(Photo above: assortment of custom Flyrod grips | by Gary Alvis at Studio 7)
Bill Amerongen has been designing and building custom rods for over 46 years. For many years he built rods for friends and family. However, over time he has devoted his skills to creating custom rods for clients worldwide under his brand Highliner Custom Rods.
“I realized my hobby had become a successful business as I perfected my work over the years. I wanted to create a style that was unique and one of a kind. Today I ship rods all over the world and have even shipped rods to the US Embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan,” Amerongen said.
Highliner Custom Rods are meticulously designed and built with 30-40 hours of work going into each rod. They are world class fishing rods that are made in limited numbers. Each rod is individually numbered, includes an inscription of the client’s name, and are customized to fit the client’s individual specifications.
“When I build a custom rod nearly all aspects of the rod are customized. All rod grips are made from scratch by me in my shop. I am one of the few rod builders in the country that build carbon fiber grips from scratch. Any shape or configuration can be made and the grips can be fitted to the hand of each client. Carbon fiber is approximately half the weight of cork. It is much stronger and quite beautiful,” Amerongen said.
Most of the top rod manufacturers in the world use the same grade cork for their fly rod grips. The cork is harvested off a tree and comes with natural imperfections which manufacturers fill so that they are not noticeable. Over time the filler falls out and the rod has an unappealing grip.
“Carbon fiber is approximately half the weight of cork, much stronger, and much more sensitive. The best part is carbon fiber grips will never deteriorate or fall apart,” Amerongen said.
The term “Highliner” is used and respected by fishermen worldwide to recognize the most committed,experienced and accomplished fishermen in a particular fishery. It is an endearing term of respect to acknowledge the very best fishermen. Highliners are known as being the best of the best.
“It was a pretty bold thing for me to use Highliner as the name for my business. It reminds me of the old saying about not claiming to be something big unless you have the skills to back it up. Without trying to sound arrogant, I believe I have the skills in rod building to back it up,” Amerongen said.
Amerongen began building rods at the age of 14. He recalls being a young boy fishing in Southern California and admiring the Highliners and the beautiful custom rods they fished with.
“I grew up saltwater fishing with my father. During that time I admired the beautiful custom rods that some anglers were fishing with. I was really impressed with the craftsmanship that was so evident. These rods were very special and I became aware that these rods could not be purchased just anywhere,” Amerongen said.
Highliner Custom Rods begin with using the finest rod blanks and components and no two rods are exactly alike. In addition to their museum quality beauty the rods are built to land world class fish of all kinds in locations all over the world.
“My rods are considered to be works of performance art because I am able to blend two elements together. I have the background and knowledge to build high quality rods that are made to be fished and fished hard. The other part of this is in the cosmetics. My rods are one of a kind and beautiful,” Amerongen said.
Amerongen builds custom salmon and steelhead rods, fly and Spey rods, saltwater and travel rods. He is the owner and only employee meaning that he handcrafts every rod.
Amerongen takes pride in building a rod that will exceed the performance demands of the fisherman. His rods have a fine balance in the fisherman’s hand, are aesthetically pleasing with artistic designs and are a piece of equipment intended to be used for a lifetime.
“I take pride in building each of my rods to the specifics and desires of my angler customers. I consider it an honor to put my custom built fishing rods in the hands of anglers who appreciate performance equipment,” Amerongen said.
One of Bill’s customers is nationally renowned fly fisherman and photographer, Brian O’Keefe.
“Bill’s fly rods start with the very best graphite/composite blanks made today. He adds proprietary guides to the blank that reduce friction on the fly line, creating easier and longer casts. Bill’s most noticeable feature is his amazing wrapping of guides and hook keeper. This is an art form and in the world of rod making, Bill may be the best,” O’Keefe said.
Amerongen has been fishing nearly his entire life and has spent the past 25 years in the Northwest. He is an avid trout, salmon, steelhead and saltwater fisherman.
“Over the years I have had the opportunity to fish for many different species of fish in different parts of the world. I have a unique ability to talk to anyone in any part of the world and through a conversation, be able to build the proper rod that fishes perfectly for their particular species and style of fishing. For this reason I have developed an established international clientele,” Amerongen said.
One of Amerongen’s most recent accomplishments is the development of an enhanced guide train modification on his fly rods which enables them to out-cast the factory built version of the same rod. As a result, his rods will cast further than the equivalent factory built rods.
Highliner Custom Rods website is beautifully designed as a gallery that shows the potential of Amerongen’s work to give clients an idea of what is possible in a custom rod design.
Highliner Custom Rods
541-280-7550, highliner@bendbroadband.com
www.highlinercustomrods.com
CEO: Bill Amerongen
No. Employees: 1
Year Established: Bill Amerongen began working under the brand of Highliner Custom Rods in 2005.
Product/Service: High end custom fishing rods
Hot News: Amerongen has developed an enhanced guide train modification on his fly rods which enables them to out-cast the factory built version of the same rod.
Outlook for Growth: Limited due to the fact that Amerongen is a one man operation and can only make a limited number of rods per year.
