Since moving to Butte, America I’ve spent a good deal of time renovating my property into a usable studio and gallery space and also doing custom woodwork.   About two years ago a man named Glenn Brackett stopped in and I came to learn he is one of the owners of Sweetgrass Rods.  Now understand, I am a plowboy from South Dakota who lived as a desert rat in Arizona for nearly twenty years before moving to Montana.  Fly fishing and fly rod makers were far from my scope of interest but that has been changing since I met Glenn.   As I’ve come to know some of the ‘Boo Boys’ at Sweetgrass Rods I’ve also been given a fantastic opportunity to learn some basics of fly fishing from Glenn.  I’ve found out how little I know about this sport and just recently caught and released my first trout in the Big Hole River.  I would liken that first catch to a prospector finding flakes of gold .. it is exciting and challenging at once, so in these early days of fall I will be out there, prospecting per se, collecting flakes of gold even if I don’t catch another trout again.

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Now here is something really cool.  www.Sweetgrassrods.com  is moving into their new production facility and retail space in Twin Bridges, Montana and they hired me to build display racks for their graphite and bamboo rods.  I’ve always been one who admires fine craftsmanship and the Boo Boys take their craft to levels I barely comprehend.  I’ve worked in wood for over 25 years, they work grass,  ’sweet grass’ bamboo.  The precision machining of grass and the attention to detail required to create a fine bamboo rod is an impressive feat.  I highly recommend taking some time to visit their site and enjoy the high level of artisanry they infuse into each hand-crafted rod.

Anyway, here are some pictures of the racks in my studio .. and some of the components used in the process.  The materials are beetle-killed blue pine and reclaimed fir flooring.  I’m also using raw bamboo which is a first for me but a fun learning experience.   The pine was milled near Butte and the flooring was salvaged from an old market that was renovated in recent years.   The displays will be installed in early October so I will post pictures once they are complete and hanging in their new shop.