Book Description
Thirty-five million Americans–one in eight–like to go fishing. Fly fishers have always considered themselves the aristocracy of the sport, and a small number of those devotees, a few thousand at most, insist upon using one device in the pursuit of their obsession: a handcrafted split-bamboo fly rod. Meeting this demand for perfection are the inheritors of a splendid art, one that reveres tradition while flouting obvious economic sense and reaches back through time to touch the hands of such figures as Theodore Roosevelt and Henry David Thoreau.
In Casting a Spell, George Black introduces readers to rapt artisans and the ultimate talismans of their uncompromising fascination: handmade bamboo fly rods. But this narrative is more than a story of obscure objects of desire. It opens a new vista onto a century and a half of modern American cultural history. With bold strokes and deft touches, Black explains how the ingenuity of craftsmen created a singular implement of leisure–and how geopolitics, economics, technology, and outrageous twists of fortune have all come to focus on the exquisitely crafted bamboo rod. We discover that the pastime of fly-fishing intersects with a mind-boggling variety of cultural trends, including conspicuous consumption, environmentalism, industrialization, and even cold war diplomacy.
Black takes us around the world, from the hidden trout streams of western Maine to a remote valley in Guangdong Province, China, where grows the singular species of bamboo known as tea stick–the very stuff of a superior fly rod. He introduces us to the men who created the tools and techniques for crafting exceptional rods and those who continue to carry the torch in the pursuit of the sublime. Never far from the surface are such overarching themes as the tension between mass production and individual excellence, and the evolving ways American society has defined, experienced, and expressed its relationship to the land.
Fly-fishing may seem a rarefied pursuit, and making fly rods might be a quixotic occupation, but this rich, fascinating narrative exposes the soul of an authentic part of America, and the great significance of little things. George Black’s latest expedition into a hidden corner of our culture is an utterly enchanting, illuminating, and enlightening experience.
Customer Reviews:
An Instant Classic.......2007-10-09
"Casting A Spell" is a genuine tour de force: magical, impeccably researched and passionate. Black recounts the grand story of nineteenth and twentieth century American craftsmen who brought the art of bamboo rod making to perfection. With a passion for detail--and a passion for the men he brings to life--he takes the reader through the wilds of Maine, into the massive Winchester armaments and tackle factory in New Haven, past the bucolic countryside of New York and Connecticut, and then sets it all (with a timing that leaves you grinning) against the glitter and grime of today's strip malls. Calling "Casting" a tour de force is no exaggeration.
"Casting" achieves numerous firsts. It is by far the best-written book of its kind. As if that weren't enough, "Casting" certainly is the first "must read" book on this topic--no fly fisherman may claim expertise without having devoured Black's wonderful book. And it is the first book that correctly puts the master fly rod maker, E. W. Edwards, in the pantheon of the greats.
A man who fishes what he writes about, Black stops occasionally to cast his own Edwards fly rods toward a few historic streams along the way (and has the humility not to tell us how many trout he catches). No other book has captured the enthusiasm of American rod makers and their sense of Yankee inventiveness as well. With great authority Black relates the ingenuity of the tackle greats who, in a few brief decades, created the standard that all fly fishermen unconsciously use today to measure the speed and "feel" of any rod.
Not to repeat myself, but did I mention that "Casting A Spell" is a must read? Get it today. No amount of praise is adequate. Black has written an instant classic.
Fun, informative book.......2006-12-05
This is a terrific book. It covers the history and personalities that shaped the evolution of the craft of bamboo fly rod making.
I bought this book thinking it would be informative, and it was. What was pleasantly surprising was how interesting and fun the book was to read. It gave me a real appreciation for the great bamboo rod makers and some insight into their lives. The author's careful research and enthusiasm for the subject matter is evident throughout. Highly recommended.
