Leland on Split & Glued
"Split & Glued By Vincent C. Marinaro” is the inscription Vince put on each of his fly rods and serves as the title for this new work. Harms and Whittle analyze Marinaro’s rods and account for his path to becoming a maker of bamboo fly rods--his design criteria and building practices.
Vince Marinaro has long been acclaimed as one of Pennsylvania’s most influential fly-fishermen and authors--a career that was both extensive and varied. In addition to presenting local lore within the Cumberland Valley, Harms and Whittle connect Marinaro’s life and times to the larger world of fly-fishing and the history of bamboo rod-making.
This publication was prepared by the authors in cooperation with the Pennsylvania Fly Fishing Museum Association and the Marinaro Estate, with a portion of the proceeds to be returned to benefit the museum.
Split & Glued looks at Marinaro, his influence on angling, stream (including the LeTort), entomology & fish habits, his founding of the Fly Fisher's Club of Harrisburg, his connections with well-known Catskill & Michigan anglers, his friendship with President Jimmy Carter & his international fishing on the river Itchen & Test. Several chapters are devoted to Marinaro's bamboo rod building, an inside look at his techniques & tools, and specifically the convex taper. This unique blend of angling legend, history & technica makes a great book. More than a quarter-century ago Marinaro taught the now retired Dickinson College English professor Bill Harms his rod-building techniques and principles—knowledge and experiences not shared with anyone else, particularly Marinaro's rod-building data. Co-author and photographer Tom Whittle was trained in bamboo fly rod crafting by George Maurer, author of Fundamentals of Building a Bamboo Fly-Rod.
