About Ken Preston

Hello fellow fishermen and gift-givers! My name is Ken Preston. I'm just over the half-century mark with 45 of those years spent engaged in chasing fish, occasionally even capturing a few for the table. Ocean to puddles, there is nothing too small (or too large) to hold fish. 

About 2 years ago I took stock of my future expectations. Since I'll be able to retire from federal government service at 55, I decided that I should really invest some time and effort into doing what I have loved to do since I was about 6 years old. I was introduced to building fishing rods nearly 17 years ago. Obviously the first ones left much to be desired. I went off and read book after book, subscribed to professional journals, and participated in seminars to learn how to do this right. I've been designing, building, and repairing rods now for myself and friends for about 15 years. Those 2 years invested in learning the craft have stood me in good stead. With 3 to 4 years left to go on my current job with Uncle Sugar I've decided that it's now time to "go public" and build a clientele.   

At this time I have several commercial and charter captains for whom I do repair work, and also a semi-professional bass fisherman who trusts me to "talk through a needs-to-design" for specific fishing applications. In starting off in this venture I have made a conscious decision to provide the highest quality work at the most reasonable rate. 

As you will see as you scan through this site, I repair and build fishing rods with a fisherman's perspective. Before I begin any project I will talk you, the customer, through options for the planned use of the rod — casting, spinning, trolling, line weight, lure weight, and any other variables, such as left or right handed grip and distance between your hand and the butt of the rod. Then we go over some "wanna haves" — colors, hook keepers, embossed name, fancy wraps, special grip designs, and preferences for reel seat sizes. This is the "choose your options" section. It's your opportunity to give me some ideas so I can begin the research needed to estimate the price for what you want done.  

Since I am a fisherman myself — having fished with everything from light flyrods to larger game rods, and surf sticks — we can probably quickly narrow the focus to a few basic choices in terms of blanks, reel seats, grips/butt assemblies, and guides.

Come back often and see the changes to this site. I plan to provide a helpful hints section on building rods that you can use to design and build your own. Or use the information to contact another rod builder for quotes. In fact, I encourage you to do the latter. I want you to be certain that you are getting the best value for your hard-earned dollar.

For those who like to build their own rods or like to have the kind of quality rod that comes from serious personal attention to detail, this is the site dedicated to the art of rod-making and the exchange of information at all levels regarding the design and construction of truly unique "Tools of the Trade."

I invite you to send comments and suggestions, and to visit the Workshop section and the "step-by-step" tutorials there. Since this site is dedicated to information-sharing, you should understand that I will incorporate your input and add it to this site. In all cases you will be given credit for the "tips, tricks and techniques" that you wish to share.