More Customer Testimonals

We build great fishing rods that are made just for you, but you don't have to take it from us. Below are some testimonials from some of the guys and gals we've built custom rods for. Be sure to visit our photo gallery to see how our customers are enjoying the results of our rods.

I have had my Backyard Custom Rod for 2 years and it is my favorite rod. I prefer it over all my other rods because it can handle the bigguns. It's a great all around rod. You can use it for bottom fishing; light tackle jigging and light tackle trolling. You'll catch a fish every time.

Beth Hill - Church Hill, MD

Steve, thanks for re-finishing 2 of my rods. They turned out awesome and look brand new. As you know, they are still bailing in the big ones! I will be in contact with you to re-finish some other rods.

Jason Barrick - Mt. Airy, MD

Awhile ago I decided to have a custom trolling rod made for my son, Chris. I pondered it for awhile, trying to figure out exactly what I wanted because I wanted it to be 'special'. Chris, is my #1 mate, I mean he busts his butt on my boat, helps me get it ready in the spring, keeps it up during the season and helps me put it away in the fall. He's not a bad fisherman either and when we're out, usually with others, he's all over everything; all I have to do is run the boat. When I decided to give him his 'own rod' I got in touch with Steve Fogle, (Steve F) to the board. Well to make a long story short Steve put together one of the most beautiful trolling rods I've seen. He did it all by me explaining to him what I wanted and Steve did the rest and I know he agonized over being sure it was exactly what I wanted. Well it was that and much more. Steve couldn't have put together a more perfect rod if I had given him a picture of what I wanted. Steve told me in the beginning he hadn't done many trolling rods and since I wanted that 'special' rod he wanted me to be sure he was the guy to do it. I knew Steve had made many rods for others on this board and everybody seemed very satisfied, it was a no brainer he was the guy. I have thanked him privately but I felt that Steve went above and beyond doing this rod for me and I owe him one. I put a Penn 345 GTI spooled with 80 lbs. Power Pro on the rod and it is sweet. I gave it to Chris yesterday and you would have thought I gave him a million dollars, well almost. Anyway, he now has his 'own' special rod with the Steve Fogle touch. Thanks Steve.

Sam Worsham - Anne Arundel County, MD

I received a Back Yard Custom Spinning Rod as a gift a couple of years ago. What a great gift. From the Pamlico Sound in North Carolina to my home waters of Seneca Lake, New York it has performed wonderfully. Thank you for putting together such a finely crafted fishing rod for me.

George Schmidt - Watkins Glenn, NY

Making living-putting customer on fish on a daily basis with all the different weather conditions that I face throughout the year is stressful enough. I would like to thank Steve Fogle for the fine quality rods that you make. Not having to worry about rod failures makes my life whole lot easier. I have 3 Backyard LTJ rods that my customers use and I have not had one complaint yet. Lots of compliments on how light and sensitive your LTJ rods are. This year my customers have boated 24 striped bass over 40". Those rockfish have come from the shallows of the Susquehanna to the pilings off the Chesapeake Bay Bridge / Tunnel and other various structures. I have not had one thing go wrong with my Backyard LTJ rods. My only caution is to make sure they stay on the boat at the end of the day as customers seem to grow fond of them after fishing with them.

Captain Skip Slomski - Jenny Beck Fishing Charters

I just wanted to thank you for another fine year of service. I've been fishing with Back Yard Custom Rods now for three years. As you know a charter boat is not a place for fragile equipment. The tackle takes a beating. Your rods have performed admirably. Now I must admit to you, I don't always employee your rods for there intended purposes. I don't think those medium weight casting rods you made for me where meant for tuna trolling... What the heck, I had to give it a try, very light tackle tuna fishing. So far the record on that set up is a 60lb blue fin. I was sure that rod was going to give up the ghost, bent straight through the reel seat under all that load, but it held true and we finished the fight. Although I've caught too many fish to recount to you here with the rods you made, I have to mention the exceptional job your equipment did on the big Red Drum we targeted this year in North Carolina. 30 and 40lb drum all night long and the tackle was a perfect match for that type of fishing. I appreciate you pointing me in the right direction when I enquired about an optimum set-up for that type of fishing. You where right on the money. Thanks again Steve for all the help you've been.

Captain Travis Schmidt - Adrenaline Sportfishing - Sparks, MD

Finding the perfect Christmas gift is always extremely difficult, especially for my father. I wanted to get a gift that would complete shock him on Christmas morning. I called Steve Fogle for a custom made jigging stick in his favorite colors. Steve assisted me in matching up the best color contrast and provided wonderful suggestions to create a beautiful rod; he even added a striper logo and initial decals. Working with Steve was a true pleasure; some day soon I will have him design my own custom trolling stick.

Amanda Lambert - Myersville, MD

I had asked Steve to make me a five foot ultra-light rod for my river fishing. The first day I used it I hooked into a five pound small mouth bass that just loved to fight. I had that new custom rod completely bent in the river and thought for sure it was going to break but by my surprise, it held tough. Since that day, I won't fish with another rod unless it's made with the same high quality of Backyard Custom Rods. My friends were so jealous that I've even purchased four more and gave them out as gifts. You just can't beat the quality!!! Thanks Steve.

Rob Uttermohlen - Frederick, MD

After being introduced to rock fishing on the Potapsco River in MD, it was clear that I was in serious need of an equipment upgrade from my freshwater gear. After talking with those that introduced me to light-tackle-jigging (LTJ) on the Potapsco, they all pointed me to Steve Fogle of Backyard Custom Rods. Not only did Steve want to know what I was looking for, he was willing to educate me on my options being that I was new to this sport. My first trip out with my new rod proved to me that I had made the right decision. The sensitivity of the rod conveyed weak strikes, and the strength of the rod handled hook sets and landing of heavy and deep fish. It is a pleasure to work with Steve and to own such a quality custom fishing rod.

Best Regards,

Mike Sine - Walkersville, MD