Come fly with me…
By Melissa Wood
Explore the wonderful world of fly fishing at the York Public Library this Thursday and Saturday as part of this year's "York Reads! One Book, One Community," a month-long community event where friends, family, neighbors and co-workers read the same book and share activities.
Courtesy photo
YORK - York resident Sante Giuliani came to love the sport of fly fishing by using it as rehabilitative care.
"I learned it as therapy," said Giuliani, whose doctor said he needed to find something to help him recover from a neurological disorder that also left him depressed. His wife rented videos and then a neighbor gave him a bamboo rod, telling him, "I think you need to get into this."
Now, Giuliani is not only an expert fly fisher but also an expert on the history of fly fishing and runs an internet forum on fly fishing that has had over 25 million visitors to date.
This week Giuliani will be sharing his expertise on the topic and will be available after the presentation to appraise fishing equipment, making sure that nobody makes the mistake of giving away a classic rod at a yard sale that could be worth thousands of dollars.
Whether you're new to the sport or an experienced aficionado, you'll be sure to learn something new at "Fly Fishing and Tackle: History and Appraisal," offered on Thursday, March 22, from noon to 1:30 p.m., and repeated on Saturday, March 24, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the York Public Library.
Giuliani said he'll be talking about Maine's claim to fly fishing fame, and how six Maine residents are responsible for a classic school of fly fishing rods whose legacy continues today.
Maine resident Hiram Leonard, who met Henry David Thoreau and also worked as a gunsmith, guide and hunter, was the first to use a six-sided rod, split with bamboo tips. Although he had made the rod for his own use, it was noticed by a Boston, Mass., sporting goods shop that commissioned him to produce the rods.
He eventually moved to the Adirondacks to make the rods for a company in New York. With him he brought Maine residents Fred Thomas, Edward Payne, William Edwards, and Hiram and Loman Hawes, who eventually moved on to their own separate operations with each contributing to the history of fly fishing.
"Every one of these guys have left their mark," said Giuliani, "and they're all from Maine."
Giuliani learned to fish as a young child, but it wasn't until he was in the Navy that he actually saw someone cast a fly rod. He never forgot the experience and, over the course of many years, began to learn everything he could about fly fishing, its history and equipment.
On his website, he describes what it's like to fish with his beloved bamboo rods: "I feel the personality endowed to them the maker put there after many hours of toil, and when I catch a fish and feel the life at the end of the line I feel like we are all tied together as one."
After the presentation, Giuliani will appraise fishing equipment since, as he said, "not every bamboo rod is worth a lot of money but there's enough that are."
Giuliani said recently that a man from England put his grandfather's rod up for sale on an internet auction site, not realizing the value of what he had. Although he started the bid at five pounds, the classic rod would wind up selling for $13,630.
The program is part of "York Reads! One Book, One Community," a month-long community event where friends, family, neighbors and co-workers read the same book and share activities. This year's featured selection is "A Walk in the Woods" by Bill Bryson.
For more information on the event, call the library at 363-2818.
The Classic Fly Rod Forum can be found at http://p205.ezboard.com/bclarksclassicflyrodforum.
