If you’ve had Mr. Downing as a teacher, or have even had just a few conversations with him, you’ll know that he loves fishing. However, you might not know that he actually builds his own fishing rods and even sells them to people.
Mr. Downing, a BSHS English teacher, first started building his own rods about 14 years ago. Unlike the more advanced equipment he uses now, he built his first one with the help of a cardboard box and a book.
“That was a frustrating experience,” he says, “I spent all night working on it, and my wife asked me the next day if I’d make any more. I said, ‘heck no, I’m not building another rod’ and I’ve probably built 400 rods or more.”
Since that humble start, he has upgraded to more efficient tools, like a rod stand and a motor. Two summers ago, he started working on a rod shop shed in his backyard. He plans to put up solar panels eventually.
His interest in making his own rods stemmed from a broken rod on a fishing trip. “We had…a fishing trip down at Minute Springs, and one of my good fishing rods was broken. And instead of buying one I thought, well, I’m just going to build one. And I’ve gotten to the point now where I won’t use a store-bought rod ever…if I need something, I just build it.”
He started selling the rods around the same time he started building them. People heard by word of mouth that he was making them and would ask him for some. He shares that he wasn’t making a lot of money off of them, but knows that the market for custom rods can be tough.
Since he started selling them, Mr. Downing has gained a few loyal customers, though. One guy has bought at least 30 rods over the last 12 years. “He gets some now for friends and he gives away his gifts. And he won’t use anything besides my rods either,” Mr. Downing adds.
Mr. Downing feels that custom rods are higher quality and work better than store-bought ones. “[People are] like, ‘well, I’m gonna go to Walmart and I’m like, ‘go ahead…there’s some good rods at Walmart that you can still catch fish with…you might not catch as many as I am.”
This has been shown to be the case in action. Mr. Downing shares about one time he went fishing with his brother, testing different designs. Mr. Downing used a rod he built and caught fish after fish, while his brother wasn’t getting any until the two switched rods.
The key to getting a lot of fish, Mr. Downing believes, is minimalism. “Sometimes the difference between getting a fish and not is just detecting the slightest little bite,” he says. He makes his rod handles out of wine corks to allow users to feel more of that pull.
Each rod that Mr. Downing designs is unique, depending on the type of fish it’s best for and the customer’s personal requests. Some designs are more suitable for bass, while others are better for catfish. His rods will also vary in color. If someone wants a Chiefs-themed one, for example, he’ll use red or gold thread. He’s made rods for kids with lots of animals on them.
For Mr. Downing, the hardest part of making and selling fishing rods isn’t the building of them, but selling them for the right price. He wants to balance giving people a good deal but also making a little money on them after the material costs.
What he loves most about what he does, though, is how relaxing it is. “I could sit and spend two hours just building a rod,” he says, “It’s like when you go out on a long run or a bike ride or something and you think about all kinds of things. You’re working with your hands and you also see a vision of what you want the rod to look like when you’re done.”
