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The folks at Lacey & Johnson have diverse backgrounds that have prepared them for the fly fishing industry. From communications industry gurus to management consultants and machinists, each brings a lifetime of experience that uniquely qualifies them for a role in crafting some of the highest quality fishing rods and reels in the world.
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In 1988 Gary started the journey to the most fulfilling job of his life by beginning to repairing old rods as a hobby. The the rest as they say, is history. He had been in the telecom industry since 1976 and that combined with training in engineering enabled him to view rod and reel making from an artistic, technical and business standpoint. When the telecom industry crashed, he realized he should make his hobby a full time job. He has never looked back.
With the guidance of Glenn Brackett, Walt Carpenter, Daryl Whitehead and others, Gary knew he was headed down a path where he could make beautiful items and be happy doing it. He loves making rods and reels! Each one becomes one of his “babies,” and he can’t make them fast enough.
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Since he first picked up a 9’ fiberglass Garcia fly rod and reel at age ten and caught a 6 lb. largemouth bass in the family's lake in Alabama, Sam has been afflicted with an incurable desire to fly fish. These days he has migrated from bass in lakes to trout in streams and rivers of the East as well as the Sierras and Rockies.
He is a serious student of the intricacies of bamboo rod building – past and present. Along with his financial and marketing responsibilities at L&J, he is always looking for efficiencies in ways to convert bamboo into better rods by constantly asking Gary and Sid “why?” or “why not?”
In addition to L&J, he is still a part-time hostage to a management consulting practice he has been a partner in for the past twenty-five years. He’s a past President of his Trout Unlimited chapter, a “sensible” conservationist, a red blooded American and Southern Baptist, gentleman, loyal friend, traveler, do-gooder, kilted fly fisherman, and bagpiper. And, being fond of bushwhacking through dense forest to find remote trout waters – proud to be called a “small creek freak.”
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Sid has over twenty-two years working in the machine tool trade and over twenty-eight years as a machine tool instructor at the high school and technical school levels. He proudly served our country in the United States Navy and in addition to his other talents, is also a gunsmith. He brings a passion and finesse to utilize machinery to create something of beauty, versatility and functionality. He can take raw bar stock and turn it into a work of art or a piece of fishing jewelry. What Sid has been able to do with Bill Adams 1930 vintage South Bend lathe and our 1947 Clausing cannot be described. He has these old lathes holding .0005. Now that is a reel man!
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