It was familiar fishing advice in an unusual setting. Because I wasn’t standing on a boat, but in the shop of Snake River Custom Rods owners Ricky and Goldie Prieto. And the line I was keeping tight ...

When it comes to making custom fishing rods, Barry Weaver employs many skills. Weaver alternates among being a woodworker, an engineer, a lathe operator, a technician and an assembler. And when it ...

GRAND FORKS -- In his quest for the perfect ice fishing rod, Brandon Greene says he never could find one he liked and that fit just right. So, he built one that did. And hooked a booming side venture ...

Chet Kiekhafer’s business requires the accuracy of an engineer, the steady hands of a surgeon, the creativity of an artist, and the mastery of an avid angler. Kiekhafer of Hutchinson incorporates each ...

Flat feet kept Kevin Proctor out of the military. But they didn’t keep him from taking up the sport of fly-fishing. So when the 59-year-old son of a Marine wanted to demonstrate his admiration for ...

Dick Zrudsky will customize a fishing rod -- free -- for anyone who can catch a fish bigger than the one he caught in 1969. Zrudsky makes and designs custom fishing rods from his Englewood home. He ...

CHISHOLM — If there’s ever a tornado warning for this Iron Range town, Mike Lesch will likely be safe. That’s because he already spends a lot of time in his basement shop, where he turns drab sticks ...

Mauston fishing enthusiasts looking for a custom fishing rod don’t have to travel far. Mike Taake makes custom fishing rods from his basement workshop in Mauston, a craft he’s refined for 35 years.

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After selling his eighth or ninth custom fishing rod to the same man in Oregon several years ago, John Patrick Rivera offhandedly said “I hope you’re happy with the stuff, and the fishing is good.” ...

Pop-up ads can be a real annoyance. But for Kevin Landry of Green Bay, a pop-up ad led him to start his business, Big Bear Custom Rods. “I started building rods about 10 years ago," he said. "Even ...

In his quest for the perfect ice fishing rod, Brandon Greene says he never could find one he liked and that fit just right. So, he built one that did. And hooked a booming side venture in the process.