Occupation & Location?

A place where members can introduce themselves, tell us a little bit about themselves and their passions. Please feel free to link your personal website, blog or tell us about any service you offer.

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joye
Member
Posts: 2
Joined: 06/23/11 18:00

Occupation & Location?

#661

Post by joye »

Hello everyone, My name is Joye and I live in Stone in North Staffordshire, England. I am a Glass Blower and Designer specialising in freeblown, hand engraved decorative/commemorative ware depicting the Natural world, flora & fauna that I personally photograph, sketch and draw.If you'd like to see photos of my glassware please click the pictures & follow the links to photobucket.

My step father is a keen but novice fly fisherman and my great grandfather inlaw was also. I know very little about the pursuit but hope to learn more from this forum. There are quite a few Isaac Walton places nearby, who was he?
I look forward to chatting with you and learning more about this fascinating subject and maybe having a go myself. I've posted in the appraisal section with some pictures of a couple of old rods; if any one can comment I'd appreciate your help. I'd also like to see atmospheric pictures of flyfishing as I hope to develop designs for my glass engraving.All the best
Joye

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mrudman850
Member
Posts: 9
Joined: 05/14/11 18:00
Location: Plymouth MA/Milan NH

Occupation & Location?

#662

Post by mrudman850 »

Hi

I'm a semi-retired HR consultant in Plymouth MA with a summer cottage on a pond in northern NH (north of MT Washington) and 2 miles from the Androscoggin River!  Been fly fishing for over 50 years, building glass/graphite rods for 30 years and just starting fooling around refinishing inexpensive bamboo rods that I'm buying on EBay.  Awaiting arrival of an FET Dirigo and a Tonka Prince that I hope to restore vs. refinish.  Had the good fortune to live/fish in northern California for 6 years and have fished YNP, Colorado, Pennsylvania, northern NJ as well as all of New England.  Get a lot of great advice on this forum.

patbig
Member
Posts: 2
Joined: 08/06/07 18:00

Occupation & Location?

#663

Post by patbig »

I am French, from the Western part of the country, the Celtic province Brittany, my fishing ground. I now mostly fish small rivers around the city of Quimper, I have a home in nearby Douarnenez. The rivers host many trout, usually not very big, and even the occasional salmon, though I don't fish for them. I just retired at the ripe age of 60 after having lived both in France and in the US, Portland OR, where I really got hooked on flyfishing, and cane rods. I lived in Galway too, where I got my nickname. I fish mostly bamboo, shorter rods by Pezon & Michel like the Mirage and Featherweight, or my favorite, an H L Leonard 37h I'd like to know more about. I'd be glad to share what I know about flyfishing in Brittany, I am a long time member of the Association Bretonne Pour la Pêche à la Mouche, Breton Association of Flyfishers. Cheers to all,Patrick 

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Threadhead
Master Guide
Posts: 351
Joined: 06/14/10 18:00

Occupation & Location?

#664

Post by Threadhead »

I have enjoyed fishing cheap store bought rods for many years until I discovered the high performance art of custom made rods via my involvement in a thread production company called YLI/FishHawk. I now have a slight addiction to bamboo rods and ATH reels. I live in Waxhaw, NC with our twin daughters and enjoy spending time the NC mountains hiking, biking, and casting for native brookies. I am thankful for this forum but my wife is not but she will be OK!!

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hamerd
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Posts: 8
Joined: 08/07/11 18:00

Occupation & Location?

#665

Post by hamerd »

Hellow to all, I live in southern New Jersey near Cape May.
 I have worked in the retail fishing tackle buisness for over 25 years. I learned to cast a flyrod with my fathers Heddon and Shakspeare bamboo rods back in the mid 1950s. i now have a meager collection of bamboo rods and look to exband my collection .

1kdlrbill
Member
Posts: 7
Joined: 08/29/11 18:00

Occupation & Location?

#666

Post by 1kdlrbill »

I am an industrial maintenance man for a small plastic molding company, doing electrical, pneumatic, and hydraulic repairs. As welll as CNC, robot and machine control programming.
I am just getting (back) into an interest in flyfishing after about 40 years since my last trip to the Mad river in northern Ohio with my father.  I live in central Ohio.

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strathmoretackle
Member
Posts: 15
Joined: 08/03/11 18:00

Occupation & Location?

#667

Post by strathmoretackle »

We now have an on line web business as well as selling on that well known worldwide auction site!  strathmoretackle.co.uk
Rodney is involved too he works for my wee business.  We enjoy "meeting" all you folks from overseas - We think of Scotland as the world's hub!Image

partridge
Member
Posts: 1
Joined: 10/04/11 18:00

Occupation & Location?