Marvelous Book!!!.......2006-11-15
George Black has written a most literary and enjoyable history of the bamboo fly fishing rod. Unhurried, with frequent fascinating digressions, he takes one through the history of the development of this remarkable sporting instrument, beginning in the mid 1800's and coming down to the present. He provides much color to persons whose names were all we knew before: Leanard, Edwards, Hawes, Thomas and more. A grand book by a great author. You will really enjoy this book, even if you are not a fly fisher.
Chasing the Perfect Dream.......2006-11-12
While the nominal subject of this book is the banboo fly rod, it's really about art. There are those who can look at the Mona Lisa and be enraptured. There are others who hear a piece of music and almost leave their bodies behind.
Then there are others who look at the Mona Lisa and see a picture not as good as a photograph, and to whom music is basically noise. (Of course to a lot of music lovers, that 'other kind' of music is just noise.)
This book goes a long way to explaining that there's another approach to art. The art of the bamboo fly rod 'casts a spell' on George Black. And as a professional writer he has the gift of words to explain just how it does. His poetic prose takes the reader from the technology and the reknown makers to little known streams across the country to make the perfect catch with the perfect rod. Will he ever reach the untimate? Of course not. Life is a journey not a destination.
Bamboo fly rods.......2006-11-04
What can one say about an obsession? What can one write about an obsessive book about a line of craftsmen who rarely made a profit and were never satisfied with their work?
If you fly fish, read this. If not but you are interested in technmology and craftsmanship, read this in bits. If you are not any of these, read something else.
Average customer rating:
- Fundamentals of Building a Bamboo Fly-Rod
- Good book for those new to bamboo rod construction.
- comprehensive and well done....
- A nearly perfect beginners guide
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Fundamentals of Building a Bamboo Fly-Rod
George E. Maurer , and
Bernard P. Elser
Manufacturer: Countryman Press
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Similar Items:
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Handcrafting Bamboo Fly Rods
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Cane Rods: Tips & Tapers
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Fly Rods Galore/Classic and Contemporary Approaches To Split Bamboo Rod Making
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Constructing Cane Rods: Secrets of the Bamboo Fly Rod
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Casting a Spell: The Bamboo Fly Rod and the American Pursuit of Perfection
ASIN: 0881505706 |
Book Description
Inspired by the teachings of a master rodmaker, here is a step-by-step guide to the craft of building handmade, heirloom-quality bamboo fly-rods—the most coveted of all rods.
Spurred in part by a quest for something authentic in a mostly synthetic world, more and more anglers are abandoning high-tech graphite fly-rods in favor of those hand-crafted from bamboo. Fly-anglers, most of whom tie their own flies, are now looking to make their own split-cane fly-rods. Bamboo is cheap, and the tools needed to build finished rods are simple and few. What is needed is patience, a steady hand, and a book that explains the process with clarity and detail. This is that book.
Co-author George Maurer has built some of the finest and most innovative bamboo rods seen in a generation. His student Bernard Elser explains this exacting craft in simple, precise steps. Each chapter begins with a list of tools and the time needed to complete the step described. 95 photographs and illustrations throughout illuminate key points of the process.
Customer Reviews:
Fundamentals of Building a Bamboo Fly-Rod.......2006-11-05
A very concise, easy to follow, step-by-step presentation on how to build a bamboo fly rod for the beginner or novice. It should also be of value to those who are interested in either restoring or refurbishing a vintage rod, as this type of work requires a fundamental knowledge of how these rods were built. This book provides that knowledge.
Good book for those new to bamboo rod construction........2005-08-02
Good book for those new to bamboo rod construction as I am, with practical step-by-step explainations, recommendations and tips. Good book for the book shelf but its going to spend a fair bit of its time on the workbench in the shed.
comprehensive and well done...........2000-11-12
This is a truly excellent book on building a bamboo fly rod, and it is possibly the best currently available. The instructions are precise, the photos and drawings are detailed and the author(s) write the book from the standpoint of "We WANT you to suceed.." The truly rank beginnger (me, in other words) will find the list of tools and materials at the beginning of the book a bit daunting, and undoubtbly expensive, but this in a book about building a fine bamboo fly rod, not building a cheap one. A bit more about tapers, (and figuring your own) would have been apprecaited, but all in all, a suberb book for the rod builder, or for those of us who appreicate a bamboo fly rod...
