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 ...

ARCHBALD – From Pittsburgh Steelers colors to a stack of skulls to match a client’s tattoos, Mike Kozlowski has decked out his goods to suit his customers’ tastes for years. But the work he does goes ...

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 ...

Finding your passion in life is everyone’s goal and if you’re lucky enough, you can sometimes figure it out at a young age. For Christian Bueter, he discovered that building and wrapping fishing rods ...

The man on the other end of the phone was noticeably hesitant, perhaps even a little embarrassed. He had spent 34 years in the quiet, comfortable background of the sport-fishing industry, most ...

Rob Horken might best be remembered as "Ernie the Angler," his longtime alter ego who did weekly summer fishing reports on WDAZ-TV Channel 8 in Grand Forks, but in retirement, Horken keeps his feet in ...

GRASONVILLE — If you are a fisherman, the expression, “You need a rod for every type of fish” is music to your ears. Bill O’Brien hopes patrons of his new business, Shore Tackle and Custom Rods in ...

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.” ...

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 ...

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 ...

One of the few outdoor-related offerings at Saturday’s Maker’s Fair in downtown Shreveport came from Ken Kingery with Big Woodies Custom Rods LLC. Anglers looking for a unique rod that will stand out ...