#668

Post by partridge »

I am Jeff from S.E. Michigan, I am a Patternmaker by trade and enjoy playing at making furniture, rods and anything else I think of when the time allows.

Fishpimp
Member
Posts: 1
Joined: 10/04/11 18:00

Occupation & Location?

#669

Post by Fishpimp »

Got my first fly fishing lesson from my dads Army buddy in Ft. Leavenworth, KS in 1986. Instantly addicted, self taught, tie my own. Fast forward to dads last duty station here in Utah. I'm an ICU RN and fish in MT (where my family is originally from) as much as possible. Have built up an arsenal of green sticks and Sages, mostly with poker winnings (table name- FISHPIMP). Last couple years I have gotten into glass. I am slowly refurbishing gramps old W&M rods and have collected 8 mint condition Wonderods and Conolons, mainly for carp. I am currently working on getting a pimped out One Pfoot medalist and have decided to pay whatever it takes to get one. Would like to get a 'boo rod but don't wanna settle for a low-end first rod. I have learned a lot lurking on this and ffr site, wish I could contribute more than asking for advice. I hope to post some glass caught fish but every year I put off getting a UT license due to losing my rights to public water...currently without a UT license. Anyone round these parts wanna fish, look me up...I'd be the fat guy with a lip full of 'Hagen.

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Fred Kretchman
Sport
Posts: 82
Joined: 05/19/11 18:00
Location: Kittery Point, Maine
Contact:

Occupation & Location?

#670

Post by Fred Kretchman »

Hey, not sure if I'm better off using the Quick Reply or regular reply... Anyway, I am a professional, full time bamboo rodmaker, living in the southern most town in Maine: Kittery Point. After 21 yrs. as a Human Resources manager, and Security Manager, about 2 yrs. ago my wife finally convinced me it was time to follow my passion and make rods full time. Been making rods since 1993. One highlight of my career was being chosen by the Smithsonian Institution to spend 2 weeks in DC, demonstrating my craft at their annual Folklife Festival. I was living in NH at the time, and NH was the state they featured in 1999. Made many good connections there. Just this year, at the urging of some friends, including fishnbanjo, I decided to rejoin the Forum and get active in it. Been selling some antique rods this summer with more on the way.

Since around 2005, I've been the person who describes all the rods for Lang's Antique Tackle Auctions. I get to handle from 250-400+ rods per year, so it's a real treat for me. Check out Lang's if you haven't already. Because of my interest in antique rods, and the knowledge I've gained through Lang's, I get a lot of requests for repairs and restorations. It's fun for me, but the real reward is seeing the faces of my customers when they see their finished rods. That's my reward! Anyway, you can contact me through my website: finebamboorods.com or email: kretchmanflyrods at gmail dot com.

Regards,

Fred Kretchman

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PaTroutBum2
Member
Posts: 2
Joined: 10/05/11 18:00

Occupation & Location?

#671

Post by PaTroutBum2 »

Hey all.
My name is Jim.
I live in central Pa. I became really interested in bamboo rods after a chance meeting with a gentleman on vacation this year in the Pine Creek Valley in north central Pa. My wife and I were staying in Slate Run
and we were walking the trail when we met a retired couple doing the same. We struck up a conversation and I found out he builds Bamboo fly rods as a hobbie. I've been fly fishing since I was 13 and tying flies since 14. I never gave
much thought to making/building rods until that day. I will be building my first bamboo rod this winter (supposed to have the blank by Christmas) but I really find myself drawn to making them as well.
My "official" title is Senior Designer. I work for a government contractor in the mechanical engineering department.
I look foward to talking to all, as I'm sure I'll have TONS of questions.Image

Mart
Sport
Posts: 39
Joined: 10/01/11 18:00
Location: Johannesburg, South Africa

Occupation & Location?

#672

Post by Mart »

Hi,

I'm a client manager for a large captive providing insurance company. Stay in Johannesburg, South Africa.

I've been fly fishing since I was about 10 years old (introduced to it by my dad), so about 30 years now. Started with glass and then cheaper graphite before moving up to the better stuff (mostly Orvis and Sage). Have only been into cane rods since the beginning of this year and have a few Thramer rods thus far - hopefully some more cane on it's way as I feverishly try to dispose of my graphite sticks, learning in the process just how quickly a graphite rod (even high end, quality stuff) can depreciate.

Most of my (limited) cane knowledge thus far has come from my local cane friendly tackle dealer (tightloops on this forum), and this forum. So far I'm loving everything about the "cane journey", including and especially this forum, which I think is absolutely great!

Many thanks,

Martin
Last edited by Mart on 10/09/11 07:13, edited 1 time in total.

tieflyer
Member
Posts: 2
Joined: 11/22/11 19:00

Occupation & Location?

