Roland F. Wagner, Jr. is a Husband, Dad, pitbull lover, soccer enthusiast, and longtime waterman. Originally from New Jersey, Roland has called Charleston, SC home since 1994. He has many trades to his name including fly fisherman, wade guide, informal instructor, and tutor. His passion lies in helping beginner fly fisherman improve their skills so they can enjoy the sport as a life-long hobby (or addiction if you ask Roland).

It was the love for helping others get into fly fishing that Roland connected with Atollas founder, Shea Tighe. Recently into fly fishing, Shea was working on his casting on a local bass pond. It was there Roland spotted him while driving by. He turned around to offer some casting advice. When Roland hooked up on his first “teaching cast” it was clear to Shea that this man knew what he was doing. Roland has been a fly fishing mentor for our founder ever since and has put him on action (including a PB Redfish in winter of 2020) every time they’ve gone out together. Put simply: Roland knows where the fish are.

His extensive fly fishing experience (particularly wade fishing) has also led into product design collaboration with Atollas. Looking to solve the issue of having go-to flies at the ready at all times, Roland came to us with the idea of a micro-sized fly storage system that could clip to multiple locations on an anglers clothing or gear. Working with Roland throughout the process, we developed and introduced a fly storage solution called the Fly Caddy.

There is nothing more important to Roland than his family: Jeanette, Colin, and his pitbulls.

Q: How did you first get into fly fishing?

A: I have always been an outdoorsman, angler, and hunter. It was when I read Fly Fishing in Saltwater by Lefty Kreh that I got into fly fishing (I’ve read it seven times). I’ve been “fly only” since 1999. I love it because of the challenge. You are fooling fish to eat feathers! I didn’t find fly fishing; it found me.

Q: What does the water mean to you?

A: The water is my happy place.

Q: What was your all-time favorite day on the water?

A: Every day. All of it. When you take the time to notice so much of nature and everything around you, it’s a gift. If I had one piece of advice for anyone out there, it would be this: you can never be too observant.

Q: What’s going in in your world at the moment, and what does the future have in store?

A: I’m currently working with Atollas to make an idea I had come to life: the Fly Caddy. It’s been incredible to see an idea become a reality from start to finish and I’m happy to contribute a new product to the fly fishing world that will hopefully help others enjoy the fly fishing experience out there more.

Roland’s GEAR