A Wisp in the Wind: In Search of Bull Trout, Bamboo, and Beyond

If split cane fly rods are the spiritual height of fly fishing, then the R.L. Winston bamboo rod shop approaches a mystical place. A Mecca for the few who find their way to Twin Bridges, Montana, most anglers only hear rumors of bearded rod makers bent over benches, illuminated, one would suppose, by a magical ray of Western sunlight. Until now, the heart of their discussions and the secrets of their techniques were only the stuff of conjecture and dreams. In A Wisp in the Wind, rod maker and dedicated fly fisher Jerry Kustich invites us through the rod shop door and bids us welcome. We meet the craftsmen we've only imagined, free thinking rod makers with humor, dedication, and lively conversation, immersed in the business of beveling cane strips and committed to the ideal that each of us, every angler, is going to have to fight for the future of every trout. As much a celebration of a life spent fishing, enriched by both the solitude and the company found there, as an observation of the lessons learned from halcyon kingfishers and elusive bull trout, Kustich takes us steelheading in British Columbia, spring creek fishing on Poindexter Slough, and late winter fishing on the Bitterroot. We travel along through the history of the Winston Company - of Lew Stoner, Robert Winther and their successors. We face the inevitability of the passing of eras, of people, and wild places with an activist's hope. We ponder slowing the clock as precious moments seem to race by, faithful friends and family slipping into our dreams. And we consider, why bamboo? What is a "bamboo kind of day"? Any angler, with graphite or cane, who has found peace in the simplicity of a line well cast or a moment beyond the reach of time, will understand the quest and understand the greatest truth: the journey is the goal. A Wisp in the Wind is a journey well worth taking. - Kathy Scott, author of Moose in the Water/Bamboo on the Bench and Headwaters Fall as Snow