One-of-Kind Fly Rod
by Master Weaver Don Lee

Unique weave of fish by master weaver Don Lee on Edge 8'6", 4 wt, 4 piece rod with tube and sock, and carbon fiber grip.  What makes the rod special is the thread art by Don Lee, a Vietnam veteran, who learned thread weaving from internationally known Doc Ski.  Don has won several national prizes in rod building competition using this thread art.  He has generously donated rods to many fundraising auctions over the years for FFI and PHWFF.  That was  particularly good year for his rods, achieving sales of $2000, $3000, $4000 and then the $5000 at various auctions.

Weaving uses a tool called a jig that holds the horizontal threads in place on top the rod while wrapping the rod with another continuous thread.  This weave took 100 hours – 100 hours – to complete.  It takes three hours just to load the jig with 150 threads, each 2.5 feet long, of each of 7 colors.  That works out to 1050 threads for this particular weave.  The threads are stored on the right side and one is pulled to the left as dictated by the pattern.  It is tedious, time consuming and requires the utmost concentration.   Maintaining uniform tension is imperative.  You can own this masterpiece!