Building your own fishing rods can be a great wintertime hobby for anglers who like to work with their hands. I started building rods in the early 1970s. Back then, rods were made from fiberglass.

. I was there to pick up a custom fly rod they’d made for me and to go fishing with owner and founder Jeff Davis. I expected to find a warehouse with heavy machinery and assembly lines, but instead I ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

Getting a custom-built rod from Wayne Fowlkes always came with a bonus. Fishing stories. Fowlkes loved to hear them, loved to tell them. “I remember the day I met him at his shop to have two rods ...

Whether you've put a hairline crack in your ferrule, snapped a guide, or lost a tip, the repair is the same; basic rod wrapping. Except for your grip, everything that's attached to your rod is simply, ...

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 ...

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.