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Curt Elder
Curt Elder is a full time maker who has been hand crafting split bamboo fly rods for over 11 years.
Artistry has been a long time passion for Curt. He earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree at Kansas University where he double majored in Painting and Printmaking. Curt started out studying commercial art but found that his skills were such that he received educational grants in the Fine Arts school. When Elder graduated in 1977 he was awarded a grant that allowed him to move out to the San Francisco Bay area, where he worked on his art in the loft of a warehouse in Berkeley.
Curt got interested in rod building through his love of how bamboo casts and admiration of Everett Garrison. In particular, Garrison’s semi parabolic design formula and emphasis on non-superfluous detail are the inspiration for many Elder Rods.
Curt started his first rod company, with his father, under the name of The Elder Rod Company in Burnham, Pa. The company operated out of Curt’s father’s machine shop where the prototypes for many of the rod models Elder Rods offers today were designed and built.
Today Elder Rods operates in Overland Park, Kansas under the ownership of Curt Elder who personally designs and creates each rod produced. Rods are made either to reference standard specifications which Curt has developed over the years or to customer specifications with regard to taper design and cosmetics. All of the rods are crafted with an artist’s touch. Curt carefully selects his bamboo culms and hardware to ensure that his rods meet the highest quality.
Word of Curt’s commitment to the very highest level of quality is spreading. Curt was recently honored when legendary rod maker, Daryll Whitehead examined one of Curt’s rods and then invited Curt to spend time in Oregon perfecting his skill under the Daryll’s masterful guidance. Many discriminating bamboo rod collectors feel that Daryll Whitehead is the greatest living rod maker and more than a few would argue he is the greatest to ever live. Curt is now using the ultra high quality, time intensive, Whitehead finishing techniques to insure that today’s Elder Rods are absolute masterpieces.
Curt is an avid fly fisher who spends many hours on the water testing his designs and build quality. From the streams and high alpine lakes of the Rocky Mountains to the famous Missouri tail waters, to the fabled waters of the East coast, Curt can be found bamboo in hand, putting his designs to task in real world conditions. Not only does Curt pride himself on making a beautiful rod but he is just as proud of building rods that bring a smile to an angler’s face when they actually fish them.
When asked where he sees his business going, Curt says "I consider myself to be a craftsman and build each rod based on the customers input and with their satisfaction in mind. I would like to see bamboo rod building remain, as it is today for the most part, a cottage industry. Daryll Whitehead is my mentor and he has asked me to share my skill and knowledge with talented young rod makers. I hope to help mentor some of those in the next generation of bamboo rod builders so Daryll’s commitment to excellence lives on for future generations.”
"Angling is an art, and an art worth learning." (Izaak Walton), The Compleat Angler, 1653
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