Many folks ask me how I got involved with building custom fishing rods and guiding. It all started when I wanted better rods but didn't want to spend an arm and a leg to get them. I found kits in magazines that allowed me to buy higher end technology for less money. The only trick was that they were not assembled! I bought a few books and talked to people that crafted rods. Soon I had made fly rods for my wife and me. That slowly grew to friends and family. Before I knew what happened, I went to my first sports show. That first show really opened my eyes to the market for custom rods. Soon after that first show, I was spending many hours in my shop making custom rods of all sorts. In time, my fishing began to suffer. I should say, I didn't have time to fish. What started as a way to get better fishing rods turned into a business that kept me from fishing. That's when I decided to start fishing as a part of the business, sell hand made rods-take people fishing, take people fishing-sell hand made rods. A peanut butter and jelly arrangement. This also got me out on the water as a part of the process instead of just at the work bench. |
