Casting A Spell

I've started reading George Black's book, Casting A Spell...for the second time. I truly enjoyed it the first time I read it...and I know I'll pick up some details I missed earlier. I remember being surprised when I read the book that the setting in the first chapter took place in Stillwater, Oklahoma. It just so happens, I moved to Stillwater after I graduated from college to start my career...and while there picked up a graduate degree at Oklahoma State Universtiy.

Anyway, back to the book. While George was in Stillwater, he found a split bamboo fly rod in an antiques mall. A fly fisher for a just a few years, he bought it for $87.50 and thought he had something special. He later learned it was just mass-produced junk.

However, like many fly fishers, that cheap rod introduced Black to bamboo rods, and the beginning of a journey into the history of American fly rod makers, outdoor adventure, and eventually becoming the book, "Casting a Spell - The Bamboo Fly Rod and the American Pursuit of Perfection."

This is a fantastic read and has become one of my favorite books in the bookcase...