Bamboo Tips - Contributors
Williams, Bob

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My name is Bob Williams and I have been a member on the list since the late 90’s.   I’m 55 and a CPA.  After nearly 20 years in long term health care I now work as a financial analyst (an excel junkie) for a tug and barge company that moves petroleum products up and down the east coast (which is much more fun than health care).  I was born and raised in Williamsport, PA (home of E Hille) and learned to fly fish on Spring Creek, Fishing Creek, Slate Run, Cedar Run and many other PA streams.  Since 1980 my wife and I have resided in Baltimore MD but I still get up to PA for most of my fishing.   I got into rod building (fiberglass) and fly tying while I was in high school (mostly because I couldn’t afford the equipment and flies I wanted).  Later in college I started tying commercially for Barry Beck and the Leonard Rod Company which helped pay for college and fund the acquisition of some nice cane rods and fly reels.

After many years of building graphite, fiberglass and refinishing some cane rods I decided it was time to start making my own cane rods.  So I sold off most of the graphites and all the cane rods I owned (sure wish I still had some of those bamboo rods) to fund my cane rod building equipment.  In 1998 I took a rod building class with George Maurer and a few years later I spent some time with Chris Bogart to learn about making nodeless rods.  So far I’ve built approximately 50 rods including hex, quad, pent, nodeless and noded rods.  I find rod building to be both relaxing and challenging and there is something special about fishing with a rod you’ve built yourself.  The list has been quite helpful to me over the years and I have enjoyed meeting many other makers and list members at the Catskill Rodmakers’ Gatherings.

I also have way too many hobbies and tend to go a little overboard with the hobbies; if I didn’t have to sleep I wouldn’t.   In addition to rod building, I love to fish (and fish hard, this will get a little chuckle from some of the other rod makers I’ve had the pleasure to fish with), I tie my own flies, I turn pens, I play golf, I play tennis, I do some woodworking and furniture making and I try to play a little guitar….. and oh yeah  I am a nut over fly reels.  So far I’ve been able to resist the urge to make my own fly reels.

I’ve quite enjoyed reading about other list members and hope to meet many of you in the future.  Keep the posts, rod building questions and suggestions coming.