Bill Oyster & Capt. Rhett Morris | Oyster Bamboo Fly Rods | Ep. #1033

Bill Oyster of Oyster Bamboo Fly Rods and Capt. Rhett Morris join me for a story about craftsmanship, business, and one very hard-earned permit.
Bill builds fly rods out of bamboo, a technology most anglers left behind decades ago. He had a four-year waiting list, but he was working until 3 AM seven days a week and realized he’d never make a middle-class income building rods. So he started teaching people to build their own. Today Oyster Bamboo runs 240 students a year through its classes, and the waitlist stretches two years out. Bill shares how one phone call from a determined wife led to his first student and why other rod makers warned him that teaching would put them all out of business. He also talks about building rods for President Carter and a royal wedding gift.
Rhett walked into Bill’s shop by accident in Blue Ridge, Georgia, and ended up building a 10-weight bamboo rod he named “The Permit.” He tells the story of the three years it took to land a permit on that rod and why it meant more than any fish he’s caught.
Learn more and get on the class waitlist at oysterbamboo.com