Glass Builder - Gypsy Rod Works

I've been saying for some time that they are coming...and this is finally the first installment of the "Glass Builders" posts.

Over the course of the next few months I'll be interviewing builders that concentrate their craft on fiberglass fly rods to give T.F.M. readers a better idea where these builders come from and their history in rod making, what they do best, and some photographic examples of their work.

The first installment of the T.F.M. "Glass Builders" posts is with Mark Malczynski of Gypsy Rod Works. I've known Mark for several years now and find his work inspiring and nearly flawless.


OK, let's start at the beginning, where did the nickname "Gypsy" come from and where did you get your start in rod building?

From the time I left the East coast on a motorcycle until I got married I spent most of my time working on boats in Alaska and traveling throughout America and Mexico in between fishing seasons. I guess "drifting" would more accurately describe how I traveled because I never had a specific destination to travel to. Most times I was looking to get away from the wet and cold of Alaska so heading south towards Mexico seemed like a good idea. Anyways my co- workers and friends started calling me Gypsy after awhile and the name stuck.

It's easy for me to remember when and where I started rod-building because I built my first fly rod right after our first daughter was born. If I remember correctly the first rod I made was an 8' 6 weight that I made as a Christmas gift for my Dad back in 2001.


Did you have any mentors that you have either worked with, studied their work, or have given you guidance while learning how to build fly rods? Is there someone who still inspires you today?

Honestly, I have had no rod-building mentors or guidance from anyone other than a few rod builders whose work I admired on the internet. I've actually never even seen another person build a rod in person. I'm not saying that I'm self-taught. Without the incredible rod-builders who give advice so freely over the internet I would never have gotten to where I am today. Even though I don't build bamboo rods I've learned a lot about finish work and working with silk thread from the guys who do. Although his focus is not on fly rods, Tom Kirkman publishes Rod Maker magazine and maintains a website which both are great sources of info on anything that has to do with rod building.

A mentor certainly would have shortened the learning curve. HA! I'm the king of learning by trial and error. I can't tell you how many rods I've built then rebuilt because I thought the rod would cast better with different guides, shorter/longer grip, uplocking or downlocking reel seat. I once re-wrapped a blank 6 times before I was happy with how it turned out.


When did you make the transition to fiberglass and what do you like about it as an angler and rod builder?

My interest in fiberglass came after we moved to Maine and I started fishing small streams for native brook trout. 99.9% of these streams are crowded with Hemlock, Pine or Alders and I wanted a rod that would load with just a foot or two of line out of the tip. Fiberglass is the best material for fishing situations like this not to mention that playing a fish on a glass rod is so much more fun than it is with graphite. Of course, fiberglass is great for bigger water and I routinely fish heavier weight fiberglass rods on the local ponds and rivers.


What are the artistic techniques that you do with Gypsy Rod Works that set your builds a part from other builders?

I think my finish work is getting to the point where I'd be comfortable comparing it to some of the Masters of the craft like Mike McFarland, Dave Lewis and Tom Morgan’s wife Gerri. Nice finish work is really the icing on the cake and the perfect compliment to a rod built as well as one can be built. Of course the primary goal of a rod builder is to make the best casting/ fishing rod possible so proper guide size and placement along with other tricks of the trade are more important than cosmetics, but talented rod builders should be able to make a fly rod that looks as nice as it fishes. I think the legendary Russ Peak was and is the perfect example of this.

In addition to the finish, other artistic techniques that I employ that set my fly rods apart are wrapping the guides with silk thread, fine four turn tipping, feather inlays, and I custom-turn a wide variety of woods on my lathe for the reel seat insert. If someone wants a custom rod built I'll make it any way they want it: silk thread, nylon thread, custom cork grip, rattan grip, feather inlays, tipping, signature wraps, custom wood reel seat insert.


Typically, from the time of order to rod completion how long are customers waiting for their orders?

