About me
Summer 1980, Scotland, River Spey. That's when I was truly captivated by the topic of split cane rods. Perhaps it was due to the generous attitude of the English gentleman who let my wife and me, both inexperienced salmon fishermen, use his pool; perhaps it was because he was fishing with a split cane rod; or perhaps it was the subsequent visit to the Partridge company in Reddich, which at that time still manufactured split cane rods.
My rods - Courage to experiment
Like probably everyone who starts building rods, I initially just copied well-known tapers. Eventually, everyone makes adjustments, sometimes unintentionally (!).
But very few hobby rod builders actually take the step of developing their own tapers, of delving into the "mechanics" of tapers. They simply lack the time and therefore the experience. Since I don't sell my rods, I have plenty of time to delve into the details of rod building. Developing new ideas, exploring new paths, cultivating the unique – that's what fascinates me about rod building.
We didn't catch the salmon in the pool back then, by the way; we probably didn't have the right rod for that… But the bug bit me, and it's stuck with me ever since, and a hobby has become a fascinating passion. A passion that provided a wonderful balance to my then-current professional life as managing director of the Swiss Fisheries Association (I've been retired since 2022).
Since then, I've regularly hung rod after rod in my display case, which has now grown into a small bamboo grove. I've drawn much inspiration and many ideas for my own rod-building from this collection of old and new masterpieces (most of which I still fish with). I love to experiment and explore new avenues, and so the hours fly by when I'm immersed in the workshop, working on the construction of a quad, penta, hepta, or octa rod, or developing ways to use my Morgan hand mill to create my favorite project: the bamboo ferrule. And on our last visit to the River Spey, many years later, we had them with us—the split cane rods—with great success!
Since childhood, I've been fascinated by craftsmanship – fundamentally! The appeal of building things I like myself ultimately led me to rod building. As a young student in the sixties and seventies, I witnessed the disappearance of split cane rods from the shelves of fishing tackle shops. The few remaining examples, mostly rods by Walter Brunner, were unaffordable for me as a student. But I was so fascinated by these rods that I decided to try building them myself. So, in 1978, I began rod building.
I admire traditional rod building and the old masters, but I try to be open to new things. My rod building is therefore characterized by a willingness to experiment.
The construction of split cane rods, and thus the revival of an almost forgotten craft, has recently experienced a tremendous resurgence. In my early years, the biggest challenge was obtaining information – the internet and email were still unheard of. And the few remaining active rod builders had cultivated a great mystique around their work.
Today, all of this is no longer a problem - every step can be found on the World Wide Web, you just have to search long enough, sometimes unfortunately too long.
My rod-building philosophy
I do not want to offer any products for the market on my website.
My sole intention is to gather as much information as possible that is necessary or helpful for our craft and to make it accessible to an interested audience.
A key aspect of my interest lies in exploring the history of rod making. On the one hand, I am an avid collector, and on the other, I admire the skill of our old masters. Everything we do today is based on their knowledge – we simply have better tools.
I am constantly trying to expand this on my website.