Grayrock Rodmakers Gathering 2023 - June 22 - 24

[Titelines]

This year's Grayrock Gathering will be held the 22nd through the 24th at Lovells Township Hall in Lovells Michigan. We moved it back a week this year in the hopes that the Hex Hatch will be on during that time.

More to follow.

Mark

[chsparkman]

Looking forward to it!

[Titelines]

The beginnings of our new website is up:

https://www.rodmakersatgrayrock.org/

Also we're on Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/RodmakersAtGrayrock

Updates will be coming and the registration will be posted at both sites.

Thanks,
Mark

[Titelines]

We decided we're going to do a theme this year, and the theme will be Paul Young rods and tapers.

Bring your original Paul Young rods and rods based on Young tapers!

We're also looking for presenters for this year. If you've got something you'd like to show other rodmakers on how to make hardware, finishing, repair or something new, please let us know! We're always looking for new or better ways of doing things.

Mark

[Titelines]

Well, we have our first presenter. Our own Carl Otto is going to be making a presentation on Young rods from over the years and will be showing his collection of Young rods from various makers over the years and will talk about the taper's developments over the years.

Thanks Carl!

Anyone interested in doing a presentation at this year's gathering, please give me a shout.

Mark

[reelill]

Tom and I are looking forward to it.
Richard

[carl otto]

Thanks Mark for the promo.

Mark is working hard at making this Grayrock a wonderful event with a specific nod to Young rods. I am by no means an authority on the subject or hold myself out to be, but truly hope that those of you on this forum who are could step up to come and speak with your vast knowledge on the subject. My talk will be specifically focused.

Just as importantly there are certain individuals, not on this forum, who in my mind would be an equal or greater source to tap for this event. Hopefully one could reach out to them to participate. To have them show and speak would be tremendous to say the least.

More specifically I have volunteered to speak about the Paul Young Driggs taper. A rod taper that seems to be in a large majority of makers and users quivers, as it has proven out over time to be just one of those classics. Done right it is a as good as taper as has been developed. I am amassing a number of rods configured in this taper to have on hand from originals on, which include as one surprisingly, Pezon et Michel. How it came into being, the unfortunate published wrong taper event, the original taper and how it has been re-interpreted, the what and wherefores', etc.. It should be a short, but sweet and informative program about one of those iconic tapers.

Let's all help Mark out and make this as good an event as one can. Come to Michigan, fish the AuSable and its storied branches, as well as, the nearby jewels (at least 8 within a 30-45 minute drive from the event). Event is set up for the big fish time of year, but there are so many other hatches going on, with a little knowledge from us locals one can find great fishing almost anytime of day (or night).

Carl

P.S: For those up for an adventure, in about 3 hours drive you could take your Driggs and go fish on The Driggs river with it! Now that would be special!

[406tom]

Hi Mark,

Any idea when the Registration form will be posted?

Tom

[Titelines]

Registration for Grayrock 2023 is now open!

You can get your registration form at either https://www.rodmakersatgrayrock.org/ass ... on2023.pdf or from our Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/RodmakersAtGrayrock.

See ya there!

Mark

[Titelines]

The Gathering is coming up soon! If you're still interested in attending, please head to one of the links in the previous post and sign up! See ya there!

Mark

[Titelines]

Posting for a friend who's not a forum member. For those not familiar with the Bamboo Bend Project, we host 8 disable vets every year for a week up here in Northern Michigan and teach them how to make a bamboo fly rod.

Hello everyone, Steve Taylor here. I am one of the Cane Rod makers involved with the Bamboo Bend Project (BBP), program for disabled Veterans. Eight Veterans are brought to Grayling, Michigan for seven days of rod making, and build a 7 1/2’ 2/1 5 weight cane rod.
Every so often, a BBP Veteran decides to take-up the Craft. From my experience, the set-up and use of a block plane can be a major source of frustration for new Veteran Rod makers.
In an effort to reduce this, I obtain, fettle, and use vintage Stanley 9 1/2 style planes in my personal rod making regimen. After I know that a given plane is tuned and can cut a half-a-thou, I offer three of them to a BBP Veteran that is taking up the craft. All they need do is send me an image of themselves, in their shop, holding their planing form. I then ship three planes, ready to go, to them. If they decide to stop rod making, I ask that they contact me and I pay the return shipping to me. I have supplied planes to six Veteran rod makers in the past several years. And have a few more in the mix.
Since 9 1/2’s are getting harder to find, I find myself looking for some assistance in finding them.
If anyone has any planes or Parts, yes, Parts, they are willing to pass-on. I have been paying yard sale, and lower Antique shop prices for the past several years.
Please contact me to work-out prices and shipping.
It’s pretty cool to see the look on a Veteran rodmaker’s face when they have success.
Thanks for taking the time to read this,
Steve
taylorsteve0730@gmail.com

If you have stuff like this for Steve, and are coming to Grayrock, please bring that stuff along.

Thanks,
Mark

[Titelines]

Thanks to our intrepid photographer Steve Johnson of Lovells MI, we have photos of the gathering posted up on the website:

https://rodmakersatgrayrock.org/2023_Photos.html