A nearly perfect beginners guide.......2000-03-30
This is an excellent book for those planning to build their first bamboo rod. Each phase of construction is broken down into its essential elements, and the tools and time required to complete the task. The authors make the process much less daunting. I had only two criticisms. After reading the chapter on planing I had a few unanswered questions, and I wish there was more information on choosing appropriate hardware. These points are minor. If you want to build a bamboo rod, this is the first book to read, and the only book that many beginners will need.
Book Description
The bamboo fly rod represents the pinnacle of the fly-fishing art: its apparent simplicity and delicacy belie the craftsmanship and strength that are the hallmarks of all great rods.
Wayne Cattanach begins in the Kwangsi and Kwantung provinces of China, where Tonkin bamboo takes about eight years to develop the qualities that distinguish it from all other materials: a tensile strength akin to steel, light in weight, with the flexibility that gives all bamboo rods their relaxed action.
He describes the process that will take anyone from lengths of hard, raw bamboo to a beautiful finished rod with clear, step-by-step instructions, including how to: find the best supplies; select tools and materials; make and use heat treaters and binders; select rod taper, weight, and action; cut culms; straighten bamboo strips; primary and secondary planing; stagger bamboo strips; give proper heat treating; bind strips; apply finish; mount the reel seat, ferrules, and tip top; and much more.
Scores of illustrations and line drawings demonstrate crucial techniques that before this book could only be guessed at, and Wayne's years of experience with pupils and bamboo are brought to bear at every step as his invaluable tips not only instruct, but also explain how to avoid common beginners' mistakes. This is surely the most thorough book available for those who want to have the pleasure of making, and fishing, their own bamboo fly rods.
Customer Reviews:
Hndcrafting Bamboo Fly Rods: Not for everyone.......2002-01-23
This is a good reference book, but should not be your sole source of information. Too much is left out that is critical to building a first rod. For example, a lot of details are missing with regards to what you need to do with the blank once it comes out of the glue binder. WHat about scraping, filing, sanding and keeping those sharp edges? The book could also do with better organization.
Great book a must have.......2001-01-16
Great book a must have for the rod builder.
Average customer rating:
- Sweet Feel of Tonkin
- A very informative compendium about anglers bamboo
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The Angler's Bamboo
Luis Marden
Manufacturer: The Lyons Press
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Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 1558215352 |
Book Description
The first book dedicated to telling the story of Tonkin cane.
Customer Reviews:
Sweet Feel of Tonkin.......2006-03-12
I received Angler's Bamboo as a gift from my cousin, Gib Cooper who along with his wife owns and operates Tradewinds Bamboo Nursery out of Gold Beach, Oregon. The book provides a concise history of how "tea stick bamboo" came to be revered by anglers around the world.
What the Chinese had known before the birth of Christ, Western civilization came to know much, much later. Of all the known natural materials that are lightweight, and small in diameter, bamboo proved to one of the strongest. As Marden explains:
"Fibrovascular bundles (the rod maker's 'power fibers') stronger than steel, concentrated toward the outer surface of the hollow bamboo culm, or stalk, grow in parallel bundles held in a pithy matrix, giving bamboo it's qualitites of lightness and strength."
He credits the first fishing rod consulted of entirely split bamboo coming out of England around 1830. And not many years after that, "the father of the split-bamboo rod" across the pond is Samuel Phillippe, a gunsmith by trade. By 1845 Phillippe is constructing entire rods of four-strip sections. The origin of the six-strip hexagonal rod is commonly credited to another American gunsmith, Hiram Leonard. But as Marden states: "but, six-strip history... is diffuse and uncertain."
