Brad Smith co-founded and owns Walton Rods, which manufactures primarily fly rods for fishing. (IBJ photo/Chad Williams) Although he’s traveled the world to catch all manner of fish in all manner of ...

In the beginning, I had a classic Zebco 202 spin-cast combo, and it was good. At least, good enough for 5-year-old me. But I've owned many types of fishing rods since I was a freckle-faced boy who ...

Kevin McDonough was busy helping unsnarl a “bird’s nest” tangle on a reel as his 26-foot Mako drifted over a 40-foot hump on the ocean bottom. Turning, he saw his own bottom-fishing rod was nearly ...

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 ...

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 ...

Here are our picks of the best fishing rods in 2025, tried and tested by the experts at the Angling Times.