Dancing with Ghosts...

A discussion exists that seems to be installed within the community of bamboo rods lovers.
Collectors, fishermen and rod makers ask themselves everyday if they must fish their valuable properties.
Collectors said that they must protect them as a legacy for future generations.
Fishermen said that they honor past rod makers fishing their rods.

Meanwhile rod makers try to continue with the craft.

As a rod maker, I can assure you that "I love" that my rods are fished. I have to fight everyday to keep my craft going. Happens that all of us, the rod makers, have to play with totally different rules from those from the past. We have the "graphite", the "fiberglass", the "titanium" rod companies pushing for the market. Also, we are forced to compete into the "classics"markets for bamboo rods. I think, that sometimes this market show us, the modern rod makers, as a lower alternative... "If you can't get an original (classic), you can also look for a modern rod maker copy". I read many time answers like this one, and it made me feel very disappointed. Because we have a hard work maintaining this craft every day, running into the saturated fishing market. We can't use millionaire marketing budgets, as others do, to get our products known and have to fight alone with this. Only one thing push us high... and it is the recognition of "our people", the community of bamboo. Sometimes, this force us to show pictures of our work here, to tell what are we doing, using the "internet" as our only way to communicate, and them we are called "internet bamboo Gurus".
We're also forced to compete with the guys from which we learn what we are trying to continue, the craft... and I can assure you that is a difficult journey. Why ??? Because they are our idols..., our masters... and is really difficult to be compared with them before our own pass. Is very difficult to make a plan business thinking of rods that will been sold 50 / 100 or 150 years from now.
This tendency force present rod makers to copy existing "classic" tapers, instead of developing their owns and add fresh air to the craft. They were excellent rods, but "why" we must stop right there.

Personally, I believe that we all, are here doing our part to maintain this "flame" alive.

We need to learn to live with "the ghosts", because they are our inspiration.
We need to refresh our craft, because this is our mission.
We need to do our own work, as I always said, because this maintain our craft alive.
We need your support, because this encourage us to continue.
We need some recognition, and this is not for the glory necessity, it is because we need it to confirm that we are doing our work in the right way, everyday.
We need to work all together, because we love the same things...

Fly fishing, streams, fishes and fishing bamboo rods.

Just a thought...