HISTORY
The past one hundred years have seen a remarkable development in one of the truly iconic pieces of sports equipment. The American fly rod. Starting with simple applications of limber spruce wood and then cane poles, the fly rod had by all accounts a modest beginning. Then the split cane bamboo fly rod took center stage and the sport was off and running. In the late1950's fiberglass made its introduction. The 1970's saw the graphite fly rod take the sport by storm. Today we have a variety of carbon fiber composites and other exotic combinations. Truly remarkable.
During this period only a few companies have witnessed all of this history. The Keuling family of rodmakers is one of these companies.
2018 marked the one hundred year anniversary of the family of Keuling rod makers. Three generations, with a fourth in the wings. We think that's quite a run.
The Keuling passion for fly rod building began in 1918 when Edgar Keuling Sr. started making bamboo rod blanks in upstate New York. His passion was the bamboo rod blank. Not just for fly rods but bait casting rods as well. His fly fishing friends convinced him to focus on fly rod blanks. That was the beginning of years of bamboo fly rod building. When Keuling Jr. came along, he soon at a young age showed interest in fly rod building. His passion was building the fly rod. As true perfectionists, they made a great team.
In the 1940's the Keuling family moved to Miami Beach, Florida. Of course, saltwater fishing was the focus there. And so the Keulings proceeded to adapt bamboo to larger saltwater blanks. A challenge to say the least. When fiberglass made its debut, a whole new world of rod making took form. The focus for the Keulings was the deep sea fishing rod. Fiberglass fly rods would not get their attention for a few years.
In the early 1960's the third generation Keuling rod builder came upon the scene. Edgar Keuling III. Quickly he mastered the rod making skills for which his father and grandfather were so adept at teaching. In 1975 the Keuling rod building activities were turned over to Keuling III. Soon after, what was once an avocation of his grandfather and father took a new direction. In 1978 E.L.Keuling Rod Company was formed. In a small workshop in Cleveland, Ohio, Keuling III started to build fly rods in earnest. The Company's first product brochure printed in 1978 sported a new logo and photos of handcrafted fly rods built from bamboo, fiberglass, and graphite. The logo is still used today, as are several of the fly rod designs Keuling III developed in the 1980's and 90's. It is today as it always has been. The challenge to build that perfect fly rod. The quest for perfection.
