Built for the way You fish.

Start Your Rod Repair Start Your Custom Build

Built one component at a time.

Every rod begins with a conversation. How you cast. Where you fish
What you expect when it’s all on the line.

Rod's Custom Rods is a custom rod building and repair shop based in Northern California.

Builds for: Bluefin & Yellowfin Tuna • Giant Marlin • Halibut • Salmon • Striped Bass • Calico Bass • Steelhead • Largemouth & Smallmouth Bass • Trout

Founded by Rod Hartzog, an angler with decades of experience across fly fishing, bass tournament competition, and open ocean fishing, RCR builds rods to order for anglers who want performance dialed to their exact specs, not pulled from a shelf. Rod’s depth of on-the-water experience is what drives every component decision, from blank selection to guide spacing to handle geometry. Every build starts with a conversation. Every repair gets the same precision as a new build. We ship nationwide.

“The amount of available power is shocking given how little weight is felt in the hand.”

-David Korty

Built around the way You fish.

CUSTOM ROD BUILDS

Every rod starts with a conversation about how you fish — your target species, casting style, line weight, and the conditions you're putting the rod through. From there, every component is chosen for your build, not pulled from a standard package.

→ Start Your Custom Build

ROD REPAIRS

A rod that's been fished hard earns its scars. Whether it's a broken guide, lifting wraps, worn cork, or a cracked tip, every repair is assessed and handled with the same care as a new build. No shortcuts.

→ Start Your Rod Repair

GEAR REVIEWS

Rod evaluates fishing and outdoor gear the same way he builds rods, with obsessive attention to every detail. Reviews cover material quality, real-world durability, and whether the manufacturer actually delivered on their promise.

→ Read the Reviews

Smallmouth, Largemouth &
Striped Bass

Texas: Lake Fork, Toledo Bend, Lake Texoma, Sam Rayburn, Falcon Lake
Oklahoma: Grand Lake, Lake Eufaula, Keystone Lake, Lake Tenkiller, Illinois River
California: Sacramento Delta, Clear Lake, Lake Berryessa, Castaic Lake
Missouri: Lake of the Ozarks, Table Rock, Bull Shoals, Gasconade River
Arkansas: Greers Ferry, Lake Ouachita, Little Red River, White River
Minnesota: Lake Mille Lacs, Leech Lake, Rainy Lake
Great Lakes: Lake Michigan, Lake Superior
Canada: Lake of the Woods, Great Bear Lake

Salmon, Steelhead & Trout

Alaska: Copper River, Bristol Bay, Rainbow River, Lake Iliamna Chain, Talarak Creek
British Columbia: The Dean River, Skeena River, Kispiox River, Babine River
Megantic Ponds, Maine

Trophy Rainbow Trout

The Iliamna Lake chain and Talarak Creek, Alaska — where the fish are measured differently

Bluefin Tuna, Bluefish & Haddock

Atlantic Ocean from the Outer Banks north through Maine.
Damariscotta River, Maine

Marlin, Yellowfin Tuna &
Largemouth Bass

Cabo San Lucas, Sea of Cortez, Pacific Ocean, Lake Guerrero — Mexico

Calico Bass, Halibut, Striped
Bass, Salmon & Tuna

Pacific Coast of California — from the Delta to open water

Largemouth Bass —
Trophy Class

Clear Lake, California and Mexico's trophy bass lakes. Rod’s two picks for double-digit fish, full stop

Every fishery teaches something different. Every rod Rod builds reflects all of them.

HOW IT WORKS

From Conversation to First Cast

FOUR STEPS

01 — Tell Us How You Fish Species, fishery, casting style, how hard you fish, what you've used before. The more context, the better the build.

02 — We Spec the Rod Together Blank, guides, wraps, handle, hardware — every component selected for your fishing, not a catalog default.

03 — Rod Builds It Hands-on, start to finish. No outsourcing. The same person you talked to builds the rod.

04 — Ships to Your Door Nationwide shipping. Your rod arrives ready to fish.