Split-Cane Plant Stakes

Not all bamboo rods are destined to be heirlooms. One of the more popular events at Denver’s Fly Fishing Show — which started yesterday — is the free cane rod appraisal performed by Mike Clark and Kathy Shulkin-Jensen. “Last year a man brought in his own Gary Howell cane rod, one of a few the Montana rod maker crafted in the early 1970s, after he left the Winston Rod Co. The man told Clark he nearly starved to death in college saving to buy that rod, which cost less than $300 at the time. He has fished with it ever since. When Clark told him the trusty cane was worth $2,800-$3,000 today, the man was horrified.” Ed Dentry in the Rocky Mountain News.