#673

Post by tieflyer »

I am a passionate fly fisherman, tier and a leather case maker hand sewing rod and reel cases, etc. online for roughly 20 years.

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Ken Townsend
Sport
Posts: 37
Joined: 08/23/07 18:00

Occupation & Location?

#674

Post by Ken Townsend »

Although I have been reading and writing on this forum since 2007, I overlooked this thread.  I am a college professor in central Virginia.  I have enjoyed fly fishing since I was a teenager in the 1970s.  I think I opened my first Orvis Catalog in 1971.  I was a goner--the bamboo fly rods looked gorgeous.  The tradition described in the catalog seemed intoxicating.  I went to my public library and started reading everything I could get my hands on about fly fishing for trout--especially older texts that described the contemplative use of bamboo rods and wicker creels on limestone creeks of the northeast.  A chance friendship with a northern Virginian who specialized in the limestone creeks of Pennsylvania taught me volumes of information.  This friend, who relocated to central Pennsylvania, later became my brother in law.  Through the years, we fished for trout on both coasts and learned a great deal about fish and about life.  My brother in law became a full-time fisherman, speaker, and fly fishing author.  He taught my three children to fly fish.  I teach full-time and fish in my spare time.  I prefer mountain streams and trout, but I live on a farm and fly fish regularly for bass and panfish in my two ponds.
Last edited by Ken Townsend on 11/26/11 06:40, edited 1 time in total.
Ken Townsend
The Pondpiscator

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fisheye444
Master Guide
Posts: 712
Joined: 08/20/07 18:00
Location: Fort Collins, Colorado

Occupation & Location?

#675

Post by fisheye444 »

Welcome Pete
Image

Sorry, I mean Ken.

yaffle
Member
Posts: 18
Joined: 11/25/11 19:00

Occupation & Location?

#676

Post by yaffle »

I have just been posting here the last few weeks. May name is Grant.
I am an avid fly fisherman, I tie my own flies and build the occasional rod from blanks or refurbish old cane. I've messed around with tying up furled leaders and making hook file handles, tweaking and modifying many things flyfishing related. One day I got the crazy idea to build my own cedar strip canoe, it's been finished for a few years now and it goes with me to a few select streams hat I fish.
Oh, occupation yes, well I am on operations manager at a local warehouse distribution company here in Thunder Bay Ontario. It fills the time between fishing trips....lol
Foremost I am a devote Christian and thank God (although not enough) for the awesome family He has given me along with the awesome trout country he has planted me smack in the middle of. Man, Gad is good!
Tight lines
Grant

JRFranich
Member
Posts: 14
Joined: 12/24/11 14:39
Location: Fairbanks, AK & Marquette, MI
Contact:

Re: Occupation & Location?

#677

Post by JRFranich »

After a year or so of lurking I suppose I should introduce myself. I am a logistics coordinator for a remote research facility in Alaska. In my spare time I make bamboo fly rods, chase arctic grayling and explore AK on my motorcycle(s)......I just need more spare time. I appreciate the opinions presented on this forum, and have even found some of them helpful!

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Isonychia
Guide
Posts: 104
Joined: 10/24/11 18:00
Location: Huntington, WV

Re: Occupation & Location?

#678

Post by Isonychia »

I am an outdoors writer and I live in Huntington, W.Va. I work full-time for the state's largest newspaper and write free-lance articles for regional and national magazines. I've been a fly fisherman and fly tier since 1979. A few years ago, at age 50, I started tying full-dress Atlantic salmon flies and classic wet flies. Earlier this year I completed a five-year "Bergman Project" -- tying all 489 wet-fly patterns listed and illustrated in Bergman's Trout. I'm currently making my first bamboo rod. Somebody please stop me before I take up another expensive hobby! ;)

John McCoy

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luzerne1
Sport
Posts: 68
Joined: 03/29/08 19:00

Re: Occupation & Location?

#679

Post by luzerne1 »

I have been retired for six years and the closest I get to work is a trustee for the Catskill Fly Fishing Center and Museum. I live in NE Pa and fish the Catskills regularly and Fishing Creek in Pa which is 40 minutes away.

Garlic
Guide
Posts: 160
Joined: 12/23/11 12:28

Re: Occupation & Location?

#680

Post by Garlic »

I am an electrical contractor in Teton Valley, Idaho. Four years ago I was killing time(waiting out the wind) in Island Park when I stumbled into Renee Harrops shop, Trouthunter. There on a rack in the back of the shop were the most beautiful rods I had ever seen, yup bamboo. One look at the price tags convinced me to become a maker, and I am now beginning to see some favorable results. My home water is the Teton, but am not too far from the South and Henry,s Forks of the Snake river.

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