Hot Rods from the Prairie State

Using the right fishing rod can
result in better fishing and easier catches.

STORY BY GARY THOMAS

PHOTOS BY ADELE HODDE

While serving as observer in a boat with professional angler Denny Brauer during a bass fishing tournament a few years ago, we spent much of the day talking about fishing while he rapidly flipped and pitched jigs into brushy cover. He asked what types of reels I preferred, and I told him. Then he asked me what types of rods I preferred. I said I really didn't pay that much attention to rods. He stopped fishing, turned and to me and said: "The reel just stores the string. The rod does the real work. Put your money into your rods."

Brauer wasn't minimizing the importance of fishing reels; he was emphasizing the importance of a good fishing rod. Reels are important, and do more than just store fishing line, but the rod is an indispensable part of getting your lure where you want it, and the most important component of hooking a fish and getting it into the boat.

One rod manufacturer that has received a lot of attention during the past 25 years is Bud Erhardt Fishing Sticks. Formerly made in Arkansas, these rods now are manufactured in Hopedale, a small town about 20 miles southeast of Peoria.

Ralph Eadie, owner of Bud Erhardt Fishing Sticks, explains the reason for wrap-around guides—one of the unique characteristics of his casting rods.

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Construction of Bud Erhardt rods isn't a large assembly line process. This is a small family-owned business, and rods are built one at a time.

"Bud Erhardt Fishing Sticks were my rod of choice when I was fishing tournaments," said Ralph Eadie, current owner of the firm. "I got to know Bud pretty well during those days. I entered into a partnership with him in 1994, and bought the business in 1997."

Eadie has lived in Hopedale for 26 years, and that's where he relocated the business. When he bought into the company, it only manufactured one line of rods—the original Fishing Sticks series. But a successful company must grow to keep pace with the times.

"We still make the original Fishing Sticks, and they're still great rods, but we now build four other lines of freshwater rods, plus a line of saltwater rods and flyrods," Eadie said. "We make rods for bass, walleye and muskie, as well as ultra-lights for panfish. We make about 180 different models altogether."

Bud Erhardt Fishing Sticks is the epitome of a family business. Ralph, his wife Judy and son Ryan are there building rods every day, while a semi-retired couple, Don and Beverly Seller of Danvers, come in and help out a few days each week. Eadie also has a few people who wrap rod guides at their homes.

"We build each rod one at a time, whether it's a special order or a number of rods to replenish a businesses supply," Eadie said. "This is a small specialty business. On a really busy day, we might turn out 75 rods. We turn out far fewer than that most days."

Fishing Sticks originally were developed by Erhardt in the late 1970s, and quickly became a favorite with tournament anglers because they were among the first rods built for specific use for crankbaits, topwaters or other lures. Today they range in price from $50 to $70.

The company began manufacturing the Paragon series in 1996, featuring rods with higher tensile strength graphite and with titanium guides. They sell in the $100 range.

The company then started the EMX series of rods in 1997. These are its top-dollar rods, built using graphite and S.I.C. premium guides. They sell in the $200 neighborhood.

In 1999, the company began making its lake series of rods.

"Anglers continue to be very specific about their fishing needs," Eadie said. "So we made three different types of specialty rods, naming them for lakes that are noted for that particular type of fishing. Our first rod was the Merrisach, a flipping and pitching rod named for Merrisach Lake in Arkansas; followed by the Sonoma, a topwater rod named for Sonoma Lake in California; and then the Rayburn, a rod for flipping jigs into heavy grass, and named for Texas' Sam

Judy Eadie begins the intricate process of adding a rod guide to one of their custom-built rods.

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Beverly Seller, of Danvers, and her husband come in and work at the business two to three days each week. Wrapping the guides is the most time-consuming part of building a custom rod.

Ray burn Lake. Each of the rods sells in the $100 range."

This year, the company has introduced its Red Zone series of specialty rods. These include a drop shot rod, a ripper stick, a spinnerbait rod, a pitching stick and a cranking stick. These rods retail for about $110.

The company also has a series of saltwater rods that sell in the $500 range, and flyrods in the Paragon and EMX series, which range from $70 to $269.

So what do you get for $200 that you don't get when you purchase a $70 rod?

"Both rods will be quality sticks," Eadie said. "The difference will be in the tensile strength of the graphite we use. The higher the tensile strength, the lighter we can make the rod, but that also means the rod will be more expensive. We also use higher quality guides on our top-of-the-line models. Where each guide might cost $1 on the lower-priced rod, it might cost us $5 each on more expensive models. It doesn't take any more time to make the more expensive rod. It's strictly a matter of quality and cost of materials."

And while you might be impressed with the lightness of the rod, Eadie pointed out that a lighter rod isn't always best.

"A lighter rod sounds good, and it can be if you're going to be casting all day," Eadie said. "But you have to match the rod with what you are going to use it for. Lighter isn't always better."

