I finally finished my first and last fiber glass fly rod. It is not a work of art but will be very functional. I spent three days with Ray Stout and he was kind and patient with me. This rod will become an heirloom because it will spend many hours fishing Marsh Stream with my two boys and it was built with a friend.

Two things I discovered while building this rod are, you really should take a class or build one with someone who has built one before and read a rod building book before you go. This way, it will all be brought together at the class and you will have an idea of what they are talking about. Also by taking the class, they will have all the equipment and save you money, if you decide this isn’t for you.

It was a great experience and I learned a lot, but I won’t be running out buying any rod parts any time soon. Everything I learned will help me in any repairs I need to do on stream side and I will be putting together a first aid kit for my rods, you just never know when you are going to break a rod tip.