PUEBLO, Colo.—Manny Gonzales, owner of River Rods, creates unique fishing rods and teaches people how to fish. He says he hopes they will learn to love the sport as much as he does.
River Rods started after Gonzales failed in his attempt to find a special small fishing rod that he wanted to carry in his backpack while hiking. Gonzales said he looked everywhere for a 4-foot long, two-piece spinning rod, even online.
So he went to Rick Gottdenker, owner of Rick’s Rods in Denver, and asked him to create the elusive fishing rod. Gonzales helped Gottdenker develop the rod, which took about a year.
Gonzales was so intrigued with rod-building that he asked Gottdenker for a job. He worked for Rick’s Rods for about four years before deciding to open his own business.
Since the work he was doing didn’t have to be done in the shop, the Pueblo native was able to move back home, where he worked in his garage and used a finishing room in the basement for applying a final coat of epoxy and varnish.
Gonzales still does some work for his former employer, and he ships or drives the finished rods to Denver.
Making money is not Gonzales’ main goal; it is to promote fishing. He wants to get at least one fishing rod in every person’s hand in Pueblo, “and two on Sunday.”
River Rods has kept Gonzales busy since the beginning, but he is in no hurry to build a big business. He said he is much more interested in keeping it personal. Gonzales offers free consultations for his customers.
A consultation could take all day, he said, with clients testing each blank rod to see how it feels in their hands. Then, once they find the right one, Gonzales said, they decide how long it will be and what parts to use for the rod.
Some people like old-fashioned cork grips, others like rubber. Some like silver and nickel ferrules, rings fitted around the rod to keep it from cracking, and others like chrome and brass. It is the combination of parts that determines the cost of the rod, Gonzales said.
His most popular rod is a very short—4-foot—one-piece fiberglass instrument that sells for about $50. But, he has given away rods to fishermen who couldn’t afford to pay.
Since the customer chooses all the parts that go into the rod, every rod is unique, based on each person’s preferences.
As part of his work through River Rods, Gonzales teaches free classes and seminars on rod-building and how to fish. In July, the Historic Arkansas Riverwalk of Pueblo played host to his fishing expo.
Gonzales began fishing at about 7 or 8 years of age and wants to share that joy with kids. His own daughter, who is now 5, caught her first fish when she was 2, he said.
He believes fishing can keep kids out of trouble.
“If you get the kids hooked on fishing, maybe they won’t get hooked on something else,” he said.
Gonzales does not see himself as a businessman or a craftsman. He is a fisherman who happens to have a business building rods.
Much of Gonzales’ work on fishing rods is done during the winter, when there is not any fishing. During the summer, he works mainly in the early morning or late evening, because he’d rather be out fishing.
“How can I fix your rod when I’m fishing?” he asked.
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Information from: The Pueblo Chieftain,
