How The HCS 13' & 14' Surf Rods Started!
These 3pc Surf Rods Became a Hit in Hawaii!
I keep getting asked how these rods got their start. Basically it was my dream to have rods like these. During an expo i got to have a meal with the product developer of Okuma Fishing Mr John Bretza. I pitched my idea & he agreed that rods like these might be a good project for him & his staff to work on.
Several months have passed & i just got back from diving & fishing off Phuket & John sent me a message that the first sample rods will be sent. A week latter i got the 13' & 14'. Immediately i knew this was going to take time. We started communicating more with each other & the factory. The 3rd prototype was good enough to actually use in the field. I dissected an older rod to pull out what the counter-balance weight system should look like.
Finally after months of field testing the final prototype was ready & Brian Kimata of Brian's Fishing Supply in Honolulu gave his suggestion to how we could finish this project. This was just before Covid started. Getting the first shipment in was brutal. The stores got their rods but not me. Couldn't believe after all my work they'd forgotten me. So i continued just using my prototypes for months until someone at Okuma contacted me to ask how the final products look & how they did in the field.
But that is all behind me now. Wasn't John's fault as he thought the company took care of me already. I learned a valuable lesson.
https://youtu.be/8huHIisMC2k
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