Close Up View of a Fly Rod Made by Walter Babb

Walter Babb Bamboo Fly Rods For Sale Directly From Walter

Over the past 20-years, I’ve made 285 bamboo fly rods. Most were custom rods for customers, some were gifts, some were rods for various charity auctions. Many were prototypes. I would see a taper that interested me, and I would make a rod. This is what I would fish with. Also, they were the rods customers would test cast to help them decide which rod they wanted. All these rods are good casters and the one’s I’ve fished with are very good. If anyone would like to test cast any of these rods, or has questions about them, call me at 423-337-6772 and I will be glad to help.

I made all rods on this list except #8.

Walter Babb


1.  Digger's 'Flea' 6' 2 Pc. 1 - 2 Wt. - $850
Single tip flamed 1- 2 wt. Cork Skeleton reel seat with black sliding bands. Light Brown Guide wraps. The only true I weight I've made, Close casting is better with a 2 wt. A small stream, small trout rod , perfect for Brook Trout. med-slow action. Cordura rod tube

2. Digger's Big Eddy' 6' 4" 2 Pc. 3 wt. - $850.00
Rush River Leonard style Cap + Ring Reel Seat with figured maple, stained Golden Walnut spacer. Blued Hardware ...Metal tube. Great caster.

3. SOLD - Digger's' Delicate' 6’ 6" 2 Pc. 2 wt.

4. SOLD - Digger's Pretty Darn Good Rod 7' 2 Pc. 4 wt.

5. SOLD - Digger's Fast Action 7' 3" 2 pc. 4- 5 wt.

6. Digger's' Big Water' 8’ 0" 2 pc. 6 wt. - $800.00
Single tip ( Flamed) PVC tube. CSE DL Screwlock Seat Walnut spacer. Powerful, fast action rod made for tailwater fishing. Rusty Orange Wraps,

7. SOLD - The Jay Dee 7’ 0" 2 pc. 5 - 6 wt.

8. Walton Powell 7' 9" 2 pc. 5 wt. - $1,200
(flamed ) 2 tips. A rod I had custom made in 1970 by Walton Powell. Hand rubbed Linseed oil, finish, Full wells grip Up-locking Black Aluminum reel seat . Aluminum Powell tube.

9. SOLD - The Kanati Fork 6' 9" 2-Pc. 2-3 Wt.

10. SOLD - Paul H. Young (PHY) 8’ – 813  2 PC. 5 wt.

11. SOLD - F. E. Thomas 8' 3 pc, 5 wt.

12. SOLD - Winston 7' 2 pc. 4 weight - $750

13. SOLD - The Greenbriar 8’ 3” 2 pc. 6 wt - $800.00

14. SOLD

15. SOLD - The Paragon 7' 9” 2 Pc. 4 wt.

16. SOLD - Paint Creek 6' 10" 2 pc. 3 - 4 wt.

17. SOLD - Barch Taper #88, 7' 4" 2 pc. 5 - 6 - 7 wt.

18. SOLD - Tellico River 8’ 6" 2 p. 6 wt. 2 different tips. one dry and one nymph.

19.  SOLD - Spring Creek 8’ 3” 2 piece  4 wt.

20. SOLD - Garrison 193 6’ 9" 2 pc. 3 - 4 wt. - $800.00 .

21. Citico Creek 8’ 0” 2 pc. 5 wt. - $800.00
(flamed) Bellinger 680 Dwonlocking screw lock seat, walnut spacer. Brown thread wraps. Made 3 inch longer version of a Payne Parabolic. Powerful medium action rod. PVC tube.

22. Gould Double Parabolic 7’ 10" 2 pc. 6 weight - $800.00
(flamed) CSE Large cap & ring Tamboti Spacer, Brown wraps. Fast powerful rod . A good smallmouth or big dries at dusk rod. Ray Gould taper. PVC tube.

23. Abrams Creek, 8’ 0”  2 piece, 5 - 6 wt. - $800.00
(flamed) / REC uplocking screw lock seat with KOA spacers and brown wwraps. Based on
an Edwards taper. Medium fast rod. Great caster. PVC tube.

24. Halstead 8' 6'' 3 Pc, 5- 6 wt. $850.00
(flamed ) Bellinger 680 downlocking reel seat walnut spacer, brown wraps. Medium action. Smooth casting rod. PVC tube.

