About GEM Rods

For the avid fisherman, the right rod means the difference between catching a few fish and having a fantastic day fishing.  GEM Custom Fishing Rods provide the optimum feel with maximum cast.  Each rod is hand crafted with guides strategically placed for maximum casting distance.  GEM Custom Fishing Rods will create  a one–of-a-kind fishing rod designed to catch whatever type of fish you are looking for.  The handle is crafted to fit your hand.  Guides, reel seat, color wraps and buttwraps are all put together to give you a tool designed to enhance your fishing skills and beautiful enough to be a family heirloom.

Greg Vogel is the owner/craftsman of GEM Custom Fishing Rods.  He caught his first fish at the age of three and hasn’t stopped since.  He built his first fishing rod at the age of fourteen out of spare parts from several broken rods.  Life and career have moved him across the country, giving him the opportunity to catch a wide variety of fish in numerous states.  He has always enjoyed discovering new and different techniques  of fishing and ways to get the most out of his equipment.

GEM Custom Fishing Rods began in 1995 in Juneau, AK, though has its roots as far back as 1974 with that first rod build at age 14. The business has moved with Greg from Alaska to California, Iowa and is currently located in Northwest Montana near the town of Columbia Falls.  By having been in so many locations, Greg has had the opportunity to build a wide range of rods from a 2 wt fly rod to a heavy halibut or tuna rod.  He enjoys spending time on “research and development”, trying out new rod designs and working constantly to improve feel, casting, and fish fighting.  He has developed  a unique combination backpack rod that can function as either a spinning rod or a fly rod.  Where most combination rods do not really work well in either one of the functions, this design works well in either function.  The crowning factor is that it weighs just 2 ½ ounces!

Another feature that Greg offers on baitcasting and conventional rods is the spiral wrap.  It is used on all baitcasting, downrigger, and trolling rods. In fact the Spiral Wrap will be used on any rod that has a conventional or levelwind reel. The first guide is placed in the” normal” position of a baitcast rod then the guides are spiraled around the rod until they are position on the bottom of the rod like a spin rod.   This design helps eliminate the tendency of the rod to twist when you are trying to reel in a large fish.  This way you are only fighting the fish, not the rod.

The building process starts with deciding what kind of rod you want and what weight blank you want it made from.  Greg has decades of experience to help you if you aren’t sure what you want.  Then it’s time to decide which style of parts to utilize (handle, reel seat, guides, thread colors, decorative wraps).

The rod is splined so the guides can be placed on the correct side for maximum casting fish handling, and it greatly reduces the chance of breakage.  Guides are placed and adjusted using several different techniques so the rod will cast farther than a store bought rod.  Greg uses more than the average amount of guides for better line control resulting in increased casting distance and fish control.  The guides are then wrapped securely to the rod and any fancy thread work is added.  Depending on demand, it takes from one to four weeks to complete a rod.