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February 2024 by Robin B.
Awesome class and very helpful staff! Highly recommend. It's truly an experience to build your own fly rod
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June 2022 by John O.
My name is John Ogilvie. I took Oyster's Bamboo Fly Rod Building class the last week. Bill Oyster and Riley Gudakunst taught the class, assisted by Dean Crisler. I am a high end furniture builder and have taken classes from some of the best tradesmen and experts through the years. The Oyster fly rod building class I completed ranks as the best instructional class I have ever taken. My time spent at Oyster was superlative in every sense: * Oyster's facility located behind their showroom is state of the art, equipped with an extensive collection of customized bamboo fly rod building tools. * Instruction is comprehensive and virtually one-on-one. Bill Oyster and Riley Gudakunst provide continual personal instruction, videoed on large screen TV monitors for explicit detail. * Bill and Riley work with the students closely and monitor their progress on an individual basis. When they observed a student begin to err in technique, they quickly redirected us before we went astray. * Each student has his/her own workbench with excellent lighting and a tool chest full of rod building tools. * Instruction is warm and friendly, never intimidating, even though the rod building process is highly technical. * In each of the period furniture building classes I have taken, significant portions of the classes were unable to complete the project taught. This is not the case at Oyster. Every student completed his bamboo rod. Each rod was beautiful in appearance and remarkably functional. My Oyster bamboo fly rod casts like a dream. I have fished five fine graphite rods for many years. I never understood the attraction to bamboo rods. Now I do. After I relaxed and slowed my casts a bit, I discovered my 8 ft - 7 wt Oyster rod was sensational to cast, and shoot line. Bill and Riley have ruined me. I no longer want to use my graphite rods. The bamboo rod I built at Oyster is that much better. * Oyster advertises that each student, regardless of his skill level will fully complete his/her rod. What they say is true. All the students in my class, including myself, had no prior rod building experience, yet we all were able to take home a fully completed bamboo fly rod at the end of the week. * The Cast and Blast lodging facility above the Oyster store is an excellent place to relax and rest with its porch, mini kitchen facilities and ambient fireplace, library and comfortable couches. My wife gave me the Oyster Bamboo Fly rod class as a birthday gift. This is easily the best gift I have ever been given. I will remember the week I spent at Oyster the rest of my life as one of my favorite times. Bill Oyster, Riley Gudakunst, and Dean Crisler, along with Karen Brown, Shannen, and the staff at oyster are first class. The instruction is top shelf, warm, and friendly and the Oyster bamboo fly rods we built are works of art and an absolute pleasure to cast. Thank you Oyster for one of my best lifetime experiences. Very sincerely, John Ogilvie
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April 2022 by Ryleigh Paxton
Best speakeasy in Blue Ridge, ask for Riley
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March 2022 by Lucy Sanders
Very knowledgeable staff. Awesome layout and classes available.
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February 2022 by Claudio Brandileone
Best bamboo class ever! Very nice people and very professionals
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November 2021 by Rich Augsburger
Love the beauty of their products.
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May 2021 by Rick Lafferty
Great experience.
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March 2021 by Mike Clendening
Outstanding hands-on experience. Great instruction and timely support by the Oyster team! Friends cannot believe the high end quality of my saltwater 8' 9wt bamboo fly rod! Expect to do this again...thank you Bill, Riley, Dean, Shannen, Kacie and Quinn for the experience of a lifetime!
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March 2021 by Alex Marquez
Great experience and truly amazing what you accomplish while your there
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October 2020 by sir digby chicken ceaser
This man is a true MASTER and ARTISAN of his trade. We are truly blessed by God to have such an incredible artist right here in blue ridge Georgia! You will not find a better rod builder in Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, Alaska or ANYWHERE else for that matter. If you were on the fence about either buying one of his rods or doing one of his classes, you will not be disappointed. After casting one of his rods, nothing will ever feel quite the same.
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September 2020 by Rhett Morris
Exactly two years ago I stumbled upon the Oyster Bamboo flyrod shop. I had no interest in owning a bamboo flyrod at the time nor did I have any desire to build one in the classes that they were advertising.After talking for 20 min to Riley, one of their employees, I realize that as a long time fly fisherman I could not continue pursuing one of my life‘s greatest passions without experiencing the Oyster Bamboo fly rod building class.I am now approaching the last day of class which is tomorrow and I can hardly sleep knowing that this fantastic six day journey and incredible experience is almost complete.Bill Oyster and his family/employees have created one of the finest experiences a flyfisherman could ever have. Although this incredible 6 days is not on the water it has been a true honor as well as a privilege to be a part of such an up lifting endeavor.I can honestly say that after more than 30 years of my life chasing fish on the fly all over our wonderful nation and landing some huge trophies along the way this flyrod building class has been just as full of effort and great reward as any of the finest days I’ve ever had on the water with a flyrod in my hand.Whether you have been a long time fly fisherman or are just getting into the sport this experience is something I would highly recommend for everyone.In my opinion, Bill Oyster along with his family and carefully selected team, Riley, Quinn, Cassie, & Dean have created something for the sport of flyfishing that is a magnificent gift to us all.God Bless America,Capt Rhett Morris of Beyond Borders Outfitters
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January 2020 by Jeff Bowers
Oyster Bamboo fly rods are functional art! The workmanship is second to none! Great people delivering amazing quality with exceptional service.
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January 2020 by Denice Grubb
Amazing .riley is awesome
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November 2019 by Josh Collins
Friendly staff, clean environment, and truly amazing top teir products.
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October 2019 by Michael Savage
The best time ever. I can’t say enough about Bill and his staff. I sincerely hope to be able to do it again sometime.