Currently I'm building fiberglass rods on blanks from Steffen Brothers, Diamondglass, and Lamiglas. Dave Redington, under the South Fork Rod Company label will be introducing a 3 piece unsanded black fiberglass rod in the next couple of weeks. I plan on having blanks from Steffen, Lamiglas, S.F.R.C , Tom Morgan Rodsmith and a couple of yet to be announced fiberglass blanks from some very knowledgeable West Coast rod designers in stock during 2010.
So to answer your question it usually takes me six to eight weeks to make and ship a fly rod after I have the blank in my hands. Sometimes less, sometimes more depending on how many rods I have waiting to be built. By the way I'm happy to have people send me blanks that they have in hand and build them out. It's actually fairly common for a person to contact me and ask me to build a fly rod on a blank that they already have.


What would you like prospective customers to think about as they make a decision about a custom fly rod build and what should their expectations be?

I'm going to take a little liberty with your question and broaden it to "buying a custom fly rod". First, people should deal with legitimate licensed rod builders. Besides the obvious reasons for doing this 10% or $10 of every fishing pole, whichever is less, is paid to the U.S fish and wildlife service which is automatically redistributed to the states. This pays for a lot of stocking and habitat restoration initiated by the local agencies. Second, any Tom, Dick or Harry can claim to be a rod builder over the internet but having a license at the very least adds some legitimacy to their claim. I won't go into the details but I've repaired numerous rods for people who bought poorly made fly rods off the internet and when the fly rod "broke" the builder was nowhere to be found. A reputable licensed rod builder will always stand behind his work.


Moving on to the fun part of buying a custom fly rod I would say besides having a licensed reputable builder make your fly rod you definitely want to let your builder know what your intended species is, blank preference (slow, medium, fast), fishing conditions, how far you intend to be casting, likes/dislikes with such things as up-locking or down-locking reel seats, and grip shape. As a rod builder I enjoy talking with potential clients about the rod build.

Finally, it always helps the consumer to know what a well-made fly rod is. The guides should be aligned and sitting straight on the blank, grip comfortable, finish work smooth and level, minimal epoxy or varnish creep up the guides, well-fitted grip and reel seat. Of course, there is no such thing as perfection so if a rod shows a couple of minor flaws in it than that is understandable but overall the fly rod should exhibit a quality of being well-made.

For more information on Mark Malczynski's work please check out the Gypsy Rod Works website or send him an email at gypsyrodworks@yahoo.com.

Gypsy Rod Works Steffen Build

This past summer Mark Malczynski of Gypsy Rod Works sent an email mentioning that he had just placed an order with Mark of Steffen Brothers Fly Rods and that he had an 8'6" three piece 5/6 weight blank coming in the stack of blanks. That was all the prompting that I needed to send along a deposit and begin the wait until the blank could be rolled and Mark would have the time to finish out the build.

The rod arrived today and I could not be happier with it. Mark's skill for crafting fine custom fly rods is more impressive with each build. Top notch work on a straight as an arrow blank with wonderful flex.




For the rod build geeks here are the stats:

Blank - Steffen Brothers 8'6" 5/6 Weight Three Piece
Guides - Snake Brand
Tip Top - Snake Brand
Stripping Guide - REC Recoil #12
Wraps -YLI 50 Weight #161 Silk Thread Tipped in Black
Winding Check - Lemke Concepts Diagonal Knurl
Cork - 1/2" Rings
Reel Seat - Lemke Concepts
Wood Insert - Pau Ferro

For more examples of Mark's fine work please check out his newly designed Gypsy Rod Works website.

Glass Builder - Matt Leiderman

The third blog post in the "Glass Builder" series is an insightful interview with rod builder Matt Leiderman of Pennsylvania. Matt Leiderman's rod builds are nothing short of stunning and I am constantly amazed by his work.


Let's start at the beginning, where did you get your start in rod building?

I was kind of a weird kid growing up. I always had hobbies and interests that were not terribly normal for a teenager. My obsession with fly fishing began when I was thirteen and finally had a fly fishing outfit (you know the Martin one from Walmart with the tuna-can reel and foam-gripped rod) of my own. From there I spent quite awhile with my best friend at the time (who remains in that role still today but lives in Montana which gives me a great excuse to visit) hitting ponds, creeks... basically any waterway that moved. Since neither of us could drive, we became involved in fly tying and were very serious at our new hobby.

