In the last week I have had a blast crafting my own fishing net. When I saw that my Central Oregon Fly Fishing Club was conducting a net building class, I jumped on board immediately. Our instructors Cliff, Steve, and Dave (not my husband) did the work of constructing the net frame and then coached all of us on the remaining steps. While working on it in our workshop I received additional coaching from my husband, Dave! Would you expect less from the bamboo rod builder. The pictures & captions below capture the process from start to end. I have very happy with how the finished net looks. I can’t wait to net my first landed fish. Doing this project reminds me of how much I enjoy and how rewarding it is to work with your own hands – versus buying. While finishing the net Dave and I chatted about building another – this time utilizing bamboo as the main wood. However, my first goal next winter is be to build my very own custom crafted bamboo rod.
Cliff demonstrating how they constructed the frames for us.
Step 1 First phase of sanding on the drum sander to begin smoothing out the interior & exterior of the hoop.
Step 2 Use a file to rough out the edges for a curved surface
Step 3 Lots of sanding with a block and hands to get the smooth final finish of the net on all edges.
Step 4 & 5 Finishing the net with a Gun Stock Oil & Wax
Step 6 – Attaching the net
A finished net! Next Step land a fish
Going from right to left to right ! Mary, Anne, & Mary Ann – not too many times you get this combination of names together
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