Review: Bamboo Fly Rod Suite

Bamboo Fly Rod Suite

by Frank Soos
The University of Georgia Press, 72 pages, $18.95
ISBN # 0-8203-2064-1

This is a book about some of the philosophical aspects of fly rod fishing and fly fishers, a group not unaccustomed to a little philosophizing. It is well written. The author is a professor of English at the University of Fairbanks and an author of note. It will cause you to stop and think about your personal behavior as a fly angler in ways that should end up making you a better fisherman or fisherwoman. A few quotes will explain what I mean and will not detract from the pleasure you will receive from reading this book.
On fly fishing: "If slowness is to fulfill all its promise, it must be taken on with total concentration.... Casting a dry fly is the truest exercise of slowness I know."
On casting: "Some rods cast better than others; some people cast better than others too. And anybody that fishes very much has a pretty good idea of what better is."
On trout: "Fish are greedy rascals, as greedy as people. Fear of being eaten is all that keeps their greed in check. Each fish we catch is a fish that has allowed greed to overcome its sense of caution."
On gear: "The world is chock-full of goods; we’re tempted to scoop them up with an end loader, haul them home, and sit on our treasures. When they begin to fade, as surely they must since it’s programmed into their design and manufacture, then we have to go out and get more."
And back to fly fishing: "On the river, the world is neither perfect nor broken, but always fixable, adjustable, always ripe for restoration. It’s a good place for a bamboo fly rod."
This is a beautiful book. Thick rich paper, stunning illustrations by Kelser Woodward and timeless text. Buy it and read it. RWOL

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