Fly rod make Lewis Barbaro was the guest speaker at the 7-5-2012 meeting of the Rotary Club of Chickasha.


The July 5, 2012 meeting of the Rotary Club of Chickasha opened with a prayer, pledge and song.

Guests included Aaron Elyachar, Abigail Elliott, Wanda Barbaro and Logan and Tanner Tibbetts.

Prayer concerns include Julius Haralson's wife, Ann.

Elyachar was introduced a prospective new member.

Judge John Herndon was Rotarian of the Day. He introduced Lewis Barbaro, a bamboo fly rod maker from Anadarko.

Barbara with several visual aids guided Rotarians with steps he takes to build a fly rod.

He showed the raw product he begins with -- bamboo imported from China. He said bamboo is noted for its strength and flexibility.

He is able to get two rods out of a 12 foot piece of cane. He uses a beveling machine to build a six-sided rod which is six strips that are hand planed and then glued together.

Barbaro then heat treats the cane for several minutes which makes it a little firmer.

He then spends hours sanding the rod, which are two pieces, plus an extra tip section. 

After sanding, he cuts the rod to the proper length and then starts installing components. First, the rod is varnished in a dip tank. Barbaro uses cork handles on the rods and uses silk thread to put guides in place.

It takes about 75 hours from start to finish to complete a rod. Bambo rods sell from $1,500 to $3,500. 

The meeting adjourned after recitation of the Rotary 4-Way Test.