Angler's Bamboo devotes significant detail about the Tonkin cane growing area in the Kwangtung Province of China. Luis Marden describes his travel to the region as well as the American botanist Floyd McClure's discovery of the Lovely bamboo in the Waitsap area. The Sui River flows through the heart of the Tonkin forest where these terrific grasses can grow to a height of forty feet in six to eight weeks.
Finally, a number of wonderful color, photos show the Tonkin growing area, the harvest, transport down river, and the final processing of the cane for shipment to rod builders around the world. This ancient and unique species of plant - what a wonderful match for the task of angling.
This book was first reviewed on the reviewer's own site:
EcoAngler.com - The Nature of Fly Fishing.
A very informative compendium about anglers bamboo.......1998-06-26
Mardens Book is mabye noth the stuff who anglers are searchin for - he write`s a lot about the bamboo, exact "Tonkin Cane" in his book. How and where it grows, the circumstances in China, a lot about the "Power fibres" in the bamboo etc. The book has only few sites about the rodbuilding and fishing with this genre of rods. But i must say, it`s a very good book for rodmakers, who are interested in the life of her building stuff. I think after reading mardens book, you will take a closer look to your new bamboo culms. But the book is also a welcome gift for everyone who`s interested in bamboo plants. Read and enjoy it!
Book Description
The old-school bamboo fly-fishing rod, with its irresistibly warm, natural, and romantic tradition, is explored through conversations with 16 bamboo rodmakers. Profiled in the book are _Mike Clark of South Creek, Ltd.; Walt Carpenter; John Bradford; Jim Hidy; Homer Jennings; Joe Arguello; Jeff Wagner; Charlie and Steven Jenkins; Glenn Brackett and the R.L. Winston Rod Company; Ted Knott; George Maurer; Robert Gorman; Bernard Ramanauskas; Dwight Lyons; Don Schroeder; and Carl-Johan Anderberg. The author test-casted the rods and then interviewed the makers to get the story behind each rod's making. The in-depth stories, along with clear, detailed descriptions of bamboo rods, and a chapter on rod-making basics make this an excellent read for all who appreciate a fine bamboo rod.
Customer Reviews:
Bamboo rod stories are the best..........2007-05-30
Do you fish with a bamboo rod? Good, what you don't? Then you neeed to read this book about fantastic "living" bamboo rod makers. Ed does a good job of getting into the minds and work of bamboo rod makers and it doesn't hurt that he is good friends with Mike Clark. By the way Mike's rods are soooo expensive these days, if you could get one. I do understand that they are sweet though. Anyway, if you read this book and don't fish with a bamboo rod, you will be by the end of the book, whether through osmosis or the real thing.
You can't pick up books like this and never read anything else like it. After you buy this book you better think about a new bookcase for all your other "new" bamboo rod books.
Engle's friends & the lovely reed.......2005-04-19
This latest book on the wonders of the hand-crafted Bamboo Fly Rod and their makers is a survey of 17 (counting the Jenkins father & son team as two) men and their craft.
Ed Engle, a Colorado fly fishing guide for more than 30 years, has collected his conversations with these craftsmen. Then he includes a description of a trip to China to the only source of the "Tonkin" Bamboo. This is a book that can, largely, be told by its cover. . . and it reveals a few truths about an esoteric art as practiced by a few of the current craftsmen. It is not intended to be the definitive survey nor is it an unbiased critical review - it is what it says it is - a record of conversations between the author and some rodmakers he knows and a discussion of some of the rods, including the practice and the art of casting them.
This book has been criticized as just another publication by the John Gierach gang. It is true that the book covers rodmaker Mike Clark and his "John Gierach- A.K. Best" taper rod and Gierach wrote the introduction, but that's hardly a negative; I'd assume that the critic would have said the same of members of The Algonquin Roundtable . . . That said, Engle's writing style is his own and he derives nothing from Gierach's prose style.
Another critic remarks that there has been prior publication of some of these interviews. For this reviewer, it matters not one whit that some of the chapters are collected from other publications. The prior publications are obscure and it is unlikely that many of the readers will have had access to them.
