up with my rod orders, is that going to happen? Don’t know! One nice thing is that since I do this as a hobby, things can change as I find time.

Well, there you have it, one of many tangents I have taken, as a craftsman this is way too much fun!

Reminds me of the time I decided to make a knife and the path I took with the knives…

Oh but wait … that’s another story…

stay tuned!

Joe

So I parked my truck in the designated area and immediately went over to see what was in the sign in log, as I suspected the same names that are usually on the log were there! Guys are doing great on nymphs as I suspected! Well I got dressed and headed down to the river, just a short walk. The flow was a bit low but perfect all the same! I had tied on a size 22 BWO, I like to use this as a starting point this time of year, it can be taken as a midge so I feel it’s a good place to start, I’m never real confident about anything top side this time of the year! I had a 7 ft. 2 pc rod based on a Garrison 202e taper (one of my favorites) a Hardy featherweight reel (an old one with the 2 screw line guard) and a silk line! Just doesn’t get any better than that! As always I have to stand and admire my set up for a while, just part of the experience! Hum, I think I need to furl up some new leaders…

I fished for about an hour and didn’t see much action… kept thinking about my old friend sitting in his recliner… God bless him! As I got to the hole where I was gonna get out of the river, there was a guy fiddling with a pump that supplies the sprinklers for the lawn. I could see from a distance that he was struggling a bit so I walked over and offered my help. “Thanks, but I’ve got it” he said. “I go through this every year, just have to prime the pump” Well, we introduced ourselves and come to find out he is the owners son in law! You know good people seem to flock together and I got the feeling that he was also a very nice man. We talked for a while and I decided to leave him to his chores. So I walked back up to the truck and got my gear off. Signed the log sheet… # of fish - 2 nice rainbows – type of fly?… uh, uh… OK, I used a nymph, size 22 glass bead head brassie! I have a very small box I keep hidden in a very dark, deep pocket inside my vest just for this day, when there’s not much going on and I don’t want to get skunked the first day of the season! No strike indicator just a tight line drift! Fished it the last 15 minutes of the day! And now you know one of my darkest secrets!

So that was my first day out, didn’t get skunked, did an inventory of my gear, met a new friend, and most importantly got to see my old friend.

The day was a success!

Funny little side story, when my customer contacted me to order his rods (2) he said that he had been in Denver recently on business, said that he had wanted to look me up but ran out of time. Well if you click the link above and start to read the excerpt from Ed’s book you see that he starts out by saying:

“May 1998. Joe Arguello and I are sitting in the Double Tree Restaurant in Platteville, Colorado, enjoying the afterglow of our first couple of bites into the rather large steak sandwiches…”

My customer told me that even though he didn’t have time to look me up he was able to go to the Double Tree and eat the steak sandwiches … twice… “best steak sandwiches I ever ate” he said! Now that is a cool story, although I wish we could have met in person! Man’s gotta have his priorities straight and it is obvious to the most casual observer that the steak sandwich would be mine also!

So back to the beginning of the fishing season as Joe sees it. As I like to fish dries almost exclusively, things for me don’t really start popping until the middle of May or June, (there’s always the Mother’s day Caddis hatch on the Arkansas) but there is always that chance that you might hit it just right and get into a midge hatch or if it clouds up and cools off a bit you might get into one of the best days of BWO fishing ever! Besides that, it gives me the opportunity to figure out how my gear is holding up and what needs refreshing.

And the truth be told…

Joe don’t like cold weather anymore!… Or too much wind! …And that’s just the way it is!

Joe E. Arguello

So back to that first rod… I have always admired Winston rods and the company of old. I was quite heart broken when I heard some noise about the break up of the Bamboo rod shop, seems that like so many companies driven either by greed or necessity they decided to outsource some of the rod building off shore! Seems that this is the way of the world, same thing seems to be happening at Hardy or has already happened! Sigh…But then there is the bright side…The beginning of the Sweetgrass Rod Company… good job guys! You know what they say… “If you don’t stand for something, you will fall for anything” I respect people that don’t sell out for the almighty dollar! Ok enough of that, this is getting into politics.

Ok, well that is why I decided to built a Winston taper, at that time I ‘knew’ that it would probably not do the name justice (I was pleasantly surprised) How I agonized over every single detail of that build! Plane a bit… measure … plane a bit more… measure… reset the forms… plane … How the hell do you hold this scraper plane, what a piece of … OK, I’m starting to drive myself crazier just thinking about it! Oh and I did learn how to hold that scraper and use it all the time now… come to think about it I learned a lot on that first rod, a whole lot!

So I made reference in my last post that the first rod belonged to my Son, Leon. How did that happen? Well Leon and a couple of his friends decided to move to California in search of a music career, or at least that is what they told me. He was crazy about playing his guitar and still does so I guess that was as good a reason as any. While he was here we used to fish quite a bit. Anyway his birthday came around and as I was getting ready to write a check to put in his birthday card, I thought I would call him up and see if there was anything he would rather have than money! Imagine that, like the new commercial on TV now a days the question that jumps out is “Who wouldn’t want more money?” Well, he didn’t answer the phone, and it was quite some time before he answered my ‘call me’ message, to the point that his birthday came and went! I thought I would teach him a lesson and tell him I was gonna… but! I was lying in the bushes in wait! Then he called and I sprung into action… well I was gonna send you a check in the card you got (minus one check! he he) but since you didn’t answer my call I didn’t know what you wanted, so now your present is gonna be late! he he… That’s OK dad, he said, but remember a while back you asked me what I wanted for my birthday? Well, ‘I have been thinking’… I want the first Bamboo rod you built!

I should have known at ‘I have been thinking’ that I was gonna get the short end of that deal! Kinda like the time we were on our way home from a fishing trip and he said ‘Dad I’ve been thinking’…What’s that? I asked. “I’ll trade you my spinning rod for that old bamboo rod you have in the closet at home!” Hummmm, seems to me that I owned both those rods, and the bamboo rod in question was the first decent rod I ever owned! An Ed M. Hunter approved! Still have it! Though I think he got to use it for some time! Gotta watch that boy when he says “I’ve been thinking!” Usually doesn’t work out so well for Dad!

And that is how Leon wound up owning the first J.E. Arguello bamboo rod ever built!

Thanks for listening,

Joe