Olivia Elia
Smolt
Earlier this year, I was contacted by Justin Mitchell, an advanced angler, historian, and collector of all things fly fishing. Justin wanted me to build him a bamboo fly fishing rod, and he had an interesting idea behind what type of rod he wanted.
I invited Justin over to discuss what type of rod he wanted made. As he walked in the door, Justin set a big bag down on the work bench. As he opened up the bag, he explained his idea.
Justin had brought over 7 different reels ranging from modern reels to super old vintage reels. Each having it’s own aesthetic and appeal.
He told me he wanted to me to pick a reel, not tell him which one, and to build him a rod for that reel.
I was very intrigued by this. I had never build a rod for a reel. I was also very drawn to one of the small little brown reels that Justin had presented to me. This reel was an 1880s Edward Vom Hofe reel.
I decided to build a 6’6” 3 weight. I lightly flamed the culm to remove any super yellow tones. To wrap the guides, I used a chocolate brown silk that matched the brown color on the reel itself. For the reel seat, I used a maple burl because it also contained these chocolatey brown hues.
Overall, I loved this project. It let me use my imagination and creativity, combined with my building stills to “build a rod for a reel”.
I invited Justin over to discuss what type of rod he wanted made. As he walked in the door, Justin set a big bag down on the work bench. As he opened up the bag, he explained his idea.
Justin had brought over 7 different reels ranging from modern reels to super old vintage reels. Each having it’s own aesthetic and appeal.
He told me he wanted to me to pick a reel, not tell him which one, and to build him a rod for that reel.
I was very intrigued by this. I had never build a rod for a reel. I was also very drawn to one of the small little brown reels that Justin had presented to me. This reel was an 1880s Edward Vom Hofe reel.
I decided to build a 6’6” 3 weight. I lightly flamed the culm to remove any super yellow tones. To wrap the guides, I used a chocolate brown silk that matched the brown color on the reel itself. For the reel seat, I used a maple burl because it also contained these chocolatey brown hues.
Overall, I loved this project. It let me use my imagination and creativity, combined with my building stills to “build a rod for a reel”.