Fishing Presidents

“The political potency of fish is known to Presidents as well as candidates. In modern times all Presidents quickly begin to fish soon after election . . . President Theodore Roosevelt, President Cleveland and myself–with slight egotism!–I think, are the only Presidents who had been lifelong fly fishermen before they went to the White House.”
-Herbert […]

Just a Stick

“No matter how much attention and ornamentation we may lavish on it, a fly rod after all is just a stick.”
-Paul Schullery, Royal Coachman
Oh well, it each his own.

Spinoza the Rod Maker

“I’m talking about Spinoza the rod maker. He’s been dead seven years. Of course, the business is in charge. As a matter of fact, they still put out the best rods on the market, but the rods made by the old man himself have something–well, it’s hard to explain. They’re just different. You simply know, […]

It All Started with Carpets

Sometime around the turn of the 20th century, dry fly fishing became popular and the need for a rod with backbone presented itself. The bamboo of the day, known as Calcutta from India, just didn’t have the necessary stiffness.
Enter Charles H. Demerest, an importer of bamboo, rattans, ginger, and other exotic products from the east. […]

Of Bamboo

Tree-grass–unique in the plant kingdom
Symbol of uprightness, chivalry and devotion
Inspiration of poets, artists and philosophers
Writing material of the ancients;
the stylus of contemporaries
Food, shelter and clothing of the people
Industrial substance of a thousand uses
Redeemer of waste places–protector of the soil
-Floyd Alonzo McClure in “The Bamboos: A Fresh Perspective” published in 1977
It was in 1925 that Floyd […]