That Edwards book...

Post by **SnooKen** » Wed Oct 15, 2008 3:58 pm

Nah, she ain't nobody and din't write nuttin' an' I made her up. 'Sides, who cares about East Coast fly fishing history anyway, buncha high-tone sissies in spats all worried about dinky black bears and gettin' back to the lodge in time for tea. As my ol' gramps useta' say "Readin' Rots the Mind!" (he also said "A Mind is a Terrible Thing" but never got no royalties fer that neither).

Anyway, a coupla hinky college-types I know say that book is a compilation of articles she wrote over a number of years and is pretty good stuff but, of course, it can't no way compete with Paul Schullery's "Cowboy Trout"!

Snewk

Post by **Troutgetter** » Wed Oct 15, 2008 5:48 pm

Funny you should mention "Cowboy Trout."

I found that book today in a cardboard box that someone had tossed at my door. Forgot I even owned it. It was with another book, some fishing mags and a box of crap (including a dead, hair trimmer) that used to be near where I slept every night.

Movin' on...

greendrake · Post by **greendrake** » Wed Oct 15, 2008 8:20 pm

No Mike I didn't have to send it back but I did.I had second thoughts almost immediately and even more so when I saw the replacement was #106/150(higher no. supposedly =less resale value than a lower no.)but I don't know why that would enter the picture as I very seldom ever sell any books that I've aquire.I doubt very seriously if Dr Todd would even consider selling it.He's workedvery hard to establish Whitefish Press as a prestigeous small publishing co. and I feel quite certain he doesn't want any bad examples out there.He told me as soon as the book was in his hands he was going to ask quality control how they could have missed something so obvious and chew their ass for allowing it to happen. >I agree with Ken,I can't wait for the Gnomes second book.

Post by **adam** » Wed Oct 15, 2008 9:27 pm

aguafria · Post by **aguafria** » Wed Oct 15, 2008 9:42 pm

playing with fire is a great name.

greendrake · Post by **greendrake** » Thu Oct 16, 2008 2:14 am

Yeah it is a great name.I found it so fascinating that when Edwards was experimenting with flaming the bamboo,he secretively got culms to test his theories from Hawes,even though Fred Thomas lived right across the street!Rodmakers today share techniques so freely,but back in the day they were so secretive of everything they did.Ol' Eustis didn't want Fred to know what he was up to.He was on the verge of getting back into rodmaking after his brief stint as a photographer and the competitive juices must have been flowing.He had an edge that no one else had and his browntone rods took the public by storm.Fred must have drove himself half crazy trying to figure it out.For several years the best he could come up with was tinting his varnish.In the meantime Edwards was establishing himself as the premier rodmaker in the country.Pat(the books author) and I have had many conversations concerning Edwards and our respect for his work and we both have the same thoughts about how much of a rivalry there was between Edwards and Thomas dating clear back to their days as the 1st 2 apprentices hired by H.L. Leonard.

matsoberg · Post by **matsoberg** » Thu Nov 06, 2008 9:17 am

A wonderful sunny and frosty November day here in Sweden today. And better yet, the Edwards book arrived, thanks to a very helpful friend who sent it over for me. Thanks again!

//Mats

Post by **Troutgetter** » Thu Nov 06, 2008 9:48 am

My copy showed up while I was in LA lookin'.
I unwrapped it and never even got a chance to crack the cover and flip the pages.

Adam came over last Saturday and packed up my books and we hauled them into the storage unit. It could be years before that copy sees the light of day again...but I have it and one day...

I also bought this book. It's due to be released sometime this month. It apparently won't get packed with the rest of my books and stored as that part of the shop is gone now. It looks like it will end up traveling with me on a long walk into the desert to be found laying next to my rotting bones.

I'm not a big rod history buff like a lot of folks are but, a book about forgotten rodmakers just hits a chord with me.

Hatton's 2nd book (yet unpublished), 50 years from now, will be a book about forgotten rodmakers I think. A book written about folks today making rods and photographically documenting their work. My money is on that 10 years from now, most of those folks won't actively be producing rods and will have fallen to the wayside. In many, many ways, the work that Jeff is doing on this book, in the TRUE golden age of bamboo rodmaking, is going to be so valuable, it is incomprehensible to place a dollar amount on. It will be priceless! And with luck will go to 10+ reprints.

Post by **Troutgetter** » Thu Nov 06, 2008 11:42 am

greendrake wrote:Yeah it is a great name.I found it so fascinating that when Edwards was experimenting with flaming the bamboo,he secretively got culms to test his theories from Hawes,even though Fred Thomas lived right across the street!Rodmakers today share techniques so freely,but back in the day they were so secretive of everything they did.Ol' Eustis didn't want Fred to know what he was up to.He was on the verge of getting back into rodmaking after his brief stint as a photographer and the competitive juices must have been flowing.He had an edge that no one else had and his browntone rods took the public by storm.Fred must have drove himself half crazy trying to figure it out.For several years the best he could come up with was tinting his varnish.In the meantime Edwards was establishing himself as the premier rodmaker in the country.Pat(the books author) and I have had many conversations concerning Edwards and our respect for his work and we both have the same thoughts about how much of a rivalry there was between Edwards and Thomas dating clear back to their days as the 1st 2 apprentices hired by H.L. Leonard.

