TCR started in 1987 when I knew what I wanted in a
rod but couldn't find it 130 miles from the shore. I had some new guides
put on my favorite rod but was so disappointed in the workmanship, I
realized I could do better.
Before the internet was popular I spent hours at
the local library checking any references I could find for rod building.
It was there I found "Advanced Custom Rod Building" by Dale Clemens.
In
the Florida Sportsman magazine I found an ad for Rod Components
Inc. in Homestead, Florida and ordered the first catalog of many. From
then on, I was looking at everything to see if it could be used for rod
building. The first lathe was just rollers on a v-block and the first
dryer was pillow-block bearings, large pulley, and a small motor using a
Post Office "Big Red" rubber band for a belt.
I was in business and built my first rod on an old
Diawa composite blank using Fuji BRLRG guides. I still have that rod and
sometimes take it out when I know I'll be bait fishing for Haddock.
I picked up 4 Ugly stick blanks at the Western Mass Sportsman Show that
year and made my first Jigging Stick. I was able to build and sell the
other 3 right away and have been building rods ever since.
I've made numerous freshwater
rods and fly rods over the years but my favorite is the Cod Jigging
Stick. Something about building these rods sends my mind drifting along
Jefferies Ledge thinking about a catching a fish a cast and doing what I
love.