[mijo]

are wayne's hollowbuilds planed or milled?n does anyone here know?

[Fishpaw]

Very nice. Thanks Nick for posting that. “A 2006 poll suggested that what eighty percent of today’s workforce want more than better compensation is greater respect and appreciation for what they do in the workplace….it would seem that the fly fishing industry would lend itself perfectly to a similar strategy. But unfortunately many of these companies throughout the past fifteen years have fallen into the wrong hands - vision-less, soul-less, and oblivious to the benefits of nurturing the human spiritâ€

[badnots]

Most times I've tried 'boo I couldn't hand it back fast enough - but these .... thin walled, carbon ferrules, a blend of old & new. n 'Boo porn ? Beaverhead rods - Wayne Macca

[Mr. Rogers]

Originally posted by Smithhammer:n But I like knowing companies like Sweetgrass,and their small scale, high-craft products, are still out there annd surviving even if I can't afford them.

Same here - I'll never justify spending that kind of dough on a stick, but just knowing that they are out there is enough. Finally sat down and watched Trout Grass (at least part of it) and started digging in the couch to see if I could find any spare change to add to the rod fund...

[Ursus]

Ok, so that brought tears to my eyes - life transcends sport, sport transcends life and in the end, it is only the soul that matters. I know I can't buy the soul of a sweetgrss rod, but maybe I can spend time in its company to mingle amoung other fundamentals. I have never bought a rod for over $200, but I am on the edge of ordering one today (even as my house falls round my ears) - mostly because I believe in what these 4 gentleman believe and it would be nice to bring a little bit of my energy to their dream. Regardless, my Montana trip this summer might find me in Twin Bridges - at least for a short while. Thanks GS

[Mr. Rogers]

On a sidenote, when I first heard that the Boo Boys left Winston I sent an email to the sweetgrass general info email, including my address, telling them how great it was to see someone not taking shit from anyone and standing up for what they knew was right.Within a week I had a postcard with a handwritten note from Glenn Brackett, thanking me for my support and telling me to swing by the shop the next time I was in town...it's still hanging on the front of the fridge.

[Rich Farino]

At the risk of coming off like a total douchebag, I've decided to post here what I post on the FF side... tough situation to be in:[/img]'ve been very hesitant to respond here, but I will just so there's no confusion. Keep in mind that all this info is pieced together info from both sides.n Both sides have made very compelling (in my eyes) arguments as to why they believe they're right. It's up to you to decide who was slighted. And I'd like to place a disclaimer here saying not only am I not partial to anyone, but I'm very fond of Glenn and very fond of the Winston guys so I can't take sides.Glenn Bracket has been at Winston for ages, and is probably one of the top 3 bamboo rod crafters alive in the world today. In addition, he's a sage and believer in the bamboo gods. A fine fisherman, a patient teacher, and a gentle craftsman. He worked full time at the Winston bamboo shop for a long time, and I have no idea just how long. His argument is Winston wanted to manufacture 125 bamboo rods a year. The currennt group of guys (Glenn, Wayne, Jeff, and Jerry) only manufactured about 60 rods a year. In addition, when Glenn was to retire, he wanted to choose and train his replacement. Winston wanted to choose their own employees. This was a breaking point and Glenn officially seperated himself from Winston. Despite his walking, Glenn still helped out getting people set up and trained some of the new employees. Glenn truly IS a class act.Winston, on the other hand, has looked at the bamboo shop each year and although they continue to manufacture bamboo rods for the heritage of the sport, it does not generate enough money every year to pay for itself. They knew Glenn was retiring, and they felt the current staff in the shop was inadequate to take over Glenn's position. The reason? Glenn was the only full time employee. 2 of the 3 other employees worked a combined total of about 60 hours LAST YEAR. Not a month... in all of 2006. And another of the employees worked the bare minimum, possibly just to maintain his employment status and keep his medical benefits. Winston decided this was not acceptible, and wanted to train their own employees, so they could maintain their quality and increase production. This was something any business owner would do when faced with increased costs and a sector of the business that was losing money every year to overhead and not covering it's own costs.Winston now has 3 current employees manufacturing the bamboo rods, and they're doing them pretty effectively. They've already (as of 3 weeks ago) gotten 65 orders for rods for the year, and people are still calling. I also took one of their new boo rods out and demoed it, and it is indeed a fine rod. It's finish was immaculate, and it cast well. All I had to do was look at my stopwatch and figure out when to start my forward cast So that said, everything I wrote is from the mouths of both sides of the issue... NOT from someone elses mouth, or hearsay, or rumor. The only thing I don't know is whether or not Winston asked the boo boys to cut their hours, or if they just didn't come in to work for any other reason.Again, I'm very fond of the Winston company and it's owners and managers, and I'm also very fond of everyone that worked at the boo shop with Glenn, especially when I travelled there a few years ago to see them in action, up close.A very tough issue, but I just thought you guys should hear the honest to goodness truth on the issue. If there's someone who can refute what I've been told by both sides, please feel free to chime in."n Again... I'm very partial to both sides of the issue and I've spent some time with Glenn and the boys that make the brown sticks, and some time with the boys in corporate and the the boys that make the green sticks.Not something I'd want to be in the middle of.n -Me

