Bill Harms donated me the magnificent book on Vincent Marinaro he an Tom Whittle published in 2007.

I met Bill in Waischenfeld in 2007 and I remember him gladly as cheerful and witty bamboo rod maker. But he is also very scholarly prepared on the fly fishing history and bamboo rod making history and I don't think I honour him and Tom Whittle enough with this modest page.

I started reading the book on "Vince" Marinaro and I must say that it is one of the most researched book on a single bamboo rod maker that I had the chance to look at. Another similar book in term of historically researched fly fishing book which comes to my mind is perhaps Hoagy Carmichael's (who also write the foreward of the above mentioned book) The Grand Cascapedia River: A History".

Anyhow, here a few notes on "Vince" as he was known as well.

He was an accountant by occupation and is probably better known as a fly tyer (he created the split tail) but because he kept his rod making quite secretive and a private matter, including his notorious taper: the "convex taper".

(more to come...)

Books he wrote:

The most famous and historical important is Modern Dry-Fly Code

Then there is In the Ring of the Rise"

Both are in different editions (starting from 1950 for the first book, up to 1988)

From a Lang's auction 2007 catalogue

Six Collectable Dry Flies by Vince Marinaro. Includes two each
of the following; thorax dun, olive thorax dun and brown hackle
peacock. Excellent examples of vintage flies by the author of A
Modern Dry Fly Code. Includes pattern identification by Brian
McGrath. ($400-$600)

Check Bill Harms website for the book and more information!

From Vincent Marinaro back to the main antique bamboo rods page