An Old Friend

The rod is called Trout Bum, and it has some history to it. Sweet Water rods were the creation of George Maurer, a Pennsylvania rodmaker who left this earth far too soon. He left a significant legacy though, for not only did he create many interesting rod tapers for his beautiful bamboo fly rods, he shared his genius by teaching others seeking to follow the craft of split bamboo. One of those seekers was an old friend of mine, a young man from Chambersburg, Pennsylvania by the name of Wyatt Dietrich. Wyatt made several hundred fine bamboo flyrods over some fifteen years, including honoring George’s legacy by making a memory series of some Sweet Water models in cooperation with the Maurer family. My Trout Bum is one of these memory rods, made in a classic three-piece configuration.

You may have heard of a guy from Colorado who was supposed to receive George’s first Trout Bum model. We lost John Gierach early too, just last October. His story “Lost Rod” speaks to the fate of Maurer’s gift, which had to be given twice after some culprit stole the original, leading to our writer friend receiving an empty shipping tube.

Mine was a 3-piece because I had planned to travel to Colorado and fish some of it’s Front Range waters, a plan derailed by a little unplanned visit to a heart surgeon. It’s a terrific rod, and thinking about that rod and it’s unique circumstances had me take it out, clean it’s ferrules and take it fishing late in June.

I mounted one of my favorite 3″ St. George reels which complemented the eight-footer nicely in balance and appearance. The line is what I think of as a five-and-a-half Cortland, a half a line size heavy five weight that matches perfectly with the Bum. Wyatt suggested this model was happy with either a number 5 or 6 fly line, depending upon caster’s preference, and this midsize Cortland was perfect!

I think that George Maurer’s original idea when he created the taper was to make a versatile trout rod that could fish most any kind of water, and he scored a direct hit. The Trout Bum has a great feel and boasts a smooth kind of power that easily reaches any distance you might require on larger rivers, and yet still will send a small dry fly somewhere close and tight and demanding with great delicacy. Can’t ask much more from a great fly rod than that.

The Trout Bum accompanied me on my first days of this Catskill summer, my favorite time of year, and it delivered a lot of smiles and remembrances, as well as a couple of big, powerful wild brown trout I hunted up in low, technical bright water. That kind of fly fishing requires what amounts to perfect casting: deadly accuracy, delicate presentation and the kind of control of line, leader and tippet that allows long, drag-free floats. My old friend’s Sweet Water delivered just what was needed!

I hope you are enjoying life out there Wyatt, and taking time to cast some of the many great rods you made over all those years. Remember there’s a friend here in the Catskills, and some great fishing…