A Rod Maker's Thoughts: Why Bamboo?

Stephen Boshoff elaborates on his passion for bamboo.

- Stephen Boshoff

I met PJ Jacobs at the Johannesburg SA Fly Fishing and Fly-Tying Expo some years ago where I shared an exhibitor’s table with Craig Thom, a friend and the proprietor of StreamX. PJ and Lizelle came to look at my rods and we ended up speaking at length about a shared passion for craft. PJ’s acoustic guitars (made under his brand Jacobs Lutherie) are treasured by gifted professional and amateur musicians alike. The late Piet Botha favoured his Jacobs Lutherie “Lucy”, among other instruments. My meeting PJ was a chance encounter and we were not at the best place to talk, with me having to mind the table and others wanting to engage with him. As a bamboo maker, lutherie to me is somewhere at the top of the craft ladder, if there were to be such a thing. If I could play an instrument, I’d probably make them as well. So, despite the circumstances, meeting and speaking to PJ was special. The Complete Fly Fisherman followed up our discussion sometime later with an article on my work that took the form of a discussion, and explored craft as an activity, rather than focussing on the rods only. Working on the article felt as if we carried on – in a more focussed, relaxed manner – where we had left off in Joburg, and I enjoyed working with PJ and Lizelle.