J.D. Wagner-Rodmakers
Fine Split Cane Flyrods
Casimira Orlowski and Jeff Wagner, Rodmakers
I started building bamboo flyrods as a result of a long-held fascination with their handcrafted beauty and utility. As a teenager I would visit flyshops and somehow feel drawn to the cane rods even though fiberglass was largely replacing cane at the time. After purchasing my first cane rod in 1980 and fishing it exclusively I never dreamed that one day I would be a builder myself.
After finishing college with a Biology degree I worked in various laboratory fields. Later I met the woman who would become my partner in life and rodbuilding, Casimira. It all began when she purchased a tablesaw for me as a Christmas gift and then brought home a video about making wooden boxes. One of the projects was building a wooden rod case and after building a few for friends and family I began to supply them to area flyshops.
One day while delivering some rodcases I spied a book for sale about cane rodbuilding and began to be intrigued with learning about how to build my own cane flyrod. After reading anything that I could get my hands on that related to building cane rods, I began to assemble and build my first rod. It took almost a year to gather the necessary tools, knowledge and technique to produce that first rod.
In 1995 I left my laboratory position to concentrate on building full time. Casimira continued at her profession as a hospital administrator while providing me with support and encouragement as I established the business. As a result of steady growth and demand, Casimira joined me as a full time builder in November of 1997 and is, to the best of my knowledge, the only female professional cane rodbuilder in the world.
Today we continue to work together as our business has grown and evolved. We now produce three distinct lines of cane rods, ranging from an economically priced introductory series to fine one-of-a-kind works of art. Our rods are sold directly through appearances at flyfishing shows, advertising, and the 'word-of-mouth' testimony of satisfied customers. Our work is also featured by several flyshops and dealers.
We have been featured in Ed Engle's book, Splitting Cane, in addition to feature articles in Worth Magazine, The Art of Angling Journal, The Angler's Journal, and an article by the Associated Press. We have won an Ohio Individual Craftsmanship Award from the Ohio Arts Council and have been featured guest rodbuilders for the for the The Art of Angling: A Visual Celebration of Fly Fishing exhibit at the Milne Special Collection and Archives at the University of New Hampshire. We have given lectures on the history and craft of bamboo rodbuilding for numerous TU groups, the Cleveland Museum of Natural History Trout Club, and the Chautauqua Institution.
In addition to producing and supplying tools for other aspiring cane rodbuilders we are also pleased to announce that we offer week-long rodbuilding classes where others can learn how to build their own first cane rod. Finally, we also perform a good deal of cane rod repair and restoration- always with an eye for historic authenticity and integrity!
Jeffrey D. Wagner, Inc.
6549 Kingsdale Blvd.
Parma Heights, OH 44130
(440)845-4415
e-mail: sales@wagnerrods.com
WWW: WagnerRods.com
Copyright 2004, J.D. Wagner, Inc.