Bamboo Tips - Contributors
Koppin, Gordon

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My Name in Gordon Koppin and I live just west of Chicago in Wheaton, IL. I have been on the list for quite a while.

I love building bamboo rods and fly fishing although I don't get to do much of either these days since I work 2 weeks a month in China.

I started refinishing old bamboo rods when I got started in fly fishing in the early 80's since it was an inexpensive way to get into fly fishing. I still like those old cheap rods and have fished a couple of them in New Zealand many years ago. I always wanted to actually make one from bamboo myself.

I started building rods in 1996 when I talked Ron Barch into coming to my house from Michigan and leading a class. I got about 6 guys who wanted to learn and organized it into two long weekends with a weekend in between for planing. Since then I have done about a dozen classes (although I only do 2-3 people at a time now), at my house where each person builds their own maple form the weekend before the class starts.

I have made between 70 and 80 rods in hex, quad and two strip quads thanks to the help of a lot of characters I have met at the Catskill, Canadian and PA gatherings. I have not made it to the Southern or Michigan gatherings yet but they are on my wish list.

I do not post much these days because I am usually 14 hours behind when I get them. Lots of friends in the group and from the gatherings. I love making 3 and 4 piece rods since they travel well and people say you cannot do this. I fished a 4 piece Perfectionist, that I made, in streams on the eastern side of Korea just a couple of miles below the DMZ there a couple of years ago. Caught a lot of rainbows and native cherry trout with a guide who moved from western Wisconsin.

This is a great group and I really enjoy this list and the creativity.