Hello everyone,

I (Ryan) made my first fly rod this month. I made a 9′ 5wt TFO Pro series II for my Dad as a retirement gift. I have to say, I am quite pleased with it. Not knowing anything about rod building before I started, I relied on Youtube and Don Freeman for guidance. While I’m sure I still made some cardinal mistakes, I think it still turned out alright.

I was also able to utilize my new 3D printer to make up a homemade rod turner. I made a simple chuck to mount to an old epoxy-head drier, and also made a stand for the other end of the rod. It worked like a charm. If you don’t know what a 3D printer is check them out here. 3d printers on YouTube

While I was waiting for some materials to come in so I could complete the rod, I used the 3D printer to make a fly box with my Dad’s initials on it. I glued in a piece of closed cell foam, some magnets to keep it closed securely and tied up 2 dozen flies for my Dad’s first set of flies. Hope he likes it!