This is a delightful insight into the worlds of a few people who make hand-made fly rods that sell for $900.00 and up (way, way up in some cases). What Engle makes clear is that the waiting time for a custom-built rod, along the hundreds of steps and tens of hours that go into the crafting of one of these gems makes the craftsman's price close to minimum wage for the time and skill expended in the process. Engle also points out that if you want a custom rod you will wait for it - there is no jumping the queue allowed. There are some things that money simply can't buy these days.
This is a book about a niche within a niche within a niche and those of us who love fly fishing and everything about fly fishing will love this book, too.
bamboo book.......2002-10-04
Surveys only some of the better rodmakers - Brackett, Jennings, Jenkins and others - and describes test casting and action of each...Observations were interesting, but not much of a reference. This is not an updated reference book a la Marty Keane (which is thin also) but more of a musing through rodbuilding, action etc. The rodbuilding/collecting/fishing community is lacking a comprehensive reference of fine contemporary cane rods. This book helps but does not go far enough. Pictures are desired in this type of book but sadly are missing. Many of the chapters appeared in a small fly fishing journal out of Livingston in the past so you may have seen them before. And a piece by John Gierach, surprise, suprise.
Good but could have been better.......2002-08-27
Engle's book is an introduction to many of today's bamboo rod builders. The results of test casting each of the builders' rods seemed to run together as the descriptions of the actions were different but the meaning was the same. I am not sure I could pick a builder through these similar descriptions. The interviews about the builders' philosophies would serve one better. Overall, I thought the book was informative but with no color plates of the rods, the detailed descriptions lost much of their value. Still a good read.
Average customer rating:
- The lovely Reed
- The most current book on bamboo rod making
- The modern Bibel for Rodmakers after Garisson
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The Lovely Reed: An Enthusiast's Guide to Building Bamboo Fly Rods
Jack Howell
Manufacturer: Pruett Publishing Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 0871088681 |
Customer Reviews:
The lovely Reed.......2002-01-23
This is clearly the best of the current crop of rod building books. It could do with an index (ther isn't one!), updates on components (The Golden Witch, Bellingers - he carries **everything**, not just reel seats), and additional information on critical processes (straightening glued up rods, filing, scraping, sanding a blank, wrapping, etc.). Overall, though, if you are going to build a first rod this ought to be your first purchase!
The most current book on bamboo rod making.......1998-07-09
Bamboo rod making is one of those crafts with enough twists in the road that most first-timers want as much up-to-date information as they can get before they start. The Lovely Reed ("LR") is both possibly the best single reference on the subject, and the most generally useful book if you are only reading one.
The LR is very nicely written, and carefully organized. It starts with and overview, then runs through building a rod. The second section of the book, about 1/3rd of the text, is devoted to equipment skills and techniques. This separates out specific tasks like making an oven,a dipping tank, or sharpeing a plane, which may not be attempted by all builders, or already be part of their repetoir.
A good book, which doesn't greatly overlap either Carmichael (Garrison), or Cattanach the other standards in the field.
The modern Bibel for Rodmakers after Garisson.......1998-06-26
Well, Howelss Book is a must for todays Rodmakers and all lovers of the split cane rods! Shue, he tells not much new in the craftmanship of bamboo rodbuilding, but he shows ( a lot of photos)a simple way to build your own rod. He`s way is noth much another than Garrison describe, but Howells Way is a synthese of old and new formulas! Exelent written and have also a look at his informative taper-section! Better buy the book now - most better books about the rodbuilding are fast out of print! Mabye Howell created the new rodmakers bible?!
