In the bamboo subculture of fly fishing there are rodmakers who craft split cane fly rods and the anglers who use them.  Both share an appreciation for the detail and beauty of handmade excellence.  They also share a deliberate connection with the natural world evidenced by the places they frequent, the lifestyles they choose and the classic rods they prefer.

Moose in the Water / Bamboo on the Bench provides an intimate look into the rodmakers’ world and the lives of two people who have 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 wing beats of migrating waterfowl.

With adventures in the “Wilds” of Maine, the Mountain West and Michigan’s “Up North,”  Moose in the Water / Bamboo on the Bench is the journal of a partnership celebrating the out-doors, the inextricably intertwined world of the craftsman, and the deep meaning of friendship.

Critic Reviews

“At first glance, Moose in the Water / Bamboo on the Bench seems to be about making a split bamboo fly rod, but first impressions are often deceiving. Unlike a rodmaking manual, the charts, drawings and tables are missing.  Instead, the reader is offered prose in a lyrical style that tells a wonderful story.  This journal turned book is the tale of how a rodmaker, along with some trout and beaver, dogs, ducks, mice and men, all help to craft a culm of Asian cane into a special fly rod — a fly rod that when complete becomes a magic wand.”

Ron Barch, editor of The Planing Form

 

“While building a fly rod is an exacting task, which doesn’t lend itself to ‘light reading,’ Kathy Scott has combined that subject with everyday experiences in living and enjoying the great outdoors.  Her mixture moves us through a year of accomplishment and down-to-earth appreciation of the world in which she lives.  Most enjoyable!”

Eileen Demarest

“This book tells an engaging story of friends and family brought together by their common interest in wilderness living, fly fishing and crafting a bamboo fly rod.  It will surely find its niche in the literature of camping, fly fishing and craftmanship.”

Harold Demarest

“A book for all…one who loves to fly fish or one who loves a fly fisherman.”

A Reluctant Angling Wife

“With a touch of Thoreau, Ms. Scott’s journal documents the meticulous but loving struggle of one man’s quest to build the perfect bamboo fly rod while immersed in the splendor of Maine.  It is exactly the type of work I hope will flourish in the next age of fly fishing.”

Jerry Kustich, Rodmaker, Twin Bridges, Montana

Details

102 Pages
By:  Kathy Scott
Illustrated By:  Michael Miling