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Personal Philosophy

My mother taught me to fish. She showed me how to sift through flowerbeds for nightcrawlers and black crickets. When crickets and worms were scarce she helped me mold a piece of white bread around a hook to entice little bluegills and "punkinseed" bream. As a little fellow my part was taking fish off the hook and stringing them up because Momma didn't like to touch them. We ate everything big enough to scale and fry, having never heard of catch and release. Of course these days I release nearly everything I catch. In the summer of my tenth year, our family vacationed at Roaring River State Park in southwest Missouri. Activities at Roaring River revolve around a rather contrived "put and take" trout stream. Fresh fish are stocked every night, a morning whistle starts the day's action. I still have the first tan fiberglass fly rod my folks bought me at Roaring River. That rod and reel package came with a half-day's instruction from the local flyfishing expert. After a few minutes coaching, I was hooked. For over thirty years, fly fishing has been a part of who I am. Though I can't quite explain it, building bamboo fly rods somehow nourishes the creative part of my soul. The focused attention necessary for good work forces everything else out of my mind. Minutes in the shop melt away real world stresses. Hours fly by like seconds when listening to the rhythm of a slicing plane, gazing on the beauty of a well-executed wrap, examining the clean lines of a delicate trout rod, or even studying computerized taper graphs. My rod making skills are greatly indebted to the many folks who have patiently listened to and answered thousands of questions over the years. Knowing I will never completely master this craft keeps things interesting. Offering free rod making demonstrations and programs each year is a small way of returning a few of the favors others have done for me. Bamboo rods are only one of my several deep passions. I thoroughly enjoy flycasting and have become a Certified Casting Instructor through the Federations of Fly Fishers.  But family and faith are first in my heart. My wife, Tami, currently works at a women's fitness center here in town and owns and operates a Creative Memories Scrapbook consulting business. I only half-jokingly refer to Tami as SWMBO - She Who Must Be Obeyed!  Our only child, Sara, is a student at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge. She is a gifted aspiring writer and a beautiful young woman. Since the spring of 1994 I have served as Pastor of First Baptist Church in Winnsboro, Louisiana. Our church is at the same time both traditional and progressive. Being from a small town doesn't necessarily equate with being simplistic. Our folks are deep thinking, highly spiritual, radical individualists. Our fellowship is strong and warm. We are traditional, non-fundamentalist Baptists who hold fast to Bible freedom, soul freedom, church freedom and religious freedom. We are affilitated with the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, Mainstream Baptist Network, and the Southern Baptist Convention.  For a little more information about our Church, or to read a few of my spiritual essays and sermons, please visit our site at http://fbcwin.com/ .  I send my sermons around the world via email each Sunday.  If you would like to be on the list each week, drop me a note at maker@canerods.com. Writing about fly fishing and rod making is fun for me. I've written some articles for web publication, and other articles for the national print media.  My guide to building your own bamboo rod was published on the web at Global Fly Fisher and is now here on this site as well. The seven part series was written from 2000 - 2004.  You can find those articles at http://www.globalflyfisher.com/rodbuilding/.  I have also written for Fly Angler's Online in the "With Bamboo" features section at http://www.flyanglersonline.com. I've also written several articles on trout fishing in the Southern United States for FlyFish America. Some of those articles are available through their website at http://www.flyfishamerica.com/ Thanks for visiting my site, and may God's best blessings be on you!

My family makes a yearly trip to Roaring River State Park in Southwest Missouri. Flyflishing first became part of my life here, so Roaring River will always hold a warm place in my heart  A nice rainbow caught and released on a Missouri tailwater stream. My rod making demonstrations at the Southern Council FFF Conclave and the SRG always draw a crowd.  My wife,Tami; and our then 16 year old daughter, Sara.