CRESSY CANE

A Celebration of Australian Bamboo Rodmaking

2016 Photo Gallery

Click on photos to view larger images and captions

Jeff Wagner - guest rodmaker from www.wagnerrods.com

Relaxed discussion outside.

Animated discussion indide!

Boris Gaspar with his sourdough!

Boris Gaspar's sourdough in the oven.

Jeff Wagner cutting a ferrule station on the lathe.

Dave Anderson and a quiver of rods!

Fred von Reibnitz ponders his response to the rod swap exercise.

Rods for the rod swap exercise

Jen Girvan's sumptuous fresh lunch.

Lachie Hayes rolls a fast, tight loop of a "soft, slow" rod.

Jen Girvan, not fast enough to escape the Paparazzi!

Lamda dun. Atelophloebia Australias. The dun of the "Red Spinner"

Ready... Set... Cast!!!

Callum Ross demonstrates Tim Anderson's PU Gorilla Glue rod finish.

Bill Lark of Lark Whisky fame with a Jeff Wagner rod and reel.

Closeup of Jeff Wagner made rod and reel

Nibbles!

George Clooney flew over just to talk bamboo for a while... with David Hemmings.

Jeff Wagner and Henry Bridgewater make the most of the "Golden Hour"

Sunset on the casting pond

Woodturning chisels...

Jeff Wagner talks rod aesthetics and the American rod market.

Jeff Wagner sampling Australian wine.

Lots of rods

Jeff Wagner and Peter Hayes - two huge contributors to bamboo rodmaking in Australia.

Michael Youl, Nick Taransky and Jeff Wagner. Michael's Great-Great-Grandfather brought the first brown trout to Australia in 1864.

A social fly fishing moment on Tooms Lake.

Jeff Wagner and one of his Australian proteges, David Anderson.

Nick Taransky, Peter McKean and Jeff Wagner.

At the end of the rainbow... Hayes on Brumby's

Mark Rampant talks on making silk flylines

Jason Beard receives Rob Morwood's generously donated blank, as the most enthusiastic newcomer.

Jeff Wagner and Dan Dempsey talk reelmaking

A fish from the casting pool, about to go back after a quick photo.

Donated components from Goldenwitch, care of Callum Ross

Jeff Wagner with his first Tasmanian Brown Trout

Wild, high country Tasmanian River

A warming wee dram back at the car

Bamboo Dave with a Western Lakes fish

Clear, shallow water lakes and brown trout are the signature of the Tasmanian fishery

Yes, we eat kangaroos

Kangaroo burgers

A typical small Tasmanian stream

A brown trout from a typical small Tasmanian stream

Tasmanian Devil - hopefully on the way back

Program of Events

Welcome and introduction - David Hemmings

Morning Reading - Schwiebert - David Anderson

Spliced/Mortised Wooden Grips - Jeff Wagner
Mortised rods feature a swell in the butt section that is accomplished by splicing
wood into the rod between the strips of Bamboo. In the late 1800’s and early
1900’s it was not uncommon to see rods of this design. In the tradition of the
great rod makers from that period, Jeff presented a "how to" on this technique.

Casting with Cane – Hands on workshop - Peter Hayes
The Roll and Switch Cast. This is the foundation cast for the family of Spey
casts.

Favourite Rod actions/Tapers - Around the group and discussion

The Silk Road - Silk Line Manufacture - Mark Rampant
Mark has been quietly making silk lines for all manner of rod sizes. A presentation on this very
interesting topic, based on furled leader techniques.

Canada Rod Makers Gathering - Nick Taransky
In April Nick was invited to the Corbett Rod Makers gathering in Kamloops as their
International Rod Maker. A report on his experience and what we might incorporate into Cressy Cane.

JD Wagner. Handcrafted Small Batch Reels - Jeff Wagner
“I have long admired the craftsmanship of the reels of Edward vom Hofe. I believe these were the finest reels ever made, an extraordinary meld of technical ingenuityand a design aesthetic so refined and beautiful they could easily find a place in any museum of art or design. Looking back through history there was only one other rod maker who made an appreciable number of high quality rods and reels -Ed Payne. If I could do the same, it would place me in extremely rare company. I wanted every last screw, washer, spring, handle and case….every last part, to be made personally by my own hand. No corners cut, no cheating. All on manual machines, just like they were made in 1900.”

Fishing with Cane - hands on workshop - Peter Hayes
There's more to fishing than casting and Peter demonstrated a range of techniques and tips to make the most of you rod on the water.

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly - Jeff Wagner
A presention on rod aesthetics, based on the demands of the American market.

Rod Tapers - Nick Taransky
A discussion on rod tapers and other factors, including hollow built, progressive, complex, slow action, moderate action, fast action and parabolic. In the next session we cast and discussed these properties in rods.

Workshop - David Anderson
A hand-on casting workshop and discussion particular rod types.
e.g.quads, long rods, short rods, slow, fast, parabolic, and implications for casting and line types etc.

Whisky Tasting - Bill Lark (back by popular demand)!!!
Bill Lark has become the face (and the soul) of the award winning Tasmanian Whisky Industry. Lark Distillery was established in 1992 to produce Australian malt whisky, rich in character with a big finish using Tasmanian ingredients. The Lark has recently been named ‘Best Australian Whisky’ and ‘Australian Distiller of the year.’

Lessons Learned – Insights from a 25 years as a ful time Rodmaker - Jeff Wagner
Jeff will discuss mistakes, shortcuts and lessons learnt from a lifetime of rod building.

Making the most of your Bamboo - Nick Taransky
Maximise your Bamboo. Minimise your waste. Nick discussed culm selection, stagger patterns, merging culms as well as two, three and four piece rods.

Casting with Cane - The Bamboo Spey Rod - Peter Hayes
Peter had just returned from presenting in Oregon at the largest Spey Rod Convention in the world, with a wealth of information to share.

Photographing Rods
Open discussion about some pointers for phographing rods - long, skinny bits of bamboo potentially covered in dust!

Classic Rod Makers from the USA - Jeff Wagner
The history of the American fly rod is the story of a group of individuals who sought to create the finest fly rods that human hands could build. Men like Leonard, Payne, Orvis, Thomas, Edwards, Dickerson, Garrison and Young have not only left us a wonderful legacy but have inspired and influenced rod makers to the present day. Jeff discussed some of these classic rod makers.

Panel - Tips and Tricks - David Anderson
Around the group for tips and tricks to help in the rodmaking process.

Discussion for future workshops and feedback - David Hemmings

2016 Cressy Cane - 7 - 9 October

2016 was a very special year. We had our first invited international guest - Jeff Wagner - from the USA. Jeff started many of us Australians in our rodmaking journey, through his wonderful classes, so in some ways he can be thought of as the "father" of modern rodmaking here downunder. Thanks MATE!!!

(The Program of Events for the year is listed here with the Gallery images below)