Post by ShadowCaster on Apr 15, 2007 22:11:11 GMT 8
The departure of master bamboo rod maker Glenn Brackett and his rod making team (Wayne Maca, Jeff Walker & Jerry Kustich) from the R L Winston Rod Company in 2006 marks the end of a an important rod making tradition started since 1929. The R L Winston Rod Company was founded by Lew Stoner and Rob Winther in San Francisco, within roll casting distance from the famed Golden Gate Angling/Casting Club. The fluted-hollow bamboo rod building technique pioneered by Lew Stoner in the 1920s was passed down and improved through strict apprenticeship to a continuous linage of legendary rod making stalwarts such as Doug Merrick, Gary Howell, Tom Morgan and finally to Glenn Brackett and his team. While under the joint ownership of Tom Morgan and Glenn Brackett in the 1970s, R L Winston moved the company from San Francisco to Twin Bridges, Montana in order to be near the world-class trout fishing waters of the Beaverhead, Big Hole and Jefferson rivers.
David Ondaatje bought over the R L Winston company from Morgan and Brackett in 1991 and embarked on a technological revolution of fly rod designs, using advanced design techniques and materials. It was during the Ondaatje era, that the wildly successful series of advanced Winston rods such as the LT-5, BL5, XTR-5 and BIIX were designed and manufactured. R L Winston had certainly been very profitable since then. Justifiably so as having own and fished a series of these graphite/boron rods, I think that they are outstanding casting and fishing instruments. Perhaps driven by their success in the graphite/boron rods, and also for corporate governance and profitability reasons, the Winston Management (CEO, Mike Woodard) wanted Glenn Brackett to increase his Bamboo rod production rate from about 100 annually to 2500. Brackett (age 67 at the time of this writing) was also prevented by the Winston management to pick his own successor to run the Bamboo rod shop as what Stoner, Merrick and Howell had done previously. That would mean that Brackett would not be able to produce bamboo rods in the tradition that Stoner had started in 1929 and refined over the years by Merrick, Howell and himself. After a few months of rather unpleasant confrontation, Glenn Brackett decided that it would be in the best interest of Winston for he and his team to leave Winston. This was after 40+ years of service to the Rod Company and Bamboo rod enthusiasts world wide.
The responsibility of Bamboo rod making in the Winston Bamboo Rod Shop has since been given to Annette Maclean from the graphite/boron rods production department. Annette had a few months of tutelage from Brackett between Oct 05 to Jan 06 before Brackett and his team left. She now divides her time between managing the graphite/boron rod department and the Bamboo rod shop. It is not quite certain if the Bamboo rod production rate is measuring up to the Winston Management’s expectation. Much less is certain about the quality and craftsmanship of the bamboo rods that are coming out of the Twin Bridges shop since Brackett’s departure. One thing for sure though, is that the fine traditional craftsmanship of a fluted-hollow Winston Bamboo rod pioneered by Stoner in 1929, and refined by Merrick, Howell and Brackett over the last 77 years, is gone forever. Although one can still buy a brand new Glenn Brackett made rod through the Sweet Grass Rod Company, it will not be a Glenn Brackett rod made in the R L Winston tradition. One would have to look into the secondary market for one of those.
