Once an angler masters a graphite rod, his interests often move on to the original fly rod, pliant bamboo. Until the mid-twentieth century, nearly all fly rods were bamboo. By the 1970s, fiberglass and graphite changed the world of fly-fishing. But more and more anglers are seeing bamboo rods in retail outlets, and want to give them a try. With this book, John Gierach, one of the nation’s top fly-fishing writers, provides a philosophical guide to the angler who seeks this new “old” method. Gierach discusses how bamboo rods are built, how they differ from graphite rods, and how using one will change a fly fisher’s approach to the sport. Fishing bamboo might be the pinnacle of fly-casting skill, and this book will help take you there.

John Gierach is the great sage of American fly fishing, an idiosyncratic philosopher whose commentaries onangling are explorations of the meaning of life. He is also one of the most widely-read angling writers inthe country, mainly through his monthly columns in Fly Rod & Reel. But his great books—Trout Bum,Standing in a River Waving a Stick, and Sex, Death and Fly Fishing, among others—continue to attractnew and younger readers. For many fly fishers, he is the voice of their sport. He lives in Lyons, Colorado.