On The Water
The Angler's Guide To New England

I always like to seek out fishing products produced by local companies. Many of the mass-produced rods on the market are designed by national or international companies to cover a lot of different situations and fishing styles, and some of them miss the mark for what New England fishermen really need. Local rod builders, on the other hand, are a lot more in tune with local conditions, and they design their rods with a specific purpose in mind.

Local Hooker Rods was founded by Bob Jenkins, who has been fishing Cape Cod for more than 30 years. He's come out with a line of serious saltwater rods that are both well designed and well built. I had the pleasure of testing out the 10-foot conventional surf rod, and I loved it. The rod casts like a champ and has all the backbone you'll ever need to turn a big striper's head. These rods are all built with top-quality components, which I'm sure will show their value over time.

Also of note are the offshore trolling rods made by Local Hooker. While I haven't had the chance to fish them yet, I was impressed by the overall design. I especially like the swivel roller-tips, which ensure that the line always runs straight back from the rod. Standard roller tips can cause problems when line runs off at an angle, such as when rigged off an outrigger or placed in an outward-facing rod holder. If you're looking into outfitting your boat for tuna next season, you should definitely take a look at these.

Currently these rods are only available at a few Cape Cod tackle shops, but I'm confident they will be spreading across New England when other serious anglers get their hands on them.