Famed rodmaker Wes Jordan doing some product testing in the Orvis Rod Shop, Manchester, VT. Photo from the Orvis Archives

It is very rare when we get the opportunity to hear the inside story about one of the great fishing-tackle legends. But this is exactly what we get with William H. Jordan’s new book Jordan the Rodmaker: A Biography of Wesley D. Jordan at Cross – South Bend – Orvis. Wes Jordan needs no introduction to anyone who has done any serious fly angling. Maker of incredible (and ahead-of- their-time) fly rods from 1921-1926 at Cross Rod & Tackle at Lynn, MA, Wes Jordan moved to South Bend, Indiana and set up the rod shop for South Bend Tackle Company, which he ran until 1938, producing upwards of 5,000 rods per week. In 1939 he moved to Manchester, Vermont…

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October Morning on The Battenkill Eric Rickstad

Another gorgeous October morning here in Vermont. Only two weeks left of trout season, so Phil Monahan and I got up before light and met at a stretch on the Battenkill that we both like (which does not equate to a stretch where we consistently catch the river’s wild brown trout…there is not such stretch, for us anyway). A cold night in the thirties meant fog on the river first thing. Jumped some wood ducks first thing and thought maybe I should have hung up the rod and gone with the shotgun instead….

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A team of Orvis product developers tests some prototypes at the office pond. photo by Phil Monahan

I looked out the window yesterday and saw some activity down at the pond here at Orvis HQ, so I figured I’d see what the fuss was about. The rod-development team had just received several prototypes of switch rods to be part of the new Access line, and they simply couldn’t wait to see how they felt. It was a beautiful fall day in the Green Mountains, perfect for spending a little extra time outdoors. And when you’ve worked long and hard to develop a new fly-rod design, it’s a great feeling to finally hold the rod in your hands and see how it performs.

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River Test Project from Matt Dunkinson on Vimeo.

English photographer Matt Dunkinson has launched a film project with a very good friend who is the riverkeeper on the River Test. Here is a small clip of what they have been up to.

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