Are Fly Rods “Handmade”?

“Are fly rods handmade?” That simple question prompts a thoughtful aside this week from Phil Monahan, who notes that despite visions of machines churning out rods by the bundle, there’s still plenty of human craftsmanship in fly rod manufacture.

Excerpt: “The ultimate human-centered part of the process was the guy whose job it was to check the fit of the spigot ferrules on every rod. He would grasp two rod sections, fit the ferrules together, twist the sections back and forth, and then hold the male ferrule to his lip.”