My father was actually the first one to build a rod in the family. He was a casual fisherman but enjoyed heading to the stream and was learning fly fishing along with me. He purchased a kit from Cabela's and I watched him build, wrap, and finish it. I became interested in the process and few months later we assembled a kit for me to put together. Shortly thereafter, I finished my first rod (purple wraps with silver metallic tipping) and I could finally call myself a rod-builder. I had no idea the extent that this little hobby would takeover in my life.


From there, after building countless graphite rods and a few fiberglass, I became enamored by the glossy cane rods I saw in catalogs like Thomas & Thomas, Orvis, and Winston. Around this time there was a growing number of builders on this new thing called the “internet” and I found some basic information on how to build bamboo rods. Armed with a desire to build rods but a lack of tools and skills, I turned to my grandfather who is a woodworker and retired mechanical engineer to help out with the process. Together we put some wooden forms together and secured some culms of cane. After reading, re-reading, and memorizing Wayne Cattanach’s book, I setup a door on some saw horses in the basement and went to work. The rest as they say is history.

I was very fortunate to be surrounded while growing up with family who saw this obsession with fly fishing and rod building as a positive in my life and encouraged me to continue with it. Certainly from a financial aspect, I couldn’t afford to build rods as a teenager without a job but my parents made sure I always had them to work on. For that I’m extremely grateful.


Did you have any mentors that you have either worked with, studied their work, or have given you guidance while learning how to build fly rods? Is there someone who still inspires you today?

I was and continue to be pretty self-taught. I operate in a bubble sometimes and really don’t even have too many close friends that fish let alone build rods. Books are great resources but getting your hands dirty and failing a few times is the best education you can get in my opinion.

I learned to wrap by wrapping a lot of rods...some good, some bad. I learned to use a lathe by trial-and-error, trying different cutters, different speeds, etc....until I found what works for me. I don’t even know if I use the machine correctly, but I can make it work!

I love problem solving and thinking of new ideas or new ways to do something. I think I would have lost some of that if someone else showed me the ropes.
In terms of inspiration, I’d have to say my dad. He was always a hands-on person and did everything himself. It took a lot for him to hire someone to do something and that’s how I operate to this day. Unfortunately I lost my dad to cancer in 2003 just before I graduated college. He was such a supporter of everything I did and always wanted me to build rods for others. I think he’d enjoy seeing the pleasure the rods I build bring to other people. The older I get, the more I appreciate the things he did for me when I was younger. I wish more than anything I can thank him one more time and hit the stream for a few more casts.


When did you make the transition to fiberglass and what do you like about it as an angler and rod builder?

I built a few Lamiglas fiberglass rods back in the 90’s as an alternative to keeping bamboo rods in my car as a backup or “oh my god, that creek is loaded with fish but I don’t have a rod” rod (a situation no fly fisher wants to be left in).

Honestly, they did the job but I was passionate about building and designing bamboo rods at the time. They were spartanly finished and very utilitarian. More recently however, I read lots about some of the great glass being made by smaller builders all over the country. I called up Mark Steffen and ordered a blank of his 8’ 3/4 weight three piece. After seeing the quality of the blank, I decided it was worthy of more than a utilitarian build. I decided to finish it out with the same handcrafted components and quality of finish that I put into my bamboo rods. That rod has flown all over the country with me and for others to try out, been handled by some fantastic casters, and is really the one which cemented my love of this material. By nature I’m just a fly rod junkie, but fiberglass definitely found a permanent place in my shop and on the stream based on that rod.

As an angler, I love the feel and vintage look of a glass rod. It’s light like graphite but smooth like cane. With glass we find a bamboo feel with less worry about fishing it. Fighting a fish on a glass rod is the best of all worlds because you feel the fish and what it’s doing, but you can really work them in quickly with lighter weight rods because of the durability of glass. Personally, I have less worry over a fish doubling over a glass rod than a bamboo or graphite.

As a builder, it offers some challenges. First, I love rod design and with bamboo, I can have total control of the blank. Color, weight, length, solid/hollow, etc. With glass however, my role is strictly in the finishing department as manufacturing glass blanks is an undertaking that I will likely never pursue (but have thought about many times!). Thankfully, there are some amazing rod designers building these blanks and the end result they send out in blank form would be tough to improve upon.


