I had the wonderful opportunity to speak to The Hartford Sportsmen’s Club about bamboo fly rod history in Connecticut. The innovation and ingenuity that occurred in Connecticut with respect to the bamboo fly rod is remarkable. I'm enthusiastic about telling the story, as I believe it should never be forgotten.
Many praise modern epoxies for both their strength and longevity in widely diverse temperatures and conditions. While there is truth to such advances, it is critical that careful attention is given to both surfaces contacting the epoxy and the space between such surfaces.
After initially turning my ferrule stations (cane blank area that will be affixed to the ferrule), I make sure that there is adequate space between the ferrule and cane surfaces, thereby allowing the epoxy to expand. Another critical step for success is to make sure that the internal portion of the ferrules is “roughed up” with an abrasive, such as sandpaper. Similarly, I make sure the ferrule station cane is also sufficiently rough. With two roughed surfaces, the epoxy will adhere better as it expands and hardens into all crevices. All surfaces that will come in contact with epoxy are cleaned with denatured alcohol. This will removed grease, dust and other chemicals. These areas are allowed to sufficiently dry. Thereafter, the epoxy is prepared. It is imperative that the epoxy sufficiently covers the entire ferrule station and the metal inside the ferrule. This is accomplished by not only slathering epoxy on the ferrule stations but also using a toothpick or other tool to coat the inside of the ferrule that will come in contact with the cane. With so much epoxy, it will need a way to escape when the ferrule station is pressed into the ferrule. This is accomplished by etching a shallow line down the length of the ferrule station with the edge of a small file. What is the relationship between cane and caddis in Connecticut? Connecticut was home to two of the greatest minds in cane rod building and caddis fly pattern development, E.W. Edwards and Gary LaFontaine, respectively. On a recent outing, I channeled a connection with Edwards and LaFontaine. I fished one of my cane rods that was built with multiple techniques developed by Edwards. At the end of my rod was LaFontaine’s Deep Sparkle Pupa caddis pattern. The Edwards-LaFontaine connection worked, and I was rewarded.
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AuthorMichael D. Day, Maker Categories
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January 2025
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