Will...I'm speechless, yet here I go!

You quickly understood this place I think. I'm glad you're here.

Adam set up Grassart for a reason. It was set up for not what you read here today. That reason has morphed into what it is today. Much, I think, to his dismay. It's going to end up costing him way more than ten bucks a month in the long run. I think we should find a way to help if possible. I don't mind buying beer for the month. I think a simple PayPal button should be placed on the homepage so we can chip in a few bucks every now and then. For that matter, Jerry's Rodmakers page has benn up for 15 freaking years for us all to peruse and glean tapers from. It's up this month and every month! For freaking year upon year! It cost's him and no thanks ever seem to shoot back at him.

There are so many rodmaking sites. Most of them personal sites (my own included, though there is a section of my site dedicated to other people sharing info) and a VERY FEW sites that actively promote sharing of information between, what most would consider, each others competitors. Even those that promote sharing turn into pimp sites. I don't have to name names. If I do, then go look and read for yourself.

There is NO competition here, only disseminating information. When this place becomes competitive, I hope Adam clamps the lid down tight. It's purpose will have been lost. So far, no one's really pimping their shit here and that's good. It's come close though. No one's crossed the unwritten line. Fuck...is there even a line at all?

The 1920's, 30's and 40's are "generally" considered the "golden age" of bamboo rodmaking. But the true renaissance is happening right NOW!

We are either in the midst of it or on the downhill side of it. I don't know for sure. Maybe even that is shortsighted. It started 20 years ago in the early 90's I think. Jerry was there there at the beginnings. It's all his fault.

It was the damn computer that made it happen! There are now people ALL over the world making bamboo rods again. It simply won't die out now, and it simply will never die out. Mats has a wonderful site going in Sweden, much like this place in many ways. Europe has it's own version of ABRA, IBRA which could be argued is a resurrection of the Swedish Rodmakers Assc, even though it is based in Italy.

Can you imagine if this little place existed when Payne (Ed, not Jim, oh hell throw Jim in there too), Edwards, Thomas, Dickerson, Powell, and Young were alive? What you would be reading? Of course, that assumes they would have participated.

There are some pretty impressive names on the member list here. Unfortunately, most of them don't post and I have nothing to say about that any longer. But why join up if you don't plan on participating? One can read for free anonymously. Maybe that should end too so the participating members can feel free to share what they are doing? It will sure cut down on the bandwidth used each month.

Cheap, plastic rods will always be here for the masses. Like me, folks will find out that the bamboo rod is what flyfishing is all about. Maybe they won't. It doesn't matter in the long run.

I see a lot of recent posts here going towards cosmetics vs function. I really don't mind that in the least. It could and SHOULD be argued that cosmetics CAN make a rod actually cast different/better. Intermediates for example have shown to quicken a rod. A pain in the ass to wrap and apply, but if it weren't for intermediates, most british rods would have been burned in a campfire. Shit did I write that? Sorry. The damn purdiest, most functional rods are being made today without question!

I don't know why I have so much bile spilling from my gullet this morning. My apologies.

I guess the fact that two rodmakers lived across the street from each other and the rivalry so hard core that they couldn't talk to each other, simply makes me sad AND makes me wonder what if?
Can you imagine Kiley and Jerry Foster NOT talking to each other? Can you imagine Adam NOT taking pictures and posting his journey through a mortised rod? Keeping that to himself? He would be well within his rights to!

Now I know that a lot of the early "comtemporary" renaissance rodmakers, A.J, M-D, Bob Nunley, Tony Young, (and a long list of others) have been burned badly by sharing what they learned the hard way over the years. Except for M-D, who is actively making mandolins in the Ozarks, they are all still making rods.
I have learned MUCH from what they used to write in other places ten years ago. I am to this day in their debt!

This place has a uniqueness.
There is no chest beating, dick measuring happening here to quote another member. Only sharing...at least I hope that's their intention.

And I really don't know what I mean by any of this.

Anudder beer please?

matsoberg · Post by **matsoberg** » Thu Nov 06, 2008 3:11 pm

Mike.

Yeah, isn´t it wonderful this "sharing" thing? As you say, Internet has a big role in why people are talking to each others nowaday and spreading the word of bamboo. Heck, I hadn´t found my way to Oregon, meeting you guys, if it hadn´t been for my ´puter...

But there must be guys you can ask about the stuff also, or it wouldn´t be worth as much. You mentioned my site and I said it before; When these young guys in there have wiggeled their first bamboo sticks, I´ll pop my best Carlsberg open to celebrate. It feels good to know you helped out. Or at least cheering them up on the way.

Speaking of the old guys, Hiram, Ed, Fred, Eustis and so on... These guys made way for us without knowing it, but times couldn´t have been too easy making rods for a living back then (also), so no wonder they kept their stuff to themselves. Eustis didn´t want Fred to "steal" his customers. I don´t freaking care if someone is copying something I came up with as I got food on the table anyway... or maybe I should be more secretive?

Naaa...

take care,

// Mats