President Carter's Bamboo Rod Sells for $34,440
A bamboo fly rod made for President Jimmy Carter in 2007 by William Oyster of Gainesville, Georgia recently sold at auction for $34,440. Carter fished the rod many times over the years—and it may be the most expensive bamboo fly rod ever purchased.
He wrote to the rod maker, in part: "I am extremely proud of my beautiful new Oyster rod!... It is obvious to me that this Oyster rod will be my favorite, and you were able to assess personally how well its action suits my casting technique. I was glad that you also were able to observe how the rod performed as several very large rainbows were brought to the net. The engraving is a special treasure, including the presidential seal on the rod's base. Thanks, and best wishes, Jimmy Carter."
The rod comes with a fitted leather and suede-bound presentation case bearing the Seal of the President of the United States on the interior. The rod has a veneered mixed hardwood handle and intricately engraved Bill Oyster metal hardware. Of course it comes with an extra tip section. The metal end cap on the reel seat is also engraved with the Seal of the President of the United States.
Two of these rods were made. The first Carter rod was made to benefit a charitable cause. But Carter liked it so much he wanted to keep it for his personal use. Oyster made a second rod that was auctioned and that Carter never used.
The hammer price (the top bid on the item) was $28,000, but Brunk Auctions charges a buyer's premium of 23 percent, bringing the actual total to $34,440.
Tyler Thompson of Louisville, Kentucky, a lawyer and fly-fishing collector, bought the rod, along with Carter's American Museum of Fly Fishing Heritage Award; boxes of Carter's flies tied by Tommy Thompson and George W. Harvey in personalized boxes; Carter's personalized wooden trout net; Carter's Ultimate #95 bamboo rod made by Walton Powell and Rich McIntyre, and many other items.
Thompson, who sits on the board of the American Fly Fishing Museum in Manchester, Vermont, says he enjoys every facet of fly-fishing history but was especially drawn to the Carter collection for personal reasons.
"I don't have many heroes in this world, but President Carter was certainly one of them," said Thompson. "I greatly admired Carter for his decency and the way he lived his life and all he did for Habitat for Humanity, but mostly just for the way he lived his life. He was a great example of how to be a wonderful human being."
Thompson plans to create a display of the Jimmy Carter items in a room he describes as his "man cave."
"The Carter bamboo rod is the highest price ever paid for a bamboo rod that I know of," said Jonas Clark, owner of Spinoza Rod Company. "President Carter was obviously one of the most prominent fly anglers of his generation, and the auction likely garnered quite a bit of interest from beyond the traditional bamboo fly rod and collectible angling community."
In comparison, Ernest Hemingway's Tycoon Tackle Bimini King set a new world record for any fishing rod in 2025 Hemingway used it for marlin fishing, and it was sold by Copley Fine Art Auctions for $58,425. Hemingway's only surviving trout rod, a bamboo Hardy Fairy, is currently in the collection of the American Museum of Fly Fishing.
Bill Oyster is still very much in the bamboo business. Not only does he create and sell bamboo rods, he offers six-day classes ($3,250) where you can learn to make your own bamboo rod under his supervision (oysterbamboo.com).
