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Gary Howell Bamboo Rods

"Gary Howells bamboo rods are among the finest ever built. To see one is to experience modern American art; to cast one is to feel wonder that such a magnificent tool can be made. His rods endure; with proper care, a Howells rod will last a lifetime.

In 1948 when Gary was 15 he hand planed his first cane rod. He tied flies and built cane rods to pay for a considerable amount of university expenses. Then, he joined Winston Rod Company as their principal cane rod maker. In 1970, after thirteen years at Winston, he left to open his one-man shop near San Francisco. From 1970 until 1997 he made rods under his own name, but never enough to satisfy the demand. For two decades Howells limited rods to one per customer per year, and his annual backorder list was usually sold out at the start of his production cycle. Gary built rods for eight months each year and took three or more months off each year to go fly fishing. He traveled from British Columbia to South America, but mostly he spend his fishing months in "Howells 'West'" of Idaho, Wyoming, and especially Montana.

Howells was an intensely private individual, and he valued his privacy most highly during his fishing sojourns. He once wrote, "I hide in the bushes so my customers can't find me..." Howells was also very secretive about his building techniques; but, with a limited group of rod builders, he willingly shared ideas. Thus, Howells craft lives on."

- Howells: The Bamboo Fly Rods & Fly Fishing Legacy of Gary H. Howells