Thomas McGuane in “Trout Grass”

Producer: Volcano Motion Pictures

This clip from “Trout Grass” features author and fly fisher Thomas McGuane tying flies and discussing the merits of bamboo rods with fellow author David James Duncan.

“Trout Grass” is an elegantly crafted tribute to building and fishing bamboo rods, and features extensive footage of master craftsman Glenn Brackett and discussing the process of creating rods that are true works of art. The DVD is the winner of numerous awards, including Best Feature at the Ellensburg Film Festival, the Screening Award at Montana CINE, and Official Selection at Germany’s Globians Film Festival.

Excerpt: “When I was a kid, everyone fished with bamboo pretty much. I remember my dad had an old, whippy Leonard rod, and I spent a lot of my free Saturdays hanging around Paul Young’s bamboo rod shop. And people figured out what kind of fishing rod they wanted based on feel rather than some kind of analytical approach to ‘modulus of elasticity’ or ‘swing weight’ or all those kind of technical things we discuss modern rods with. And I think we got away from the sense of fishing rods as something you had a kind of personal relationship with.”