Bay Trolling Rods 

The Chesapeake Series rods while designed for the type of fishing we do on the bay have been used worldwide. OB Custom Rods offers a wide selection of blanks and guide setups for this series.

Chesapeake Bay Custom Trolling Rods

​The trolling rods are offered in e-glass and graphite. The butts are offered in EVA, unibutts, and slick butts. The guide selection varies from roller guides, boat guides, turbo guides or a combination of each. The ring material in the guide frames varies from silicone carbide, to zirconium, to harloy, to rollers. The rods are set up and built based on the intended use. Options are a wire line rod for single strand stainless or braided line, and a heavier blank with a progressive action for trolling umbrella rigs with 16 to 20 oz inline or drop weight on a planner board. A lighter blank with a faster action for swim baits and light spoons is used when fishing for rockfish, Spanish mackerel, and bluefish.

These rods have been designed and fished by local charter boat captains and sport fisherman. Trolling an umbrella rig with 16 oz of weight in 16 to 20 feet of water is definitely unique to the bay, and we build rods for this purpose. 

We stock standard handcrafted models covering the various fishing circumstances. This allows you to look, touch and feel the various components. However, your needs may be unique, so we encourage you to customize your rod options by changing the color, lengths, butts, and other hardware and wrapping specifications to meet your exact requirements. All rods can be customized with your name or boat name. Our goal is to give you exactly what you want with no compromises!

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