For other anglers, it’s time to get the gear repaired and get it ready for the next season.

Garry Land is a longtime fishing rod builder who lives near Pool 13 of the Mississippi River. I was fortunate enough to attend one of his cane building sessions at the Rock Creek EcoTourism Center located on Pool 14, near Camanche, Iowa. For those in the Quad-Cities area, a Land-built custom fishing rod is something to treasure and can make it difficult to use store-bought products afterwards.

“I started building canes about 20 years ago and traveled all over the country teaching people how to build their own canes,” Land said.

Land’s love for building rods is quickly apparent as his jokes keep the vibe light. At 75, he uses it as the basis for many jokes. When learning to wrap cane guides, keeping everything neat and tidy, humor was a key part of making it through the night.

I first discovered Land’s work in 2003 when a colleague won a custom rod after catching the biggest bass of the year at the Gateway Bass Club. The custom color spiral guide rod was a dream for casting and handling very large fish with ease. Like any custom gear, it was technically sound and looked like a work of art.