Centre,Giuliano, the world’s most dedicated River Warden
Hans van Klinken, John Randolph & Steve Thornton getting ready for Bamboo Day
The following day was Bamboo Day. We met at the club rooms and all of
the guests were allotted a guide and given a 7’ 6”cane rod to use for the
day, courtesy of the Italian Bamboo Rod-makers Association. You know
what the Italians are like with craftsmanship and that artistic flair they
are so famous for; well that is reflected in their work. These cane fly
rods are amongst the best I have seen. As you can imagine, they feature
various styles and actions but it is the workmanship that got to me; simply
superb.
The club rooms are terrific, accommodation, café and bar restaurant, fly
tying room, meeting rooms, outdoor barbecue area, swimming pool and it is
close to the river, Tail Water Tevere, with around four or more kilometres
of catch and release water under their management and supervision.
The President Mauro Raspini dressed for the River Test?
The fishing is hard, as the Browns, many of which are in the 18 to 20 inch mark, are very streetwise and often rise to your fly, only to turn away sharply at the last second. Talk about survivors! There is Grayling everywhere and if the trout are tough, well the freely rising grayling keep you on your toes.
That night another feast at the Borgo Palace and again, great food and
wine that just kept on coming and coming until around midnight, when we
joyfully retired to our rooms.
The Saturday was a big day. The organisers had erected a number of
marquees in the Piazza della Liberta (town square) up in an ancient walled
town of Arezzo, about twenty minutes by coach from the Borgo Palace at
Sansepolcro. Invited fly tyers from all over Italy and various parts
of Europe and USA were busy showing their skills and various tying styles.
It was a time to watch, meet these great tyers and just savour the
environment. There was an area set aside for the Judges to take turns tying
a couple of flies and then let another in the chair to do his or her bit.
Top left: Agostino Roncallo Italy, top right Antonio
Rinaldi Italy
Bottom left: Gregory Vervier Belgium and Herman Broers Netherlands