25. Paul H. Young Driggs River 7’ 2" 2 Piece 5 weight - $800.00
(unflamed ) CSE Cap & ring spalted maple spacer, gold wraps. One of Paul Young’s best tapers and a favorite of mine. PVC Tube. Fast parabolic action.

26. Orvis 7’  2 Piece 3 wt. - $800.00
(flamed) cork skeleton reel seat, 2 black rings, gold wraps. One of the best 3 weight rods. Medium fast action. PVC tube.

27. SOLD - Paul H. Young Texas General 8’ 6 " 2 pc. 7 - 8 wt. - $800.00

28. SOLD - Dickerson 8' 6" 8'0'' 3 pc. 5 weight

29. SOLD - Cross Sylph 7' 2 pc, 5 - 6 - 7 - $800.00

30. Dickerson 7011 7' 2 pc, 2-3-4 wt. - $800.00
(unflamed) CSE cap & ring seat tiger maple spacer. A very versatile rod. Cast a 2 wt. DT Mastery, a 3 wt Cortland Sylk, and a 4 wt. Cortland 444 DT. A Sweet cast, slow rod, unusual for a Dickerson who was famous for fast rods and boat rods. PVC tube, translucent orange wraps.

31. SOLD - J.J's Rod 7' 2 Pc. 4 wt.

32. SOLD - Thramer 8' 2 pc, 5 wt.

33. Karstetter Challenge Rod 8' 6” 2 Pc. 5 wt. - $850.00
(flamed) Bellinger N80 downlocking reel seat, walnut spacer, brown wraps. Absolutely the best 8' 6" 5 wt. Cane rod I've ever Cast. Sweet, progressive taper. Designed by Marty Karstetter. Won the casting Competition at the Catskills rod gathering . A great tailwater or Little River dry fly rod. Metal tube.

34. Orvis Nymph rod 8' 2pc. 4 wt. $800.00
(flamed ) Random node stagger Bellinger 640A DL Seat. Redwood Burl spacer. Brown Wraps
slow action. Great soft hackle rod and small nymphs. Metal tube

35. Orvis Limestone Special 8' 6" 2 pc. 5- 6 weight - $850.00
(unfamed) Bellinger 680 DL Seat. myrtle spacer. Tan wraps, Designed by Wes Jordan to fish English chalk streams. I've found it to be a good tailwater and big stream dry fly rod. Metal tube. Medium action rod.

36. Cross 7926  7' 9” 2 Piece. 6 wt. - $800.00
(flamed) CSE cap and ring reel seat, Brazilian rosewood spacer, dark brown wraps. Popular when made by the Cross Rod Company and Wes Jordan was their number one builder. Similar to later Orvis tapers. Fast Action. PVC Tube.

37. SOLD - Dickerson 8014 8'0' 2 Pc. 6 wt.

38. SOLD Paul H. Young Midge 6' 3” 2 Pc. 4 wt. $800.00

39. SOLD - Appalachian Spring 7’ 3”  2 pc. 4 - 5 wt.

40. Kushner' Celereme  8' 8'' 2pc. 7 wt. - $850.00
(unflamed) Struble D-1 mrytle reel seat 6 1/2"modified wells grip with tan wraps. Robert Traver made Morris Kushner famous in his book Trout Madness" Morris the Rod Maker. I made this rod for myself in 2016 for smallmouth fishing in Citico Creek, Tellico River and Abrams creek. Outstanding rod. Medium fast and powerful. Metal tube.

41. SOLD - The Steinmetz 7’ 9" 2 pc . 4 wt. - $850.00

42. The Sycamore Creek . 7' 3”  3 piecc , 4 - 5 weight - $950.00
(flamed) Black cap & ring reel seat, cork Spacer, burgundy wraps. The 3 piece version of my Sycamore Creek. taper. Crisper rod than the 2 piece. Both are fast actions. Metal tube.

43. Pezon & Michel Mirage 6' 6" 2pc. 5- 6 wt. $750.00
(flamed) Random Stagger CSE medium cap & ring Reel seat, eucalyptus burl spacer, brown wraps. French rod company made famous by Charles Ritz. Fast rod I made especially for overgrown Brookie streams in the Cherokee National forest. Plastic tube.

