Seventy-five contestants competed at the second annual Hardy Cup Cane Rod Casting Championship. Over the two day contest aficionados and enthusiasts gathered to cheer on their favorite caster and/or their favorite rod. Many custom rods were designed and built specifically for the contest which includes both distance and accuracy casting in a three-cast format.
Each year the contest is held at the Castskill Fly Fishing Center and Museum on the first weekend of August. The event includes workshops, instruction and a marketplace for traditional equipment enthusiasts. On the Saturday night there is a traditional pig roast and buffet that passes well into the night with lively discussions of all aspects of cane rod casting and fishing with cane.
The winner this year is Mike McFarland from Tyrone, Pennsylvania. Mike is a master rod maker and worked with Chris Bogart to design a cane rod specific for the Hardy Cup. With two casts of 104’ 4” and 106’ 2” Mike bested the result of last year’s competition and all comers this year. We won a Hardy cane rod of his choice.
Second place went to Rick Miller of Roscoe, New York. His total score 199’ 4” earned Rick a Hardy Perfect reel of his choice. Third place went to Takatoshi Kumakiri of Kent, Ohio, who earned a Hardy St. George Reel of his choice with a total score 193’ 8”.
