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PAST BUILDS / WEST MICHIGAN STEELHEAD

BUILT FOR
LUCAS K.

A USA-themed float rod that carries its red, silver, and blue design from the butt to the tip—and is built to fish long West Michigan drifts.

12′ FLOAT RODBAITCASTERONE OF ONE
Red, silver, and blue hand-wrapped pattern on Lucas's custom rod
THE USA-THEMED WRAP

01 / THE ANGLER

Built for long
float drifts.

Lucas K. targets steelhead in West Michigan rivers with a float and baitcaster. He wanted a rod that felt balanced through long, smooth drifts and had the right action when a steelhead took the bait.

I chose the Stryker SCP1204-2, the same blank used for Bryson H.’s build. It is a 12-foot, medium-power, moderate-action float blank rated for 6–14 lb line. The length, balance, and action gave me the foundation Lucas’s style of fishing called for.

02 / THE DESIGN

USA from butt
to tip.

Lucas asked for a USA-themed steelhead rod. I designed the whole build around red, silver, and blue, with silver taking the place of white. The decorative wrap brings those colors together in a repeating pattern, while the guide wraps carry them farther up the blank.

A steelhead graphic filled with the American flag makes the idea unmistakably about both country and fishing. ALPS aluminum components—the butt, casting reel seat, and winding checks—continue the design through the handle. Black stainless Batson guides with blue zirconium inserts give the guide train a matching finish.

03 / ON THE WATER

Made to be
fished.

Lucas uses this rod to target steelhead, and the catch photos show it beside a king salmon he landed with it. A fish that powerful speaks to the strength of the finished build. The color work stands out on the bench; on the river, the same rod is there for the drift and the fight.

That is what a one-of-one Recon build should do: carry an angler’s idea all the way into a rod made for how they actually fish.

THE FINISHED BUILD

The choices
behind it.

Blank
Stryker SCP1204-2 · 12′ · medium / moderate
Line rating
6–14 lb (Stryker specification)
Technique
Steelhead float fishing with a baitcaster
Hardware
ALPS aluminum butt, casting reel seat, and winding checks
Guides
Black stainless Batson guides with blue zirconium inserts
Colors
Red, silver, and blue from butt to tip
Personal detail
American flag steelhead graphic

FROM WRAP TO WATER

Details from the design, the finished rod, and Lucas’s king salmon catch.

American flag steelhead graphic on Lucas's custom rod
A steelhead in stars and stripes
Close view of the red, silver, and blue decorative wrap
Red, silver, and blue wrap
Black guide with blue ring above red and blue threadwork
Blue-ring guide and matching thread
Blue aluminum casting reel seat, patterned grip, and guide wraps
Aluminum casting seat and grip
Finished handle, decorative wrap, and lower rod section
The complete handle design
Guide train with red and blue wraps on the steelhead rod
The theme carried toward the tip
King salmon landed with Lucas's USA-themed rod and baitcasting reel
Lucas’s rod beside his king salmon
Another view of Lucas's king salmon beside the custom casting float rod
A second view of the catch

WATCH THE BUILD

Handwork, finish, and a king.

At the wrapping benchThe red, silver, and blue pattern taking shape
The finished rodA closer look from the handle to the guides
The king salmon catchThe finished rod beside Lucas’s king salmon

BUILT FOR THE WAY YOU FISH

Let’s tell your rod’s story.

Start with your technique, your water, and the details that matter to you.

Start a build request