F T A O C T U O R R Y
Story
BY RON BALLANTI
building rods here in the U.S.
I
f you’re an avid bass angler, you likely have
that one rod (or two…or three) that you just
love for a particular bass fishing technique.
Perhaps it has perfect balance. Or an action that’s “just right”. Or the power to control big bass
and get out of heavy cover quickly. Better yet, all
three.
We’ve all fished with rods like this, but have you
ever wondered how they’re made? If you haven’t
heard about it yet, there’s a new company called
Cousins Tackle Corporation, building quality graph-
ite, composite and fiberglass rods here in America.
Westernbass.com was treated to a behind-the-
scenes factory tour, to witness what this new player
in the bass market has to offer Western anglers, and
find out all that goes into making a premium bass rod.
WHO ARE THE “COUSINS?”
Cousins Tackle is named for two real-life cousins, who share a passion for fishing and building premium quality fishing tackle. Over several decades, cousins Bill Buchanan and Wade Cunningham helped launch iconic fishing tackle brands including Fenwick, Sage, Seeker, Sevenstrand, Berkley, Spiderwire, Stren, Abu Garcia, Abel and Shikari. Their lineage in the tackle industry can be traced back to the 1960s, where Buck Buchanan (Bill’s father) and Bill Cunningham (Wade’s father), were both division managers at Sevenstrand/ Fenwick. Bill and Wade later worked together at Fen- wick, where the first high-modulus tubular style rods were designed and built.
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