Stefan Grau Swiss Rodmaker
Book Description
Moose in the Water/Bamboo on the Bench provides an intimate look into the rodmaker's world and the lives of two people who followed in the footsteps of yesterday's artisans. Set at the edge of the "North Woods" of Maine, it is a story of lasting relationships, of lakes and mountaintops, of dogs and rodmaking dogma, and of autumn landscapes made breathless by the resounding wingbeats of migrating waterfowl. a celebration of the out-doors, craftsmanship and the deep meaning of friendship
Customer Reviews:
Great book!.......2004-02-14
Kathy Scott has written a wonderful book that captures the quiet, peace and joy of the Maine countryside. Adding to that, she has interweaved it with the story of the construction of a bamboo rod by her husband, David. I think the best thing I can say about it is that it reads as if you were in the same room with her, talking about things that please and things that matter. She continues this story in the second book, Headwaters Fall As Snow, another wonderful book.
Pleasant reading.......2002-05-30
I found the reading of Moose in the Water Bamboo on the Bench so enjoyable I couldn't put it down until I had read the whole book. This was one of the most enjoyable books I had read in a long time concerning flyfishing and the outdoors. Kathy Scott has done a fantastic job taking you on a journey from start to finish through the adventures she and her husband experience in the Maine woods and his building of a bamboo fly rod. I have read this book 3 times I find that enjoyable. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys the outdoors and and loves to just read a good book. I greatly anticipate Kathy's next book.
Product Description
If split cane fly rods are the spiritual height of fly fishing, then the R.L. Winston bamboo rod shop approaches a mystical place. A Mecca for the few who find their way to Twin Bridges, Montana, most anglers only hear rumors of bearded rod makers bent over benches, illuminated, one would suppose, by a magical ray of Western sunlight. Until now, the heart of their discussions and the secrets of their techniques were only the stuff of conjecture and dreams. In A Wisp in the Wind, rod maker and dedicated fly fisher Jerry Kustich invites us through the rod shop door and bids us welcome. We meet the craftsmen we've only imagined, free thinking rod makers with humor, dedication, and lively conversation, immersed in the business of beveling cane strips and committed to the ideal that each of us, every angler, is going to have to fight for the future of every trout. As much a celebration of a life spent fishing, enriched by both the solitude and the company found there, as an observation of the lessons learned from halcyon kingfishers and elusive bull trout, Kustich takes us steelheading in British Columbia, spring creek fishing on Poindexter Slough, and late winter fishing on the Bitterroot. We travel along through the history of the Winston Company - of Lew Stoner, Robert Winther and their successors. We face the inevitability of the passing of eras, of people, and wild places with an activist's hope. We ponder slowing the clock as precious moments seem to race by, faithful friends and family slipping into our dreams. And we consider, why bamboo? What is a "bamboo kind of day"? Any angler, with graphite or cane, who has found peace in the simplicity of a line well cast or a moment beyond the reach of time, will understand the quest and understand the greatest truth: the journey is the goal. A Wisp in the Wind is a journey well worth taking. - Kathy Scott, author of Moose in the Water/Bamboo on the Bench and Headwaters Fall as Snow
Customer Reviews:
Bonefisher.......2007-01-10
The author's writing style is analogous to the action of a bamboo rod; gentle, smooth, and unhurried. He weaves his philosophies of life, the environment, and the craft of bamboo rod making thoughout his stories. His ideas on fishing and human interaction are well thought out and make his book satisfying to read. There is not a lot of action here, but the insight into Mr. Kustich's life keeps the book interesting. I enjoyed the book enough to buy his other book, At the River's Edge.
