L. J. Downes Rodmaker Bio

1953 Fruitville Pike at Foxshire - Lancaster, Pennsylvania 17601

New Summer Hours: Mon-Tues 10-5, Thursday 10-8, Friday 10-6, Saturday 9-5; Closed Wednesday & Sunday

Store (717) 509-3636, Fax(717) 509-3637

L J Downes Rod Company

Bamboo Rods Handcrafted on the Banks of Penns Creek

in Coburn, Pennsylvania

L. J. Downes: Rodmaker's Bio

Jim Downes has been building bamboo fly rods professionally for 12 years. The enthusiasm and dedication to the art of cane rod making is reflected in the exacting fly rods he crafts. Culms of bamboo used in the L J Downes rod shop were hand selected in China over two decades ago. His tapers are proprietary, based on but not copied from Heddon’s high-end fly rods. Attention to detail and outstanding workmanship are the hallmarks of an L J Downes bamboo fly rod. Not only are these rods pleasing to the eye, they are made to be fished!

Jim’s path to master rod builder had a curious beginning and some fortunate turns along the way. To a teenager growing up on a farm in central New Jersey, fly rod repair meant rewrapping the guides of a $2.00 hardware store cane pole with his grandmother’s sewing thread; the wraps were kept in place using nail polish borrowed from his Mother. Loose ferrules were tightened by wrapping them with bailing wire and broken rod sections were simply splinted together with what ever was handy then secured with tape.

After a brief and unsatisfying venture into fishing store bought fiberglass and high modulus graphite, Jim decided to try building his own bamboo fly rods. Using a home made planning form constructed and filed by hand, a supply of bamboo growing in a neighbor’s backyard pond, Elmer’s glue to hold strips together and binding them by hand, his first rods were assembled. As you might expect, the results were less than satisfactory. Help, particularly of a professional nature, was needed here.

Help came by way of meeting rod maker George Maurer. George became a mentor and friend to Jim, providing the right tools, instruction and encouragement that permitted him to turn a culm of bamboo into a work of art and practical fly-fishing tool. The first rod Jim built with Maurer was a 2 piece, 2 tip 7’6” 4 wt. The finished rod had no glue lines, no twists and all the sections were the same length; just like a ‘store bought’ rod! A milestone in Jim’s rod making career had been reached. The productive friendship between rod makers continued until George’s untimely passing in 2008.

Applying the varnish finish to a cane rod is itself an art. New Jersey neighbor and friend George Guba showed Jim the finer points of varnishing a cane rod. Mr. Guba is also well known for his skills at rod restoration and repair. Working along with George in his basement shop Jim honed his rod finishing expertise.

Today Jim is a full time rod maker, living and working in the heart of Central Pennsylvania’s trout stream country. His rod shop is located in Coburn, PA on the banks of Penns Creek, one of the states finest limestone streams. In the time left between building cane rods and trout fishing, he also teaches bamboo rod building classes. Thus continuing the tradition of crafting fly rods made from hand tapered strips of bamboo and the long heritage of makers past and present across the country.

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