Sweetgrass Bamboo Rod

midstream · 02-26-2008, 01:47 AM

Well not here yet but supposed to be very soon. My real passion in life is fly fishing. I love bamboo rods and vintage reels. The makers of Winston Bamboo left Winston and started Sweetgrass rods. Mine will be one of the first to come out. Their waiting list is now over two years long. I was lucky to be one of the first in line. Can't wait to show pics and to fish it!

Don · 02-26-2008, 02:03 AM

Awesome do not know much about Fly fishing but a 2 year wait WOW it must be good

Bill S · 02-26-2008, 02:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by midstream

Well not here yet but supposed to be very soon. My real passion in life is fly fishing. I love bamboo rods and vintage reels. The makers of Winston Bamboo left Winston and started Sweetgrass rods. Mine will be one of the first to come out. Their waiting list is now over two years long. I was lucky to be one of the first in line. Can't wait to show pics and to fish it!

That's a Glenn Brackett (sp?) rod? Should be a really nice one. I've got a few cane rods, but don't get to fish them much

. Maybe this season.

As an aside, I think it's too bad what has gone on with Winston under the current ownership. I've got a bunch of Winston rods and I wish that they wouldn't have diluted the brand so much. On the other hand, they have to stay alive, so I guess it's a necessary evil.

Tony Miller · 02-26-2008, 12:04 PM

Wow, time moves on. I remember years ago when I was heavy into fly fishing and Winston was a bran new endevour! They sort of specialized in very small delicate rods in cane and had just added a graphite and a really sweet little glass rod to try an appeal to everyones budget.

Didn't the original founder once work for another rod maker or were possibly two independant makers joining forces?

I bet I still have my Winston catalog stashed away.

Neat blast from the past.

Tony

midstream · 02-26-2008, 01:07 PM

Winston has been making bamboo rods since 1929 and was the premier builder for many years. They started making fiberglass and graphite when everyone else did and did a great job of it. Lew Stoner was an owner and maker, then they taught Merrick, he and Gary Howells passed it on to Brackett who had bought part of the company as well and made bamboo rods. They then sold to the present guy who is outsourcing and doing the corporate thing. As you say "diluting the brand" Brackett and the "Boo Boys" left and now have sweet grass. Winston still makes bamboo but it will never be the same. There was a legacy of one builder passing the skill on to the next. Now the graphite folks are making their bamboo. Not good. I figured there would be some bamboo guys in here with all the straight razor shavers. Something about that era.

Sandcounty · 02-26-2008, 01:32 PM

Congrats on the Sweetgrass. I'm sure it will feel just right. I'll be fishing my first bamboo rod this spring. A little 5' 9" 3-weight (fast) that I purchased on ebay. I know it sounds small, but I fish some pretty tight streams. I got the bug like crazy. This weekend is supposed to be low 30's and sunny. That's winter stream trout weather in Minnesota.

Lynn · 02-26-2008, 02:44 PM

Bill showed me one of his Bamboo rods and I'm still drooling.......

I used to tie my own fiberglass and graphite flyrods. It was a lot of fun but really time consuming. I would love to do a couple more one of these days. That reminds me...... I need to get that Sage that I broke repaired......

Lynn

prhomme · 02-26-2008, 03:24 PM

Great to see some of you into fly fishing! I am a contributing writer to one of the big national fly fishing magazines. I have a story coming out in summer on a trip to Labrador I took back in August. What are your home waters?

Sandcounty · 02-26-2008, 03:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by prhomme

What are your home waters?

We have about a hundred spring creeks in the SE corner of the state. I've fished over half of them (so far). And since they are a two hour drive from the cities it's not hard to find solitude. I also try to hit the N. shore of Superior a few times a year. So, I don't really have a "home water," besides a few small streams that must remain nameless. But now that I'm back in school and married it's getting a lot harder to find the time to make the drive.

Lynn · 02-26-2008, 04:08 PM

I used to fish the trout streams in Missouri alot. I still get back to Bennett Springs at least once a year to fish with my sons. Trying to find a few streams in NE Ohio right now.

Lynn

Kenrup · 02-26-2008, 04:38 PM

Down here in Texas we have the Guadalupe River. The tailrace below Canyon Dam is the southern most trout fishery in the United States, GRTU runs a lease access program where we can stock quality trout and have access to them. We fish mostly this time of year for trout. We are fishing in shirt sleeves btw

. In the warmer months we do a lot of Hill Country fishing for bass and sunfish. Some guys will actually admit to catching a catfish on a fly. A lot of head to the gulf for flats fishing in the warmer months.

Rusty Shackleford · 02-26-2008, 04:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by midstream

Well not here yet but supposed to be very soon. My real passion in life is fly fishing. I love bamboo rods and vintage reels. The makers of Winston Bamboo left Winston and started Sweetgrass rods. Mine will be one of the first to come out. Their waiting list is now over two years long. I was lucky to be one of the first in line. Can't wait to show pics and to fish it!

Awesome! Can't wait to see it...

-Pary

prhomme · 02-26-2008, 05:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sandcounty

We have about a hundred spring creeks in the SE corner of the state. I've fished over half of them (so far). And since they are a two hour drive from the cities it's not hard to find solitude. I also try to hit the N. shore of Superior a few times a year. So, I don't really have a "home water," besides a few small streams that must remain nameless. But now that I'm back in school and married it's getting a lot harder to find the time to make the drive.

Driftless! Have always wanted to go there. Did you read Leeson's book about growing up there and fishing?

Sandcounty · 02-26-2008, 05:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by prhomme

Driftless! Have always wanted to go there. Did you read Leeson's book about growing up there and fishing?

Nope, haven't read that one. The Driftless region really is an amazing place. I've been stalked by cougars, had a badger hiss in my face from about four feet away, and caught nice trout in really small streams. The mayflies are generally small, but not always. Bring a rod if you ever come to this area. It would be well worth the trouble.
Sorry Midstream, I think that this thread has been officially hijacked.

But, bring up fishing and that's bound to happen.

midstream · 02-26-2008, 08:02 PM

there are no rivers where I live. My home water would be the lower middle fork in Oklahoma or the white rive in Arkansas. Really no trout water worth fishing in Texas. (IMHO)

Stilley30 · 02-27-2008, 01:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by midstream

there are no rivers where I live. My home water would be the lower middle fork in Oklahoma or the white rive in Arkansas. Really no trout water worth fishing in Texas. (IMHO)

Don't feel bad, I don't have many rivers around here either. I usually stick to the flats around Tampa Bay. Good to see some fellow anglers on here. On a side note, I just moved and seem to have misplaced my fly box

. I have searched everywhere for it. Don't you hate that feeling? I never lose anything, then I go and lose something like that. Go figure. Bad part is I know as soon as I replace all the stuff in the box I'll find it. I'm trying to hold off, but I could only find a dozen or so other flies to use in the mean time.