The Bamboo Obsession: Clint Bova

Craft & tradition

Thirty-one years at the bench and on the water.

By Clint Bova·Guest contributor

Two bamboo fly rods with cork grips and figured wood reel seats on a dark wooden surface.
Split cane, cork, and figured wood.

Sleeping on top of my stockpile of bamboo culms in my late 20s was a lifestyle decision that followed me well into my 50s. Needless to say, my bachelor's pad was not a first-date kind of place. Filled with large industrial tables with bevelers, disc sanders, planing forms, block planes, lathes, varnish dip tanks, and the incessant hum of finishing motors rotating in the background on every flat surface, I found myself immersed in what others may call an obsession. But honestly, this was no different for me growing up with a father who had an MIT engineering degree and “BHS” (busy hands syndrome). Horizontal surfaces were meant to make stuff, period.

The cast that started it

The bamboo obsession came on like a firestorm after casting one of Ted Simroe’s rods back in 1995. Casting Mr. Simroe’s 7’6” 5wt. convinced me that he must have mastered his craft at Hogwarts, and I was all in. Thirty-one years later, I’m constantly itching to get my hands on my block plane and craft a magic wand of a rod. It sort of gets in your bloodstream, I suppose.

An angler selecting a fly beside a wooded stream, with a fly rod resting across his shoulder.
Time on the water remains part of the work.

Over the years, the passion for making bamboo fly rods just runs deeper. From a 500-foot view, a fly rod is for fishing; thus, the two requirements for a great fishing rod are cadence in delivery and precision. When those factors are aligned, the end product is a superior fishing rod.

My personal tapers I have distilled and refined myself over the years. Typically, they have “origins”; as with all engineering and product development, there is a common evolution. What works from the past can always be made better, lighter, and stronger. The same holds true for fiberglass and carbon fiber fly rods.

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What works from the past can always be made better, lighter, and stronger.

Clint Bova
A bamboo fly rod and two tip sections arranged across an open fishing book.
Cane and cork, set against the history of trout fishing.
Three inscribed bamboo fly rod blanks with cork grips over a mayfly illustration.
Individual tapers. A shared material.

Standards at the bench

In my late 30s, I was fortunate enough to customize a shop space for making bamboo rods. Now I have a larger footprint to make rods, turn hardware, turn cork, and turnkey the entire process. I am a very cautious rod maker in that I only use the best raw materials I can get my hands on.

Close-up of a ringed stripping guide and fine thread wraps on a bamboo fly rod.
The stripping guide and its thread wraps.
A metal-topped cork ferrule plug beside a machinist’s gauge on a wooden bench.
A closer look at the ferrule plug.

Some of my rods are uniquely my own; others are special-interest rods with tapers that originated with a specific legendary maker in mind, such as Jim Payne, Garrison, Paul Young, or H.L. Leonard, to name a few. I also have special project restorations that I select based on my own interests, which keeps it pretty interesting for me personally, since I have an affinity for cane rod history.

A bamboo fly rod butt section and two matching tip sections with metal ferrules.
One butt section. Two mirror tips.
Hand-lettered inscription on a bamboo fly rod, with two tip sections alongside it.
A finished rod, signed by its maker.

Keep an open mind

I think the common assumption about rod makers is that they are a reclusive, elitist, overall grumpy bunch who cannot be bothered with the latest fly rod trends and innovations. Because I come from a design and engineering background, it couldn’t be further from the truth.

After finishing technical school at Art Center College of Design, in Pasadena my first job was working with teams to bring new products to market. Especially in the medical and industrial categories. Teams of engineers, researchers, plastic and chemical engineers, and fabricators. Collaboration was a big deal when millions and millions of dollars were at stake for new product launches during the 1990s. So working in isolation is no really my forte.

Keeping an open mind about new substrates in the rod world is fascinating. When it comes to graphite or glass, I am always wide-eyed and receptive. After all, growth as a craftsman comes by observing, being curious, and keeping an open mind.

My wife is an industrial designer from Pratt, so we can both critique everything from automobile engines to a miter jig that catches our eye. I probably fish bamboo 80% of the time, and the other 20% is spent trying new carbon fiber and glass rods, which I do enjoy fishing with. The dichotomy helps me refine tapers and forces me to experiment with all kinds of line types, both synthetic and silk.

A bamboo fly rod and silver fly reel resting on a moss-covered rock beside flowing water.
A bamboo rod, back on the water.
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After all, growth as a craftsman comes by observing, being curious, and keeping an open mind.

Clint Bova

I am even experimenting with new medical-grade glues used by orthopedic surgeons to glue new bamboo rods, then putting them under stress to test lap shear strengths. I am also fortunate to have worked alongside many polymer engineers from GE in my past life at an industrial design firm that I worked at for 13 years. This allowed me to really explore a lot with all the bonding and finishing aspects of rod making.

My wife Jenny actually built the convection-style oven I use to heat-treat cane. Having people around you with diverse backgrounds in industrial design is always a blessing! For making fly rods, it's a necessity in my opinion.

Carrying the torch

The cane rod makers of the past, like H.L. Leonard, Jim Payne, Everett Garrison, and Paul Young, to name a few, are huge benchmarks in cane history. Craftsmen with very creative minds who took tapers and rod lengths to new heights. They were definitely inspirational, laying a foundation for new makers and providing a well-documented roadmap for picking up and carrying the torch.

A bamboo fly rod with a figured wood reel seat beside tip sections and a box of flies.
The finished rod and the flies it will carry.
Close-up of a figured wood reel seat, cork grip, and two ferruled bamboo tip sections.
Wood, cork, and metal, brought together by hand.

Like the Dette family, the legendary Catskill fly tyers Walt, Winnie, and their daughter Mary carved out a very traditional American fly tying legacy that again serves as a springboard and foundation for new tyers in the coming generations. I was fortunate enough to meet them many years ago in the Catskills at a rod makers gathering.

Legendary bamboo rod maker Ron Barch was a huge ambassador for the newer generations of cane rod makers, developing the Planing Form journal. He became not only a mentor for me personally but also a dear friend. These are the giving people who act as wonderful stewards of the fly-fishing community while also influencing and fostering creativity and experimentation for future generations.

So the craft of bamboo rodmaking and fly tying both forge ahead with firm foundations for others to pool from, including glass and graphite makers. I have always found the overlap between rodmaking and fly tying to be a wonderful combination of disciplines. Over time, they have become rituals in my life that I cannot do without.

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Having resources and toolboxes to pool from helps everyone create.

Clint Bova

Developing a level of mastery is attainable more than ever; the substrates, tools, and raw materials are readily available. There are wonderful ambassadors today within the craft of fly fishing who can help the younger generation become as passionate and creative as the legendary men and women of the past.

To inquire about Clint's rods, visit https://cjbovarods.com/.

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