Oyster’s May 11-16, 2026 bamboo fly rod making class brought back 5 repeat rod makers and welcomed 5 new students that spent 6 days in Blue Ridge, Georgia, dedicated to making a bamboo fly rod entirely by hand.
May in Blue Ridge is absolutely gorgeous and there may have been bourbon involved.
Gordon joined us for his 9th class. He said, “Every day I work at something; this week is about working on a bamboo rod.” With each class he attends, he understands the process a little more. Gordon crafted a 7’6” 4wt for smaller trout streams. See you soon!
Tom was here from the United Kingdom for his 2nd class. His first class was in 2007 during the “basement years”. He decided to build an 8’ 7wt rod to fish Sea Run Brown Trout.
Colin traveled from Oregon to attend his 1st Oyster rod-making class. He enjoys fly fishing small streams for Cutthroat Trout. He crafted a 7’9” 4wt as his versatile rod for Oregon rivers.
Byron joined us from Milledgeville, GA for his 1st class. He visited Oyster’s brick-and-mortar in gorgeous downtown Blue Ridge, GA and signed up. He built a 7’9” 5wt bamboo fly rod for North Georgia waters.
Clay from Tallahassee, FL attended his third class. Clay said, “Trust the process. When you catch a fish on a bamboo rod you made by hand, there is nothing like that feeling.” He decided on an 8’ 8wt this time. See you soon!
Jeff was here from Hilton Head, SC for his first class. He retired this year and decided to focus on woodworking and doing things he enjoys. Good for you, Jeff! He decided on an 8’ 9wt for saltwater fly fishing, primarily for Redfish (Bill and Riley’s unhealthy preoccupation). See you soon!
Stan and Cheryl were here from Chapel Hill, NC, was here for his second class and brought his wife, Cheryl, for her first class. When Cheryl saw Stan’s first rod, she immediately signed up. Cheryl made an 8’ 5wt for trout fishing and said Oyster’s workshop reminded her of woodworking with her father when she was a child. Stan built an 8’ 9wt for saltwater fly fishing.
Jim from Aransas Pass, Texas, joined us for his second class. He keeps coming back to make heirloom bamboo rods for his grandsons. This time he made an 8’ 9wt for Redfish.
Randy joined us from Alabama for his first class. He has been fly fishing since he was a child, so his wife gave him the class as a gift. Randy said he built a 7’9” 6wt because he loves classic rod tapers for trout fishing.
💫 Keeping the Craft Alive 💫
❤️ We are always so incredibly grateful that all of these thoughtful humans choose to spend a week in Blue Ridge, GA making a bamboo fly rod. Thanks y’all!