Kathy Scott

Kathy Scott was selected by the American Museum of Fly Fishing as one of the fifty women to be included in the acclaimed "A Graceful Rise" exhibit, a celebration of the the role of key women from throughout the history of fly fishing. A conservation advocate, educator, and maker of split bamboo fly rods, her writing embraces that life.

In Fly Rod and Reel, Seth Norman wrote about Changing Planes, "If you're anything like me, you'll wonder how the hell such a gentle world survives anywhere near your own continent, this place and time where a rod made by your hands is just a brilliant stop on a journey well-traveled."

Says Maine author, Kathy Scott: It's my world of choice, and, in my world, writing it and living it go hand in hand. When David (my rodmaker husband, David Van Burgel) began making fly rods out of split bamboo, I knew I would, too, and that our journey together would extend and enhance our vision of our world. We've immersed ourselves in the culture of bamboo, but cane is only part of it. I couldn't fish for brook trout without defending their waters; I couldn't admire Atlantic salmon without volunteering for restoration efforts. I certainly couldn't learn so much from the natural world without offering my students a choice to experience some of it, too.

I'm excited about the newest book, Brook Trout Forest. Like the first three, it's a celebration of life intertwined with the natural world in the North Woods of Maine and beyond, and, again, there is a journey of making a bamboo fly rod. Two, this time. The simple story is that David and I make twin rods together for a trip to Labrador. But this book is also an exploration story, following the paths we take to seek out a richer, fuller life. A richer, fuller life. Great goal for an angler. Great goal for anyone.

From Flyfishergirl.com:

She's the past president of the only Trout Unlimited Chapter to receive the Gold Trout award twice. Integrating kids' programs into school setting is another passion; she's the co-advisor of the high school "Varsity Fly Fishing Club" and the persistent coach-advocate for the middle school fly fishing club. Team teaching from her library media center insures that no 8th grader leave middle school without being able to cast a fly rod. (In 2009, Trout Unlimited honored her with the National Youth Education Award).

Wild fish, a simple life, and shavings of Tonkin cane - all part of Kathy Scott's world. Kat's first book has become a classic among those who treasure split bamboo. She was nominated for the prestigious Rutstrum Wilderness Author's Award for her second book. Her third book intertwines the story of building her first split cane fly rod with changes in nature and the nature of change.

Her writing has appeared in Midwest Fly Fishing Magazine, The Planing Form, and Powerfibers, as well as the Atlantic Salmon Federation Journal. She organizes panels of fly fishing writers for Tom Helgeson's Great Waters Expos, and frequently speaks about cane or furled leaders; her DVD of making furled leaders has spread across a dozen countries. Each June, she joins David in teaching the rodmaking class for the Catskills Museum and Fly Fishing Center.