Splitting Hairs

The Italian Roast has a chocolaty warmth as it rolls down my tongue, bringing me fully awake. I feel excited this morning, as today I will begin the rod conceived as the Angler’s Rest Special.

Waiting for the Holidays to pass, the winter has taken a deep hold. Rivers have ranged from icebound to high flows colored by rain heightened snowmelt. Today is not a fishing day; nor will tomorrow be… Yet, the excitement is there: anticipation, plans afoot!

I’ll gently sand the culm, cleaning it, and then begin the first crucial steps – splitting strips. If I execute this task to best advantage, I hope to end the day with somewhat more than 24 strips, enough for my 7′-9″three-piece rod and extra tip. Two tips are traditional, and practical. The diameter of my Lo o bamboo appears to be adequate, though with little margin for error. This Bambusa procera seems to split straight and clean, but my hands must learn this new precision on the fly.

I look at the rods in my quiver, Dennis Menscer’s exquisitely crafted masterpieces, the elegant classic lines of the Leonards, the elegant homage to the Catskill tradition found in the Thomas & Thomas Paradigms, and to such I aspire. I know these are heights I will never reach, as this stage of life lacks the years required to strive for such perfection.

I am thankful to stand here at this juncture, and for the opportunity to try, for the friendships that have made it possible. Might I actually plane twenty-four strips of bamboo to tolerances of a thousandth of an inch? The quest begins…