April Meeting

Tuesday, April 15th, 2025

New Meeting Location

Jamie's Local Flavor Restaurant

1502 US-62E

Mountain Home, AR

All Members wishing to eat or socialize are encouraged to arrive around 5:00pm

Presentation Starts around 6:00pm

A Talk About Tony Spezio and Rod Building

Shortly after retiring to Cotter, Mike Stout met Tony Spezio at the Sowbug Roundup - and something clicked! Mike soon apprenticed himself to Tony learming the art of bamboo rod building. Over the next several years, he spent countless hours in Tony's basement, not just mastering the craft, but also getting to know Tony himself. In his talk, Mike will share what he learned about building bamboo rods - both his own way and what Tony called the "right way" - along with stories about Tony's writing, fly tying, the early days of the Sowbug Roundup, and the profound impact Tony had on his life.

Mike says of himself, "You'll ususally find me running the auction at Sowbug" - proudly nicknamed the "Auction Nazi" by Robin Curtis (yes, a reference to that Seinfeld episode). I spent my career bouncing between airlines and senior living management, then later managing RV parks. After moving to Cotter over 10 years ago, I finally retired for good - and that's where I met Tony Spezio at the Sowbug. And, as they say, "the rest is history".