The Tradition Continues…
Sweetgrass bamboo fly rods are the culmination of decades of knowledge, discipline, and wisdom handed down by masters of the craft.
Sweetgrass bamboo fly rods transform quality workmanship into a practical tool that can cover a vast array of fishing opportunities.
Photo from Kris Franqui
Montana wilderness Lake
Lew Stoner, Doug Merrick, Gary Howells, Tom Morgan, and Glenn Brackett: these men put the estimable R.L. Winston Rod Company on the map.
Glenn Brackett, our founder and Master Craftsman, knew each of these men and learned under their tutelage.
In the mid seventies Tom Morgan and Glenn Brackett moved the Winston Rod company from San Francisco to Twin Bridges, Montana. They believed that this location, a junction of great trout streams, would inspire the intangible perfection they sought in a rod truly built for fly anglers.
The Big Hole River at Maiden Rock bridge, a short drive from Sweetgrass Rods in Butte, Montana.
Eventually, Glenn moved on from Winston and started Sweetgrass Rods. They build Sweetgrass bamboo fly rods near the hallowed trout streams of Montana to this day for the same reason. The tradition continues…
Meet the Boo Crew
GLENN BRACKETT (founder)
With 45 years of triumph and tears at the rod bench, Glenn Brackett has been defined by his love of building bamboo fly rods. An inspiration in the shop as well as throughout the local community, Glenn will often say that his most sacred duty is to preserve the legacy of fly fishing by teaching others the many lessons of building cane rods. For bamboo rod lovers, Glenn’s intangible influence can be felt in every finely crafted rod we’ve ever built.
Jerry KUSTICH (Founder)
Jerry has been part of the “Boo Boy” team for more than 20 years and has learned the many intricacies of rod building. Always found on a stream testing anything from flies to waders to pentagonal bamboo designs, he has recently expanded Sweetgrass operations to Maryland. Author, devoted environmentalist, rod designer, and dedicated angler, he spends much time on the road as a fly fishing ambassador lecturing on representing the ideas for which all serious anglers stand.
Jerry Kustich
Linda Foy
“I have been living on the fringes of the fly rod-building industry since moving to Twin Bridges in 1993. I publish the online Sweetgrass Newsletter and manage the company’s Facebook page.I enjoy floating and fishing with my silly dog. I am also a contemporary landscape and animal painter. You can view my paintings at www.Lindafoy.com.”
Linda and Jasmine on the river.
David Serafin
David Serafin has been fascinated with bamboo fly rods since his Dad took him into an iconic rod shop in Vermont as a kid. The stacks of bamboo culms, the bamboo shavings on the floor, and rods being finished on the bench was all that it took. With a degree in Architecture, 30 years of hands on construction experience, and being a lifelong fly fisherman, David is a welcome addition to Sweetgrass Rods.
David Serafin