What are the artistic techniques that set your builds a part from other builders?

I build rods that I would like to own. I’m a simple guy when it comes to fly rod cosmetics. A lot of people when they get a rod write me to say that there are many little details that otherwise go unnoticed unless you’re looking for them. By doing all the metal work on my rods in house, I can ensure everything matches and ties in together beautifully. Things like matching knurls on the seat hardware, winding check, agate stripping guide, and ferrule rings, the inscribed bullseye pattern on the bottom of a butt-cap, or the “clip-top” over-wrapped tip. Little things that don’t jump out but show someone put some time and thought into this.

Before I ever start a rod, I have in my head what I want it to look like in the end. From there, it’s just a matter of getting it to that point in real life. Every rod is a little different, and every piece of it is individually made and fit to the rod it’s on and only the rod it’s on.


Typically, from the time of order to rod completion how long are customers waiting for their orders?

Once I have a blank in house (which can take a few months in itself), I can get a rod turned around in a 3-6 months usually depending on my work load. I’m a teacher by day who is finishing a Master’s degree, and have a 9 month old daughter… I love rod building but life does have it’s priorities!

I will say that I am considering capping my yearly rod output. Building rods is something I enjoy doing but I never want it to feel like “work.” By limiting it to a number I’m comfortable with, I can assure each rod is made to the best of my abilities and with my total focus.


What would you like prospective customers to think about as they make a decision about a custom fly rod build and what should their expectations be?

It was put to me by a friend that buying custom fishing rods is not something people have to do...it’s something they want to do. A rod builder needs to realize this and make the whole transaction as smooth and fun for the client as possible. I’m a self-proclaimed rod junkie. I can talk rods for hours, even days on end. If someone is tracking you down to have a custom rod made, more than likely they’re the same way! An open line of communication should be established from order date through delivery. Anyone that has bought a rod from me has experienced a flurry of emails or phone calls back and forth regarding the build. This interaction and design process is probably my favorite part of building rods. Setting up a certain expectation in your client’s mind and then delivering or surpassing it is a great feeling.


When discussing a rod build, I’ll be happy to customize...with some limits. There are some things that I don’t excel at or care to do on my rods. Inlays, fancy wraps, burl spacers come to mind. If you’re interested in a rod with those details, there are some excellent builders (who have been posted here on T.F.M. a few times) that can definitely make the rod you’re looking for. It takes a lot of skill to do some of those finishes but in the end, it’s just not my style.

Lastly, I enjoyed hearing Gypsy give the advice to find “legitimate” rod builders to do this work. It’s important to find a builder that you mesh with but also one that has taken all necessary steps in establishing their business. In my eyes, this shows commitment to the craft and a rod builder who can provide assistance in the future should it be needed.

Granger Green!

Few custom builders I know are as critical of their own work as Mark Malczynski of Gypsy Rod Works, so when he messaged me a "teaser" photo of a recent build I took notice.


Gypsy had been asked to build on an eight foot three piece six weight McFarland blank by Boo of the Fiberglass Flyrodders board. Boo's one request was to find something other than red or brown for the wraps since he already had two McFarland's with candy apple red wraps and wanted something different for this build.


After wrapping and epoxying the entire rod in Gudebrod medium green, Mark was really dissatisfied with the color, and striped the rod down to start over.
What he found in the bottom of his thread box was a spool of Granger green YLI thread and the results are nothing short of stunning.






If your interested in working with Mark on a future custom fly rod build he can be contacted at gypsyrodworks@yahoo.com.

The BUILDER Posts

Over the coming months The Fiberglass Manifesto will be bringing you an inside look to the custom fiberglass rod builders that you may or may not know. Some of these builders are full time while others spend their evenings and weekends completing orders in their spare time. These builders work out of shops, garages, basements, and spare bedrooms and the end products they produce are nothing less than art.


(Gypsy Rod Works and Leiderman Custom Fiberglass Builds)

Most of these builders are already listed on the right side of the blog under the "T.F.M. Approved Builders" list but there are still a few that don't maintain an online presence yet and this series of posts will be an opportunity to make their work known.

