Hi,

Sorry it's taken me so long to report back. I've been snuggled on a dog bed with a pooch with a re-built knee.

SuperBoo VII was the day before the SuperBowl. The day is a free, open to the public, "cabin fever reliever", built around the casting of split bamboo rods. The day is jointly sponsored by the Flyfishinginmaine virtual community and the Lawrence High School Fly Fishing Club (I'm both). Everyone is welcome, whether into cane or not. It's February in Maine, after all.

This year, 130 signed in (we ask for a name and contact number ever since someone forgot a rod) from six states. There were about a dozen under 18 and about that many over 70, and a nice spread of ages in between, fun.

I didn't count the rods, but they filled four racks and more. Tapers ranged from 3-weight Garrison 193 tapers to spey rods. Some of the notables were rods from most Maine makers, a Sweetgrass penta, a Hal Bacon quad (which the wonderful owner donated to the kids' club-thanks),David Van Burgel's collaboration with Hoagy Carmichael (the fundraiser for the Penobscot with hardware off Garrison's own desk), and many others, parabollics, classics, noodles, rockets.

At 11 am Banjo (October Woods on FAOL) donated his Argentine rod to Project Healing Waters vets, a sweet moment. Banjo had a wonderful quiver of rods to share, as always. Jeff Knapp brought his Wheeler collection, and Michael Hackney had his handmade brass reels and horsehair lines. David Van Burgel demonstrated ferruling most of the morning.

But it was the people, the great conversations, the good feeling that made the day. Of course.

Kat