Tom Dorsey

  My interview with Tom Dorsey was again, the result of a simple cold call. I know Ive said this before, but I was...and still am simpley amazed at the reception I got from these gentlemen that had no idea who I was, but were more than willing to participate in this series.

  Tom was probably the "easiest" interview that I did in this series. When I say easy, I mean simply that I didnt have to do much work to get him to tell his story. Not only was he extremely thorough in his recollection of the history of Thomas & Thomas, but he was detailed and animated in his telling of said history, and what a history it is.

  The common thread that runs through all these interviews, is that of fine craftsmanship, and Tom Dorsey was no different.Thomas and Thomas has always been know for their refinement and exceptional attention detail on their cane rods, and those qualities spilled over into their graphite rods as well. After interviewing Tom, I coild see why...he was , a very "refined" guy, with a history in musical instrument repair, so that appreciation for fine craftsmanship translated over into his rodmaking.

  Aside for the historical aspect of our interview, the thing that has stuck with me the most all these years is a quote from about midway through our interview (see below)

AD:   I don't know if you recall the first conversation you and I had, but we discussed a lot of the misinformation that gets transmitted, especially through the internet, from folks who want to use mathematical and engineering formulas to dissect the intricacies of rod design and performance.

TD:   Yeah, I do remember, and engineers are the worst because they presume that they know it all! It's not that they are bad people (laughter) , but they think that all information is available within the arena of engineering mathematics.  And since they have been educated in that area, its a natural leap for them to make that presumption, that they are obviously going to know more than someone else.  The problem is that those formulas and such ignore all those other features of fly rods that have to do first of all with individual taste, casting style, and anatomy.  And I really believe that part of the joy of fly fishing, is fly casting.

I've always felt that rod design was much more of an art than a science. And although the two can overlap I suppose, Tom's quote on this was something I had thought about for a very long time prior to this interview, and I wholeheartedly agree with him. 

Hope you all have a great week,

Andy