These BUILDER posts will tell each rod builder's story, what they offer as a custom shop, and then the aspects of their builds that may set them apart from others.

Finally, if you know of any custom fiberglass fly rod builders that should be included in this series of posts please send me an email to let me know. In the end I'd like these posts to be a complete reference for those interested in a custom fiberglass build.

A Day At Rock Creek Cattle Company

After a long day of travel followed by a late night with Joel and Deb on our first night at the cabin, Monday morning started a bit slow.  I had fallen asleep on the couch by the woodstove and woke up several times during the night to add a piece of wood on the fire and fell back to sleep while peering out the window to a sky shining bright with stars.  There is a calm and quiet at the cabin that is tough to match anywhere.  I ended up sleeping on this couch for the rest of the week.  The veiw and proximity to the woodstove was just to excellent.

The fellows wanted to start the day with a good breakfast and coffee.  I lit three burners on the stove and got everything started.

I decided to make up a pot of grits, scrambled eggs, and sauteed up thin strips of steak in the frying pan.  Breakfast was warm and tasty.

With no electricity everything at the cabin, including making the morning coffee, is a bit of a process, but it really is nice to slow down and enjoy the day.

Joel drew us a napkin map which truth be told was missing a few turns.  Joel's excuse was he ran out of napkin space.  Our thought as we were lost on the Rock Creek Cattle Company property was that it might not be a good idea to get directions from Joel after a night of drinking beer and red wine. 

The Rock Creek Cattle Company property and it's facilities were really impressive and it was neat to have Joel sneak us on the property for a tour.  The fly shop was comfortable,  well equiped, and I'm a bit jealous that Joel calls this his office. 

Rock Creek Cattle Company guide, Ron Snow, picked out a few fly favorites for the area streams and stillwaters for the week.

The lost fly rod travel tube was found by airline staff and dropped off at Joel's house at 01:30 a.m.  Sorry for the wake up Joel...but great to have all nine fly rods back safe and sound.

Joel's suggestion for the afternoon was to fish one of the property ponds for large Westslope Cutthroats.  Dave, Mike, and I ended up getting blown around the pond for a couple of hours where I ended up with one good tug and one heavy cutthroat brought to the net. 

Joel spent the late afternoon taking us to a section of the Clarks Fork River where we tossed everything from dry flies to streamers. 

Dave found success fishing a small hopper up against the weeded banks.  Who would have thought that the trout would still be looking up at terrestrials in mid October.

I hucked meat all afternoon with a Nick Granato "Chubby Muffin".  A couple tugs but no connects. 

It was great to fish the Gypsy Rod Works built Steffen Brothers Fly Rods 8 1/2 foot 5/6 weight build.  I matched this build with a LOOP Opti Dry Fly reel and a Sharkskin six weight forward line.  This is an excellent big fly outfit and will certainly be on my "Out West" trip list from here on out.

Joel casting in the fading light.  He hooked up with a large brown trout just moments after this photograph was taken. 

The evening ended with the four of us walking back to the vehicles in the near dark.  Tired, a bit cold, and looking forward to getting back on the water the next day.

LOOP Opti Dry Fly Arrives!

Idaho Joe of Castaway Fly Fishing Shop has the 2010 LOOP line up in stock and sent the long anticipated Opti Dry Fly reel which I've been looking forward to pair with the Gypsy Rod Works Steffen 8 1/2 foot five weight blank build.

It is looking like this rod will get wet for the first time on an upcoming week in October of streamer chucking in Montana. I can't wait!

T.F.M. Joins the LOOP ARMY!

Recently I ordered a 2010 LOOP Opti Dry Fly reel to match a recent fiberglass build. Since Joe Roope of Castaway Fly Fishing Shop is still waiting for the new stock to arrive he graciously sent along a shop demo that I could carry along to Seattle and Vancouver Island next week.

I am hoping to put a few sea run cutthroats on the Gypsy Rod Works Steffen 5/6 weight build with the LOOP Opti hanging off it.

So...I guess this makes me part of the LOOP ARMY now. So cool...