SHOP NOTES | C.J. BOVA RODS

For those who have inquired about my custom extended dome cap and ring sets (Fred Divine inspired) The geometry for these little gems balance well with my 7'6", 7'9", and 8' 4 and 5 wts. Most of my cap and ring sets are slightly reminiscent of Divines “Classic Reel Seat”. The cap is slightly elongated, a pronounced taper, with an even more pronounced domed butt. The rings are chamfered and banded ( Knurled banding is also an option) and echo some of the trim detailing not only on the cap and rings but also adapting on the cork check and winding checks as well. Generally speaking Divines hardware is very elegant and simple. When I glance at the few Divine rods that I own I break into a Cheshire Cat grin, these old rods have always been inspirational for me. Thank you for all of the kind complements out of the Mohawk Valley once again ~Clint Bova

I get a lot of interest in spalted seats and I usually ask clients if they like a dark chocolate spalted seat or a lighter maple seat with distinct black figuring. The darker of the two is much harder to find.  Both look great with blued or bright nickel hardware. Above is a shot of the two maple blanks that look distinctly differ ent . Both have been stabilized so the color deepens slightly but not much. I carry spalted Tupelo, spalted Koa, and spalted Maple. Below are two finished seats, one is the lighter maple, the other is the darker shade of maple.                                       ~Clint Bova

 above: ring core removed and a nickel plug fitted with cork above: the finished blued ferrule plug for a  model 7'6" 4wt. “Shawnee Rose” All of my rods come with a ferrule plug that complements the hardware of it's given rod type. Every ferrule plug comes from the inner core of it's given nickel ring set or threaded barrel down locking hardware... “Waste not want not” ~Clint Joseph Bova

For many years I have been tying a Caddis pattern for spooky Browns in slow, shallow, and very clear water. I use this pattern when the odds are stacked up against me and the typical bushy Caddis patterns are not even an option. The biot winged Caddis that I tie is from a medium dusky warm gray to a dark gray color. I tie it with both a gray and green abdomen with an occasional pair of antenna. Typically I tie this pattern small from sizes #18-#22. Biots make for a great winging material they are waxy looking like the naturals, are translucent, and dye easily to the color that best suits your stream naturals. Caddisflies are actually very streamline when at rest. Their wing cases create a long delta pitch and their legs splay only a minimal amount on the surface film. Creating a Caddis pattern for slow, clear, and shallow water is a never ending creative visualization that always seems to have room for improvement. This is a very easy no frills guide pattern. Once you get the winging t...

Inspired by A.K. Best for nearly twenty years I now look back at all of my dying and bleaching notes in various drawers and files and I still am able to fuel my affinity for dying all of my own natural materials. For the last 15 or so years I have been dying and bleaching my own materials, quills, necks, deer hair, furs, dubbing silks, and biots. A.K. Best’s Book Dying and Bleaching Natural Fly-Tying Materials set my course on the right foot. My old place of residence looked more like a scene out of Silence of the Lambs than a bachelor pad. Industrial cafeteria equipment riddled my living room, hotplates, and 10 gallon buckets filled with bleach made for some interesting visits from the landlords as well. I honestly felt the need to get better results from the natural materials that I used to tie flies. I learned all of the mistakes from what was, and still is, currently out in the marketplace. One example was the poor quality of quills. Due to excessive bleaching pre-packaged quills...