Just 2 weeks ago, I had the privilege to acquire a Brackett era Winston Bamboo rod in Mint Un-Fished condition from a reputable dealer. The rod in question is from the “Leetle Feller” series of light line rods. The diminutive "Leetle Fellers", is a name coined by the inimitable angling author Peter J. Schwab the scrappy debunker of theories on rod balance and ineffective small trout rods. Schwab and Lew Stoner put their heads together and designed these uniquely specialized rods for DT3 and DT4 line in the 1930s for the famed Catskills trout waters. Stoner initially built the “Leetle Fellers” with delicate all cork grips and seats, which Brackett later included options with exotic wood reel seat inserts. These two piece instruments are a true delight to everyone who loves delicately built fly rods. Though this series of tiny rods posses great delicacy and may appear somewhat fragile to the uninitiated, they are not the slow and whippy rods one might assume from their statistics. Their hollow design reduces weight, not power. These tapers are designed for relatively short, delicate casts where accuracy is more critical than distance. Stoner built four rods for DT3 line: a 5-½ footer at 1-3/4ounces, a 6 footer at 2ounces, a 6-½ footer at 2-1/8 ounces, and a delightful 7 footer at 2-½ ounces. The 7 footer at 2-5/8 ounces and 7-½ footer at 3 1/8 ounces, both for a DT4 line, round out the series. For Brackett era rods with exotic wood reel seat inserts, simply add 3/8 oz to the rod weight. The “Leetle Fellers” were very popular in the US Eastern trout streams such as the Catskills in Upstate New York and the Pennsylvania chalk streams where accuracy is more important than distance. The “Leetle Fellers” also received ardent accolade from Japanese collectors as it suit their need perfectly for delicate dry fly presentation to Yamame. Rumors have it that more than a third of Leetle Fellers produced by Winston are now in the hands of Japanese collectors.
The rod that I had acquired is 6’6”, 2/2 for DT3/4 weighing in at 2-1/2 oz. The rod dealer (who incidentally used to be a joint owner of the T&T Rod Company) classify it as Medium action, but I personally think that it is closer to Medium Fast. It has a Teak Wood reel seat insert with bright Nickel Silver cap and ring hardware. The rod was wrapped with the signature Winston Golden Beige silk, and varnished without color preserver, so all the wraps appear translucent. The varnishing works is mirror like and flawless. The Duronz ferrule is tight but also smooth as butter to minimise the probability of stuck ferrules. The ferrules are also wraped and varnished over in traditional Winston style. The rod grip is shaped in diminutive Full Wells style and is extremely comfortable. The cork is white and un-marked and looks as new as the day it was shaped by Glenn. The hook keeper is still held erect from the varnishing process. The Serial Number #2102 appearing on all 3 sections dates this rod to October 1985 (completion date according to Winston's archieve) as a Montana built "Leetle Feller" with Winston's patented fluted-hollow shaft construction. The original Winston labeled crimson red cloth bag reminisce of the San Francisco era rods. The traditional brass capped aluminum case is also Winston original. I could not ask for a rod in better Mint-Original condition.
Lawn casting the rod is an enlightening experience. I had never been accustomed to using short rods. Fortunately, the rod taper miraculously turns that into an advantage for accuracy, control and power. Before I lined up the rod, wiggling the rod created some apprehension in me as it felt a tad noodlely initially. The thin rod diameter even at the butt section seemed to have reinforced that perception. But my anxiety melted away with my first cast as 50ft of fly line zipped gracefully through the guides towards the location I was aiming for. In fact, I feel that the WF3 line wasn’t loading the rod sufficiently to optimize its performance. Loop control and tip damping was outstanding as I could aerialize and comfortable hold 40-50 feet in the air indefinitely without double hauling. I could probably push out a 60-70ft cast with the WF3 but certainly, if I had needed to make 70ft cast on a regular basis, I would probably not choose to use a 6’6” rod in the first place. Still, it feels good to have a 6’6” rod that can do that for you. Line speed control was excellent as I could gracefully unroll the 9ft leader at will and gently place the casting yarn on the desired spot. Pile cast and tuck cast can also be easily managed. After switching to a set of WF4 line, the rod really spring to life! I could feel the cast much better and accuracy control improved tremendously. If I ever need a rod that could place a fly in a tea cup at 40ft, this would be it.
One draw back of a short rod, I discovered, is its deficiency in roll casting and executing the reach cast. I guess even genius rod designers like Lew Stoner cannot defy the law of Physics. A short fly rod simply do not have enough leverage to roll cast well. But given its strength in the other department, who’s complaining?
I can hardly wait to go fishing with this “Leetle Feller”! And I know a perfect stream for this rod too……….. I’m haunted by Bamboo………