[bigtj]

I think that everyone has at some point or another given the "bird" to an employer because they can't see eye to eye. It's the nature of the beast. In these situations both parties are better off after a parting of the ways. Sounds like Brackett gets to do what he wants at sweetgrass, and Winston has some fresh new guys to build their rods at their own speed. Everybody wins. Sure, an era has passed, but 30 years ago Brackett was the "new kid on the block" so everything starts somewhere. I don't think Winston is the "evil empire" and the boo boy aren't saints, either. In the long run we can now still get winston boo rods, as well as sweetgrass rods, so from my standpoint I'm kind of glad all this went down.

[mijo]

frankly, I could give a rat's ass about the corporate decision/position. first off, they fucked bracket two ways.secondly, how in the world can the quality of the rods be maintained by a small handful of guys from the plastic shop who took a cram course on bamboo? you cannot replace the collective experience of the 'boo boys w/ newbies, regardless of how skilled they may be.while the new shop may turn out a quality rod, no way can it be as fine a tool as made before, nor can it be worth the asking price (assuming the others were).

[Mr. Rogers]

For me, I'll never be able to afford a new boo rod, regardless of the name on it, so part of my interest in Glenn Bracket is seeing how an artist interacts with "corporate" America.I know Winston is a business, just like any other, and obviously is concerned with the bottom line. I live that life everyday, and it's refreshing to see someone who is more concerned with the art and craft as opposed to profit margin. My support of Brackett and the Boo Boys is not a slam on Winston, but more of a kudos to an artist.

<small>[ February 22, 2007, 05:04 PM: Message edited by: Mr. Rogers ]</small>

[FliesOnly]

Originally posted by mijo:n frankly, I could give a rat's ass about the corporate decision/position. first off, they fucked bracket two ways.secondly, how in the world can the quality of the rods be maintained by a small handful of guys from the plastic shop who took a cram course on bamboo? you cannot replace the collective experience of the 'boo boys w/ newbies, regardless of how skilled they may be.while the new shop may turn out a quality rod, no way can it be as fine a tool as made before, nor can it be worth the asking price (assuming the others were).

Exactly.

[Shinehead]

I had a chance to throw one of Wayne's rods while we were on the FFA shoot. I don't know a damn thing about bamboos but that rod--pretty sure it was the 240cm/5 wt--was remarkable.While it might not have laid it down quite like a Scott, it did feel roughly equivalent to medium-fast composite. And maybe I was seduced by its beauty but it sure felt like there was another level of depth to its action.And I know I said this before but if you do get a chance to stop by their shop absolutely do so. Even though my workplace is only a couple of hundred geographical miles away from the shop it couldn't be further in metaphorical distance. They're not kidding about the no-time-clock thing; entering that shop is like stepping into a warp zone where the only thing that matters is this pervasive, focused mojo. And beautiful rods.