Tom Whittle watches the tide from his new home in West Boothbay, and dreams of landing a striper on his handmade bamboo fly rod. His grandfather gave him his first fly rod as a young teen, which sparked a lifelong passion, first for fishing, and later in building heirloom quality split bamboo rods.
His one-man company, Stony Creek Rods, is named for Whittle’s favorite fishing stream as a young lad.
When his bamboo rod fell into disrepair, he restored it, which launched him into the rod restoration business for three or four years. For the past 15 years, Whittle has been building split rod bamboo fly rods.
Whittle learned to build bamboo rods from George Maurer in a one-on-one class. Maurer’s book, co-authored with Bernie Elser, “Fundamentals of Cane Rod Building” (1998), “Is one of the best how-to books available today,” Whittle said.
While Philadelphia lays claim to building the first bamboo rod, “the modern day bamboo rod was born in Bangor,” Whittle said.
Whittle, an environmental engineer, worked for 37 years in wastewater treatment in Pennsylvania. He founded CET Engineering Services in 1979. He retired and moved to Maine and launched his painting career.
He was the president of the Pennsylvania Fly Fishing Museum, which owns the Vincent C. Marinaro collection. He is a member of the Kennebec Valley Chapter of Trout Unlimited.
Whittle co-authored a book (2007) with Bill Harris, “Split and Glued by Vincent C. Marinaro,” a 300-page volume on the construction and history of split rods.
Marinaro began making rods as a teenager. His technique in construction of tapered split bamboo rods was a guarded secret for many years.
He studied trout and wrote two books, the first, “A Modern Day Fly Code” launched his career in 1950, his second book, “Ring of the Rise” also became a staple in every fly-fisherman’s library.
Harris was a good friend of Marinaro’s. Harris and Whittle chose the name of their book for Marinaro, who signed each rod he made, “Split and glued by Vincent C. Marinaro,” along with the date it was made.
Years of experience led Marinaro to prefer a convex curved taper rod. Whittle and Harris also prefer the convex taper design. “The convex shape is stronger with less diameter,” Whittle said.
Marinaro befriended Hoagy B. Carmichael, an amateur rod maker, who wrote “A Masters Guide to Building A Bamboo Fly Rod” in 1977.
Carmichael’s book was the first of its kind sharing a wealth of knowledge, previously safely guarded, on building bamboo rods. It opened a new world to amateur rod builders. “His book is the Bible for rod makers. Before his book came out, rod builders didn’t share much information,” Whittle said. Today, the Internet information feeding frenzy has further fueled the passion.
“Stony Creek Rods are designed and built to be, first and foremost, exceptional fishing tools. As split cane rods built in the classic tradition, they also strive to evoke a pride of ownership and a sense of tradition.
“The action of a bamboo rod is controlled by the taper throughout its length. The convex design concept applied to Stony Creek Rod tapers is based somewhat on the theories purposed by Vince Marinaro and others.
“This design approach is aimed at creating a rod that can be used by anglers who can appreciate the delicate presentation of bamboo and yet are accustomed to the reserve power of modern day composites,” Whittle states on his website.
Tucked away in the basement of the Whittle’s home is Tom’s workshop. Pieces of bamboo in various stages of production are arranged neatly around the room. Unique pieces of equipment, foreign to most eyes, are strategically placed around the perimeter. When Whittle begins to work, it is abundantly clear he is a perfectionist and very passionate about his work.
When Whittle first acquires a piece of bamboo, he slits it lengthwise so it does not crack as it dries. All the bamboo (Tonkins cane) he uses comes from one section of China. The bamboo is so strong, the Chinese use it to make staging for their building projects. “It’s a good heavy stick; it’s good for making salmon rods,” Whittle said.
Whittle said the strength of a fly rod is all in its taper. “How it is designed makes it stronger.”
Whittle splits the cane in half, then carefully marks the inside of each half. He likes each section of his rod to come from the same piece of bamboo. The inner nodes are chiseled flush. Each half is then split into three pieces, and the three pieces into four, leaving 24 strips out of a single section of bamboo. Eighteen pieces are used in a two-section rod, and 24 in a three-piece rod. The strips are then filed down and straightened gently using a heat source.
The inner pithy portion of the strips are then hand planed, or mechanically beveled to 60 degree angles, forming a triangle and leaving the stronger power fibers on the outside.
The six sections are put together and bound with string and heat tempered to prevent them from warping. “Some people think heat damages the rod. It does damage it a little, but it makes it stiffer. For a darker colored rod, Whittle hits them with the heat of a blowtorch.
The sections are then hand tapered on a planing form and then glued. Fly rods built today are stronger than in the past because of “better glue.”
Every fly rod maker assembles the sections with the nodes in a different, trademark pattern. Whittle staggers the nodes on his rods. Another rod maker he knows, Everett Garrison, staggers the nodes in the firing pattern of a Chevrolet.
“Charles Wheeler, of Farmington, was one of the first to build a machine to get a taper, that allowed him to mass produce” bamboo rods.
Whittle used an Arend Mill for about 10 years, but when he moved to Edgecomb with his wife Cheryl from Pennsylvania, he did not bring the 2600-pound piece of equipment with him.
Once the glue is set, the rod is sanded, and the cork rings, wooden reel seat, ferrules, and guides are added. Whittle makes his own ferrules and ring seats on a metal lathe. “I made everything but the guides,” Whittle said.
The rod is then sealed with varnish. Whittle dips his rods, which are mechanically pulled out of the varnish at a speed of four inches per minute. They can also be impregnated with a water-based ceramic tile compound, or rubbed with oil.
Whittle typically makes about 10 rods a year, although he has made up to 15. He estimates it takes 60 to 80 hours to build a single rod, which sell for around $1000. “It’s a hobby. It always has been. Very few people make a living at it.”
The development of fiberglass and carbon fly rods stalled the production of traditional bamboo rods, but the serious fly fisherman still searches out the heirloom quality of a bamboo rod. While co-writing the book, Whittle had a two-year waiting list. “I’ve got it down now,” Whittle said of catching up on his rod orders.
“Everyone thinks if they have an old rod it is worth money, but it isn’t. A fly rod is made of two to three pieces of equal length. If a section is smaller, it has been broken and repaired, Whittle said. “You can scarf (splice) on another piece if the tip breaks.”
Although Whittle repaired rods for several years, he prefers to build new rods. Other ways to tell a handmade rod from a mass produced rod is by the nodes on the bamboo. “People like to see them staggered,” he said.
Another place to check is the ferrules and reel seats, to see if they have been machined on a lathe or stamped. “If they are stamped, they are inexpensive and they don’t last as long. If they are mass produced, there is no attention to details,” Whittle added.
Fly rods are rated by their line; a small stream rod for brook trout has three or four weight line and uses small flies; a five to seven weight line is used for larger freshwater fish such as bass; and, eight to 16 weight are used for saltwater fishing.
Whittle prefers saltwater fly fishing for stripers, so is moving his shop from Edgecomb to West Boothbay. When asked if he fishes often, he responded, “Not as much as I should.”
Whittle can be reached at 350-4049.
