Library

The Rod Builders Library of Books, Videos, Magazines & other items that might be of interest to the Custom Rod Builder. (We are not offering all of these books and videos for sale, just suggesting titles for your library.)

Books

These following books should available through your local rod building supply store, your local library, or a mail order store:

Rod-Building Guide, Fly, Spinning, Casting, Trolling. Tom Kirkman. TThink you need an engineering degree to build your own rod? Think again. Building your own rod is challenging, rewarding, & fun! Covers: blanks & components; rod-building tools; adhesive & bonding techniques; understanding rod spine; grip, handle, & seat assembly; guide placement, prep & wrapping, & more. Easy-to-understand text. A book a beginner can understand & from which an old pro can learn some new techniques. 100 full color photos; 8x11 inches, 50 pgs, soft cover, $14.95

Graphite Rod Repair, L.A. Garcia, Repairing breaks, removing and replacing guides, etc. A new book just out. 5 1/2 x 8 1/2, 32 pgs, soft cover, $8.95.

Hand Crafting A Graphite Fly Rod, L.A. Garcia, 80 full color step by step photographs, from selecting a blank to completing the wraps for a professional looking rod. 8 1/2 x 11, 48 pp, soft cover, $15.95.

Do It Yourself Rod Building, Bill Stinson, A good instruction al book with photographs, making custom rod building easy for beginners. Covers all types of rods. 5 1/2 x 8 1/2, 80 pp, softcover, $8.95.

Fiberglass Rod Making, Dale Clemens, The original custom rod building book. Though some of the material is now a little dated, it is still valid and useful for the novice custom rod builder. 7 x 10, 212 pp soft cover, $12.95. (Out of Print)

Advanced Custom Rod Building, Dale Clemens, The definitive book on custom rod building. Covers it all from A to Z, from the making of a rod blank to little tricks and tools you can make yourself. A must have! 8 1/2 x 11 3/4, 348 pp, hard cover, $29.95.(Out of Print)

Custom Rod Thread Art, Dale Clemens, The definitive book on layout and construction of decorative Butt Wraps. Contains over 100 individual patterns. 7 1/4 x 10 1/4, 221 pp, hard cover, $29.95 (Out of Print)

Step by Step Rod Building, Flex Coat, Booklet covers all phases of rod building; rod design, cork handles, determining the spine, foam handles, wrapping and finishing, etc. Great for beginners on a budget. 5 x 8, 50 pp, Booklet $5.95.

Start to Finish Fly Rod Building, Flex Coat, Guides you through every stage of fly rod design and construction in logical easy to follow manner. 5 x 8, 52 pp, Booklet $13.00.

Decorative Rod Wrapping Guides, Flex Coat, 2 informative guides open into wall charts that show you step by step how to do a particular butt wrap pattern. These are simplified for the person who doesn't want to get real involved in decorative wrapping, but wants something quick.Guide Book 1 - Covers the Diamond, Flag, Fish, Box wraps, $4.95, Guide Book II - Covers the Maze, Thunderbird, Cross, Tuna wraps, $4.95.

Rod Building & Repair, Len Head, A comprehensive manual on rod building in the English style also provides in-depth guidance on selecting and designing rods. 6 1/4 x 9 1/4, 100 pp, hard cover, $22.95.

Bamboo Rods and How to Build Them, Claude Kreider, A 40 year old book, well illustrated and updated with current information. 5 1/2 x 8, 140 pp, soft cover, $15.95.

Hand crafting Bamboo Fly Rods, Wayne Cattanach, Everything you need to know to build your own bamboo fly rod, including a list of suppliers. 242 pp, Binder $40.00.

Bamboo Rod Restoration and Repair, Michael Sinclair, A unique and invaluable reference book on identifying, collecting and restoring old bamboo rods. 208 pp, Spiral bound $25.00.

A Master's Guide to Building A Bamboo Fly Rod, Everett Garrison and Hoagy Carmichael, The classic and probably the best book on the construction and repair of bamboo fly rods. This has been reprinted and updated in a small edition of 1500 copies. Every serious rod builder and collector should own a copy of this book. 9 x 11 1/2, 296 pp, hard cover w/Slip case $75.00.

Best of the Planing Form, a collection of articles, drawings and essays from The Planing Form. Of interest to anyone who loves making or fishing with bamboo fly rods. black & white photos, 208 pp, soft cover, $29.95

Classic Bamboo Rod Makers, Dick Spurr, Biographical sketches and photos of many famous bamboo craftsman. Great reading. Softcover, $14.95

Complete Book of Tackle Making, C. Boyd Pfeiffer, 25 inclusive chapters covering tools, spinners, bucktails, jigs, sinkers, plastic lures & plugs, wire leaders, painting & finishing, methods, basic & decorative wraps, knots & splices, tackle care & repair, suppliers, manufacturers. 800 B/w illus. & line drawings; 8x11 inches, 544 pgs. Softcover : $19.95

Videos

Custom Rod Building with Doc Ski, Michael Fowlkes Prod., 2 1/2 Hrs., a video with detailed instructions on building saltwater rods, somewhat long, but all the information is there. $29.95

Advanced Weaving Techniques with Doc Ski, Michael Fowlkes Prod., 2 1/2 Hrs., another excellent video from one of the masters of decorative weaving which also includes 2 weaving patterns for Yellowfin Tuna. Again somewhat long but full of information. $29.95

Hand Crafting a Graphite Fly Rod, L.A. Garcia, 1 Hr., a video covering building a fly rod from start to finish. Choosing a blank, mounting guides, handles, reel seats, and finishing. Covers it all. $19.95

How to Build a Fly Rod with Bill Marts, Hooked on Fly Fishing, 1Hr., Another excellent video showing the tips and techniques of building a fly rod from start to finish. $19.95

Advanced Rod Building Techniques, Artie Herbert, A nice somewhat homemade style of production covering many different techniques and accessories. Many useful items in here. $19.95

Magazines

RodMaker Magazine, An excellent, high quality, large format glossy paper magazine for the custom rod builder. Started in 1998, it includes articles, how to's, hints, troubleshooting, reviews, etc. Published bimonthly at $19.95 year for U.S. subscriptions, RodMaker Magazine, P.O. Box 1322, High Point, NC 27261 Phone 336 882 3226

The Bamboo Fly Rod, The magazine for anglers, builders, collectors and dreamers. Articles, technical and otherwise on the design, building, care and fishing of cane fly rods. Published bimonthly at $19.95 year for U.S. subscriptions. The Bamboo Fly Rod, Focus Outdoor Publishing Inc. 1442 E. Lincoln Ave. #318, Orange, Ca 92865 Phone 714 921 1964

The Planing Form, For those who make and appreciate the split bamboo fly rod. A periodical dedicated to the building of split cane fly rods. The Planing Form, P.O. Box 365, Hastings, MI 49058 - Contact Ron Barch

Miscellaneous

International Game Fish Association, The organization that is the word on game fish records and now also is maintaining state records. International Game Fish Association, 1301 East Atlantic Boulevard, Pompano Beach, FL 33060, Phone 954 941 3474.

 We will be adding to this list as we go. This will include any recent releases along with any that I might have inadvertently missed in this initial offering.