I didn’t know which category to post this in but this seems like the best place for this post. When I went through sea school I had a fellow in my class named Jose who had come all the way from Puerto Rico to take the class. Jose was a super nice guy who does a lot of offshore fishing for white marlin but when he is not fishing he builds custom rods to match people’s boats. After class one day we went out for a couple of beers and tacos and he told me he wanted to build me a fly rod to get his name out in the states and because he doesn’t get many fly fishers down there to build rods for.
I hit up Jose 3-4 weeks ago and we talked about some blanks, components, and colors and he made it happen. I went with the Mudhole MHX blank 4pc 12wt to save some money as it will be a seasonal rod to target jacks and tarpon. I did red wraps to match a nautilus reel and a larger fighting butt. I never said anything about my boat but he surprised me and added the Lostmen “logo” to my rod which is where this rod will live and be fished off of. I am super impressed with his craftsmanship and really like the Lostmen logo he incorporated into the rod.
If anyone is looking for something like this he will work with you to build a truly unique and special rod and you can pick from tons of blanks. I wanted to post this here for the other fly fishing and skiff lovers out there that can appreciate it and for anyone that may want to do something similar. His instagram handle is @Guajolote_custom_rods if you want to check out his builds or get something built. I can also PM anyone his number if they don’t have instagram and are interested in a custom rod. I will have a 12wt line this week and will give updates on the castability of the MHX blank.