One of Eadies' new rods—the Red Zone cranking stick—is unique in that it combines graphite with fiberglass. While most companies that combine the two materials do it all the way from tip to butt, the Erhardt model uses graphite and fiberglass for about 70 percent of the rod, with the last 30 percent being straight fiberglass.

Choose from a wide selection of rods at the Hopedale showroom, or custom order one with your name on the label at no extra cost.

Perhaps the most important thing every rod receives is personal attention.

"The first thing we do in building a rod is find the spine of the rod," Eadie said. "The spine is the natural bend. Every rod has a natural bend, and our rods are built taking advantage of this bend. Some specialty rod builders don't do this, and few, if any, factory rods are spined properly. Rods that haven't been spined will have some side torque. It's not a big thing, but it's one of those little things that makes a rod special."

Once the spine has been identified, they epoxy the handle and reel seat. After the glue sets, they recheck the spine and begin the process of adding rod guides. All

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Picking the right stick In the past, anglers were pretty limited when it came to purchasing a fishing rod. Their choices generally were light, medium or heavy action. That began changing in the late 1970s, when bass fishing began to grow in popularity. Rod manufacturer Ralph Eadie credits tournament fishing for creating the market for different models of rods. "When anglers began fishing for money, they became more concerned with their equipment, and especially the rods they used," he said. "They wanted different rods to do different jobs depending on how they were fishing, so specialty rods came into being." As a result, anglers today can be overwhelmed by all the rods on the market. What characteristics does Eadie recommend for different types of fishing? Here's what he had to say: Topwater: "If you're using topwater lures you will want a rod from 6 to 61/2 feet long, with a medium to medium-light tip and medium to medium-heavy backbone. This tip allows the angler to maximize the action on a topwater lure. One of the biggest problems topwater anglers have is setting the hook too quickly. The lighter tip delays the hook set just a little longer, which means you'll probably catch more fish. Once hooked, the medium-heavy backbone gives you the power to control the fish and get him to the boat." Crankbait: "Most anglers prefer a 61/2 to 7-foot rod for crankbaits. The rod should have a soft or light tip action with medium-heavy backbone. The crankbait is a lure that fish suck in, and if your rod tip is too stiff, your hook-set can pull the lure away from the fish. A softer tip is the key to hooking the fish better. While some crankbait anglers use rods that are soft from tip to butt, this means they have to wear the fish down in the water. Our crankbait rods have a little heavier backbone so you can control the fish and get it to the boat." Spinnerbait: "This is a tough one. Different anglers like different features for fishing this bait. Most anglers like rods from 6 to 7 feet in length. We make our spinnerbait rods with a medium tip and medium-heavy backbone." Plastic worm: "Most worm rods are 61/2-foot long. If anglers are fishing with a quarter-ounce and heavier lure, they usually want a rod that is medium-heavy with a fast tip and little recoil. If they're fishing with a lighter lure, they might go to a medium action rod for better casting accuracy." Flipping and pitching: "This can vary depending on what type cover you're fishing, but most anglers prefer a 7- to 71/2-foot rod. They will want a rod that has the power to get fish out of brush or heavy grass, so they generally prefer a heavy action rod." —Gary Thomas

For more information... Bud Erhardt's Fishing Sticks showroom is located in Hopedale, just east of 1-155 in Tazewell County, about 20 miles southeast of Peoria and 20 miles north of Lincoln. The showroom is open Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., and 8 a.m. to noon on Saturday. More information is available by calling 1-800-4STICKS, or by visiting the business' homepage at: www.fishinsticks.com.

Erhardt casting rods have one unique characteristic. They feature wrap-around guides. The first guide is lined up with the reel, the second is on the side of the rod, and the rest are on the underneath side.

"We didn't develop this system, but we believe in it," Eadie said. "By putting the line under the rod, you eliminate line rubbing against the rod, which means less wear. It also gives you about 10 percent more distance on your cast and eliminates some of the torque on your rod when you're playing a fish. I don't know why all rod manufacturers don't use it."

After guides are added, the rod moves to the finishing stage, a two-part epoxy that seals and strengthens the guides, is applied. Once this is done, you have a rod that is ready to fish.

While most of Erhardt's business is via dealers and mail-order, you might be surprised at the number of walk-ins that stroll into the company's Hopedale showroom. And in addition to a full-line of rods on display, anglers will find some rather innovative and unique lures and other products.

"I travel around a lot doing fishing shows," Eadie said. "When I see something a little different, I start handling that product. I carry some unusual crankbaits, spinnerbaits and plastics."

But mainly, it's the rods. And serious fishermen tend to give a lot of thought to their equipment—especially the rods they use.

"We build them slow and make sure they are right before they're sent out," Eadie said. "We give a lifetime guarantee on the rods. We do free rod repair for as long as a customer owns our rod. We try to give a little extra service—go the extra mile for our customers."

Young Myles McKown is learning how to fish using Erhardt rods built by his grandfather, Ralph Eadie.

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