"I say, play your own way. Don’t play what the public wants. You play what you want and let the public pick up on what you’re doing, even if it does take them fifteen, twenty years."
- Thelonious Monk
You Go Where You Look
Handmade with the best intentions in Blue Ridge, Georgia
Oyster is a brick-and-mortar full-time bamboo fly rod making workshop in one of the south's most authentic
mountain towns (Blue Ridge, GA).
Each Oyster Bamboo Fly Rod is intensely handcrafted. Oyster is the only professional bamboo fly rod making shop in the world
that is dedicated solely to bamboo fly rods.
Oyster bamboo rods are hand engraved in-house.
The performance and aesthetics of each rod is truly
remarkable. Oyster has been commissioned to make
rods for many of the world's finest anglers including
President Jimmy Carter.
Oyster has taught more people than anyone in the world to make a bamboo fly rod.
As the most prolific teacher
of this rod making art alive today, Oyster draws
students from as far away as England, Scotland,
Australia and New Zealand as well as every corner of
the US to this southern mountain town studio in
beautiful Blue Ridge, Georgia.
Each year, Oyster introduces a little more of the
world to this traditional craft and a look into the life
of a bamboo fly rod maker.
Oyster Ecosystem
Oysters are a RESILIENT species that heartily cluster on the older shells. They fuse together as they grow, forming rock-like foundations that provide a stable habitat for others.
As a small business and craftsmen we are beyond grateful for the generous press throughout the years
Deeper Dive?
Oyster is a small family business in the most classic sense. Shannen started cobbling together a clumsy blog in 2009. If you can overlook the atrocious grammar, there are some fun recollections (aka) challenges divulged. Here is a smattering from the “Bamboo Fly Rod Maker’s Widow”.
Welcome to Oyster’s brick-and-mortar on Main Street nestled in the beautiful Blue Ridge mountains. Watch us make rods, hand engrave and “exit through the gift shop”.
Hats, apparel & items that may be hand engraved
Full line of fly reels, Filson & other goodies
Bamboo Fly Rods in Stock or Custom Order in person
“I think I fish, in part, because it's an anti-social, bohemian business that, when gone about properly, puts you forever outside the mainstream culture without actually landing you in an institution.”
- John Gierach
Stay in the Know (ish)
Get our latest (ish) news and updates
Choosing a selection results in a full page refresh.