44. SOLD - McClane's Wading Rod 7' 1” 2 Pc. 5 wt. $800.00

45. SOLD - Santeetlah Creek 7’ 9” 3 Pc. 5 wt.

46. SOLD - Harms 8' 2 Pc. 5 wt. $850.00

47. SOLD - Kushner Formula B 8' 6'' 2 pc. 6 wt.

48. Payne 214 7’ 9" 2 pc, 6 weight - $850.00
(flamed ) Garrison style cap & ring seat, chechen spacer burgundy wrap. One of the Payne’s parabolics. Fast, powerful rod that will cast a lot of line. Metal tube.

49. Payne 262 7' 1”  2 Pc. 3 – 4 weight - $850.00
(flamed) CSE medium cap & ring seat, claro walnut spacer, burgundy wraps. The smallest Payne parabolic. A really sweet casting medium action rod. Metal tube.

50. Gillum 7012 7’ 0" 2 Pc. 4- 5 wt. $800.00
(flamed) CSE medium cap & ring seat, butternut spacer, stained golden walnut
tan guide wraps. Fast action. Good caster. PVC tube.

51. SOLD - Barrel Pool 8’ 2" 2 piece, 5 wt.

52. SOLD - Barch 8’ 6" 3 Piece. 8 wt. extra-tip

53. Payne Parabolic 7' 9" 2 pc. 5 weight $850.00
(flamed ) CSE Large cap and ring seat with a  sapele spacer, brown wraps. Another of the Payne Parabolics. Big water rod, such as Little River or Tailwaters. Metal tube.

54 Kirkland Creek 7’ 2 piece 5- 6 wt. $700.00
(flamed) Random stagger black cap and ring seat cork spacer, brown wraps. A rod I made for tight cover fishing, fishing Kirkland Creek. Sometime and you will see the need. Metal tube.

55. Barnharts 8' 2" 2 pc. 5 wt. $850.00
(unflamed ) 2 x 2 x 2 stagger Struble D-one DL seat, myrtle spacer. Brown wraps. Based on a Gillum taper. Medium action. Metal tube.

56. SOLD - The Beaverkill 8' 4” 3 Pc. 6 weight

57 Paul H. Young Martha Marie 7' 6" 2 pc. 6 weight - $750.00
(flamed) CSE large reel seat, tiger maple, stained golden walnut spacer, Granger green thread wraps. Paul Young's wife, Martha, was by all accounts, a great fisher person. This was the rod she used for everything. It's a great all purpose rod. PVC Tube.

58. SOLD - The West Prong 7' 6" 2 Pc. 5 wt

59. SOLD - Garrison 209 E 7' 9" 2 PC. 5 wt.

60. Paul H. Young Princess 7' 0" 2 Pc, 5 wt. $800.00
(flamed) CSE medium reel seat, lilac spacer. Bailey Wood, of CSE, asked me if I wanted a couple of lilac spacers, when I ordered supplies. I put one on this rod and one on a customer's rod. I think it's the prettiest wood I've used . Wish I had some more , The Princess was Paul Young's last taper , before his death in 1960. It's very similar to the Drigg's River. I fished this rod for a few years and it's a good one . PVC tube. Rust gold wraps

61. SOLD - Paul H. Young Perfectionist

62. Paul H Young Midge 6' 3" 2 Pc. 4 wt. $750.00
Flamed, sliding band cork reel seat. Brown wraps. 2 piece single tip. PVC Rod Tube

63. F.E. Thomas 7' 0" 2 piece 3 - 4 wt. $750.00
Dark tan wraps, Flamed, single tip. Sliding band cork reel seat. PVC Rod Tube.

64. Dickerson 7' 6" 2 piece, 4 - 5 weight $800.00
Bronze wraps, unflamed, single tip. Bellinger western maple cap and ring reel seat. Modified Dickerson 7613 taper. Metal rod tube.

65. Snow Pool 8'0" 3 piece 5 weight. $850.00
Brown wraps, single tip. Walnut DL claro walnut reel seat. Based on a Cattanach taper. PVC rod tube. Flamed Rod.

66. Paul H Young Perfectionist 7 1/2 foot, 2 piece, 4 - 5 weight, $800
Transluscent yellow wraps, flamed. Sliding cork reel seat. Single Tip. PVC tube. Outstanding rod, my favorite bamboo taper.