“Only in the wildest, most natural places do these brook trout still survive. Sometimes you realize that more important than the size or the numbers is to get away from everything and everybody and just go and find your own space. And you can always do that on a brook trout stream because they don’t live where the crowds live. So when I made my first bamboo rod, I made a rod for that.” -Bill Oyster
✨ 25 YEARS IN THE MAKING ✨
Editor’s Note (Shannen): As dramatic as this may sound... For 25 years, I have yearned for a film about our little company and our beautiful home in the Blue Ridge mountains that has a 360-degree “feel” about it.
I called our gifted friend, Corey, who has other incredibly talented friends and set up a call with Bill, letting talent beget talent.
In my opinion, the series of short films created by Corey, Shane, and Jose resulted in a cinematic love letter to the essence of not only our rods but also the reasoning behind our vigilantly chosen lifestyle.
Fun fact: Because of my tendency to overthink the things that mean the most to me (yes... it’s still Shannen 🤷🏽♀️), I’ve been hiding these films on YouTube for months. I just could not think of a proper introduction.
Thank you to all involved in this project that technically started last year but for Oyster… began in 1998 with an absurd dream of making bamboo fly rods for a living.
So, here is one of three.
Enjoy.