A couple of weeks ago, I posted about the new Carpenter Bros. website. My buddy Cris Carpenter makes amazing bamboo fly rods from scratch and you can click here to see the previous post. You can also see his contact information below.
Mobile: 816.769.7961
Email: criscarpenter@comcast.net
Link: https://www.carpenterflyrods.com/
As I stated in the previous post, I am a proud owner of a Carpenter Bros. fly rod. I am a little embarrassed to state this, but while I have caught a few fish on the rod, I hadn't caught any trout on this rod. I used it in Yellowstone last summer but struck out on that trip. And while I had trout fished at other times, I just didn't feel like it was appropriate to use a bamboo rod in those situations. My reasoning, which seems odd when I actually type it, is that I felt that this rod needed to be used on a stream. I felt like my graphite, workhorse rods, were more appropriate for places like Lake Taneycomo, and stocked ponds. Right or wrong, I felt like a fine piece of craftsmanship like this rod deserved a certain reverence. In other words, it felt weird to take a Ferrari down a dirt road. In my mind that makes sense, but I'm not sure if it will to you.
Last Friday, I am proud to say that I caught my first trout on my bamboo rod. I caught it on a nymph rig and while it was just a 12 inch stocker, it was a heck of a feeling. I caught a few more on nymphs and a couple on dries. The rod performed flawlessly and handled each fish with grace. Except for one, but that was both my fault and the fish's fault.
The first fish that I hooked with the bamboo rod was one of the largest Missouri trout park fish I have ever hooked. At first, everything seemed normal. My strike indicator when down and the hook-set felt ordinary. I realized the gravity of the situation when it jumped and when I got it close to the bank prior to a rejuvenation. It was probably 18 inches long and definitely over two pounds. I thought I was getting close to landing it a couple of times but as he was winding down, he found a risky escape route.
If you have been to Roaring River, you know that there are pools that are contained by rocks and that there are plenty of rapids/falls. I'm not really sure what the proper name is. Anyway, my prize decided to go over the falls. I ran downstream in pursuit and surprisingly kept him on the line. I felt like Paul in A River Runs Through It for a moment. However, the pile of floating sticks that had collected along the bank after the recent rain became my downfall. Either out of wits or luck, the fish got into the sticks. I knew I had to get him out so I forced the angle of my rod to become more parallel to the water.
Just as I started to move him upstream, he came unbuttoned. It happened with the subtleness of a broken shoelace. Nothing makes a fish bigger than almost being caught, so maybe it was closer to 20 inches. While it stung to lose the fish, it still makes for a heck of a story and memory!
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