This is the last building of the H.L. Leonard Rod Company. When I was there in June of 2008, the old cane shed was still standing across the street. Behind the shop, there's a small stream teeming with Brook Trout. Just to the left of this building is where the original Highland Mills Leonard Shop was located. When you hear the term "Pre Fire Leonard", those were rods made inthe two story brick building that once stood on this same lot.

Many say that the Golden Era of Bamboo has long past, but as the rodmakers and cane fishers of todaycan tell you, it's just begun. There are probably more "quality" bamboo rods being produced today than at any other time in history. The rodmakers are more plentiful and the new age of bamboo has brought an attitude of sharing of information that didn't exist in the past. Even in the old HL Leonard shop, most employees never sawthe bamboo beveller and they certainly never got a look at how it worked.

My good friend, Ron Kusse told me a little story about the beveller. It seems that those that ran the saw beveller in the H.L. Leonard Shop were even secretive about it's operation. The story goes that the beveller was located upstairs in the factory and that if you needed strips to glue up a section, that you knocked on the door, which was locked from the inside. You could hear rustling and the obvious hiding of tools and covering of machines going on in the room, then someone would come to the door and open a small flap on the door, look through the "Peekie Hole" and ask you what you wanted. They would get what you wanted, quickly open the door andhand it to you, then close and lock the door behind them, making sure the "Peekie Hole" was completely closed so you couldn't see inside the cutting room.

Today, most shops and their methodsare an open book to anyone who wants to learn. Of course, every maker has his own way of doing certain thingsand they may want to keep a few little secrets, but for the most part, the making of bamboo rods is more out in the open than it ever has been.

This "open" attitude leaves me indebted to many rodmakers. One in particular, the one who has helped me more thanany other, is Ron Kusse. Ron, pictured above with me in the Catskills in the Summer of 2008, was at one time in the late 70's and early 80's, the vice president of the H.L. LeonardRod Company. His vast knowledge of the art of turning a pole of bamboo into a fine fishing instrument in almostbeyond comprehension. Ron has been kind enough to, over the past few years, share many secrets of the "old way" of makingrods with me, and for that, I will ever be in his debt.

Thanks for visiting and Tight Lines...

Bob