Bamboo Tips - Contributors
Dotson, John

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So many of you I've had the pleasure of meeting thanks to the SRG.  Many more I've corresponded with thanks to this wonder called the internet.  Many more I look forward to meeting in the future.

My name is John Dotson and I live in Fort Worth, Texas. I'm 57, have 4 kids, the youngest a Freshman at Rice.  I was introduced to fly fishing by my father when I was 6.  My family had moved form Kentucky to central Florida and built a house on the Kissimmee River.  I grew up fishing in Florida, first freshwater, then salt.  When I moved to Texas in 1978, I stopped.  It just wasn't the same.

In the late 90's, after my dad had passed, I felt the strongest pull to begin fishing again.  This was a calling I couldn't resist.  I grabbed a graphite rod from an Orvis store and started to figure out fishing in Texas.  While cruising the internet, I came upon a bamboo rod.  Beautiful.  I was drawn to it as it seemed to have an aura the graphite rod lacked. A lot of research, the list, some contacts, and a couple of false starts and I built my first rod.  I've build 8 now and have 3 on the bench.  Thanks to Darrol and Tony and everyone at the SRG's I've attended for all your help and friendship.  This has been and will be a life long journey and it gets better all the time.