Customer Reviews:
Fly-fishing for poets.......2004-10-01
If you have never read a fly fishing book, please read this one! This is one of the best books I have read in a long time. I am NOT a fisherman. I am the long-suffering wife of a fisherman, though. I got the book for my husband thinking it was about repairing/collecting bamboo fly rods. I opened it intending merely to scan the first page. I couldn't put it down until I had finished. Professor Soos' command of the English language is awesome. His language is poetic. This isn't a book Ernest Hemingway could have written. Soos doesn't spare his words. He uses them freely and musically. This book is not particularly about bamboo fly rods. It is about life, philosopy, religion, human relationships, and the places where some or all of those things intersect. The book consists of several longish essays each loosely based on Soos' experiences acquiring, owning, and using an antique bamboo fly rod. Soos is an English professor living and working in Fairbanks, Alaska. A life-long fisherman, he acquires a bamboo fly rod from a friend. For the uninitiated, a bamboo fly rod is a sacred thing to fly fishermen. In the first essay Soos explores the power of the rod and his own worthiness to own it in spite of it's dilapidated condition. From the very beginning of the book I couldn't help but be reminded of Norman Maclean's story, "A River Runs Through It". In the last essay Soos, himself, refers to Maclean's work extensively. Like Maclean, Soos' work is full of memorable phrases and gentle humor. My husband loved this book as much as I did. It is the kind of book you want to own so you can re-read it in the spring on one of the first warm days. And every time you read it, you find some new turn of phrase or quirky thought you'd never noticed before.
an eyes-open meditation.......2001-01-21
I opened this book expecting a quick read: another warm-and-fuzzy meditation on the art of fly-fishing, and by extension a meditation on life (and how to live it). I didn't get what I was expecting, except for the quick read part. Frank Soos's little book is actually much better than that. Soos indeed does provide the fishing/life metaphor for our consideration, but he honestly deconstructs much that's held sacred in both. What is the good of this bamboo fly rod? he asks. By every objective measure, graphite rods are better. But while most fishing writers would, at that point, verge off into some squishy promenade through the lore and rhetoric of fly-fishing, Soos deconstructs these easy answers as well. And, by extension, he deconstructs some of the sacred beliefs most of us hold onto because we believe we must. In the end, Soos might agree with us, but not because he's taken the answer for granted. The meditation I expected from this book was one of silence, stillness, darkness, the meditation of a disciple sitting erect and cross-legged on a mat in the corner. Instead, this is a meditation hiked to, stumbled in, slipped across, cast about for, and otherwise sought fully and honestly. Please do read it. Also, I was very impressed with the beautifyl illustrations by Kesler Woodward. They seem mildly incongruous with the subject at times, but close and comfortable enough not to be distracting.
Customer Reviews:
Constructing Cane Rods.......2002-01-23
You'll eventually read reviews from people who don't like this book - the book is poorly organized, too brief, has terrible references/bibliography, etc. I think these criticisms are missing the point. This book contains a lot of valuable information in the form of notes, asides, etc. that you will find nowhere else. This shouldn't be your first pirchase (that should be The Lovely Reed), but as a second purchase to fill in the gaps missing from The Lovely Reed it is worth it's weight in gold. It really is a must buy.
Cane Made Clear.......2001-02-13
Let me get right to the point: Ray Gould's Constructing Cane Rods is a gem!
In a genre full of obtuse and lengthy tomes, this book provides a concise, clear, and easy to read review of bamboo fly rod technology, art, and practice. Gould calls upon his background as an engineer to cut through the alchemy, distilling essential elements into a series of refreshingly well organized chapters - each short and to the point.
Balancing this technical clarity, it is also evident that the author's heart lives on a trout stream. Full tribute is given to the traditions and craftsmanship of bamboo rodmaking, without any of the cloying syrup.
Just like an exquisite violin, a fine cane flyrod is both a joy to behold and a delight to play. Read this book, and you will pleasurably discover all you need to know to restore, care for, build, and enjoy the very best in bamboo fly rods.
John M Griffin (Feb '01)
An excellent companion volume to other rod building books........1999-05-28
Well known split cane rod builder Ray Gould, has produced a comprehensive book encompassing several related bamboo fly rod sub topics. Ray walks the reader through the different commercial producers of bamboo fly rods, and tells you what to look for when placing a value on an older rod. Repairs to that old rod in the basement are dicussed. Diagrams and information to produce your own special rod making tools are here, as well as making your own rods from scratch. This is an excellent book for any serious rod builder, collector, restorer, or anyone who appreciates a fine hand made bamboo fly rod. I recommend this book as a companion to other rod buiding books. Ed Dickson
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