I met Jerry K. in 1997 when I started working at the R. L. Winston Rod Co. as the Eastern Sales Rep. At the time I had a gas card, a small pickup with a topper and a U.S. map with a line roughly drawn down the middle from Minnesota to Louisiana that included all points east from Maine to the Keys. Traveling 28 states back then was always an adventure and the dealers always took great care of me. Visiting with Jerry, Glenn, and Jeff in the old airplane hangar that served as the boo shop was always a treat. One afternoon Jerry invited me to join him for an evening fishing craneflies patterns on the Beaverhead. On the drive, Jerry asked me how someone from Louisiana grew up fishing and guiding for trout in the Appalachian Mountains of Western North Carolina. About 6 months later I received my first bamboo rod from the boo boys signed by Jerry and built with pocket water, Cahills and long leaders in mind. The rod has always allowed me to show the art of the old guard to those interested in the beauty and craft that bamboo brings to the sport. Last year Jerry K. made a pilgrimage to the Gunpowder and ran into the likes of Jack (right) and Dave (left)–true Gunpowder regulars that appreciate bamboo and a good story.

Please join us at Backwater Angler from 11:00 AM till 2:00 PM next Saturday the 24th of August. Jerry will be stopping in to talk about bamboo and you’ll have an opportunity to cast some beautiful Sweetgrass bamboo fly rods. Please RSVP at 410-357-9557.

Thanks to Sweetgrass for the use of the following bio of Jerry: Sweetgrass Rods website:

Jerry Kustich has been a part of the “Boo Boy” team for the past twenty years learning the many intricacies of rod building. Always found on a stream testing anything from flies to waders to pentagonal bamboo designs, he has become an outspoken advocate for public access to Montana’s rivers. Author, writer, devoted environmentalist, rod designer, and dedicated angler, he spends much time on the road as a fly fishing ambassador lecturing on and representing the ideals for which all serious fly anglers stand.