Retired USAF Airman and firefighter, Mike Crosby, highlights a flexible salmon and striper slayer.
YUBA CITY, Calif. – February 5, 2026 – Mike Crosby selflessly served our Nation and the residents of California in a profession that spanned 36 12 months. Now, he serves the desires and desires of anglers, constructing sensible and exquisite customized fishing rods that ship satisfaction and efficiency within the particular methods they fish.
Crosby enlisted within the U.S. Air Drive out of highschool. He needed to coach to grow to be a diesel mechanic like his father, however plans modified when he acquired a style of firefighting. Crosby served as a USAF firefighter for six years earlier than returning house and going to work for Cal Hearth, the state division answerable for stewardship and hearth safety on over 31 million acres of California’s wildlands.
“I loved my profession,” says Crosby, who retired in 2019. “We had a reasonably important hearth right here in Northern California in 2014. I had two crews slicing a line right down to the American River Canyon. I took a fall and didn’t comprehend it then, however I boogered up my hip and knee,” Crosby recollects. “I labored one other 5 years by means of some fairly extreme ache earlier than having that hip and knee changed. That’s what retired me.”
Crosby says he acquired a ship, began fishing extra, and commenced constructing fishing rods. “I began constructing for myself as a result of I wasn’t liking too many rods obtainable available on the market,” he says. “I advised my spouse, ‘I’ve acquired to have a pastime, one thing to maintain me occupied.’ And right here I’m now. I’ve loved rod constructing since day one, so I turned it right into a enterprise.”
Crosby does rod restore and sells a number of customized rods by means of native sort out outlets, together with Johnson’s Bait & Deal with in Yuba Metropolis. “I used to be hanging round Johnson’s sooner or later final July when three guys from the St. Croix advertising and marketing workforce got here into the store,” Crosby recollects. “I began chatting with one, who turned out to be the corporate’s VP of Marking. He defined they’d made the journey out to go to a few of their sellers and to fish the UFC match with a few of their professional employees. Although they had been there to satisfy the shop house owners and employees, they took an curiosity in me and my rod-building enterprise and jogged my memory that St. Croix owned Rod Geeks. Additionally they advised me in regards to the modifications they had been planning for Rod Geeks which have since occurred… much more St. Croix blanks, made-in-USA choices, new colours, the brand new web site that exhibits the St. Croix rod and mannequin equal for each clean… that sort of stuff. They supplied to ship me a clean to check out and construct one thing on, which I believed was fairly neat.”
Crosby needed to focus on a flexible construct with striper and salmon in thoughts. “We’ve some nice bass fishing out right here, however we even have actually good king salmon and striper fishing on the Sacramento, American, and Feather Rivers,” says Crosby, who additionally loves sturgeon fishing. “I wish to construct versatile rods that work for many kinds of striper and salmon fishing, from trolling, jigging, or soaking bait. I additionally wish to construct rods that carry out nice, are comfy, and that folks can afford. After speaking with the St. Croix of us, I made a decision on a 7’6”, heavy energy, moderate-fast motion SCIII Freshwater clean in an olive-green colour. I’ve realized that SCIII is St. Croix’s hottest carbon-fiber materials as a result of it’s sort of the right mix of light-weight sensitivity with excessive sturdiness, which is essential as a result of our rods can get banged round out right here and we’re concentrating on fish that may go over 40 kilos and reside in present.”
Crosby begins each construct by discovering and marking the backbone of the clean. “Quite a lot of rods aren’t spined proper,” he says. “Both from the producer or by the rod builder. Do it incorrect and the clean desires to twist. Some are so unhealthy you may really feel it wish to twist on the deal with while you’re fishing. That’s a deal-breaker for me.”
Crosby match his MXJO76HMF clean from Rod Geeks with a carbon fiber rear grip. “It’s an Alps, and I feel they’re far superior to cork and EVA for sturdiness and sensitivity,” says Crosby, who opted for an Alps AGC nylon-graphite size-16 reel seat. “Then on the foregrip, I used Batson EVA. I just like the carbon on the rear grip however simply assume EVA is extra pleasing to the hand when preventing a fish. For the ornamental wrap I went with a brand new sample I hadn’t performed earlier than in emerald-green with orange accents. It turned out tremendous good and makes the rod pop.”
Crosby opted to make use of sturdy, Alps LXN double-foot guides. “I’m a reasonably good advocate on these as a result of I’ve had good luck with them,” he says. “I went from dimension 16 down to six on the tip.”
Now that the rod’s accomplished, Crosby says he can’t wait to attempt it out. “Our striper season is simply beginning to get going,” he says. “I’ll attempt the rod out, however all the things I construct is on the market. On the finish of the day, I simply wish to put a rod in my prospects’ fingers they’re pleased with. I’m a individuals individual. I take pleasure in discovering out all the small print about how they fish and what they need, then it’s my job and my satisfaction to please them. Once they are available in to select up their rod, I really like seeing the expression on their face, after which they’ll’t wait to go fish it. I’ve acquired one child I’ve most likely constructed 15 rods for. He’s a big-time bass fisherman however I’ve a whole lot of prospects who simply need one or two very nice rods designed for the methods they fish, so in the event that they wish to change strategies they’ll simply tie on a brand new chief or setup and the rod performs simply as effectively. That means they’ve solely acquired a few rods within the boat and also you aren’t frightened about stepping on one or a fish flopping on one and breaking it. That’s what this 7’6” heavy, moderate-fast is. I can’t wait to see it in motion. It’s only a tremendous good clean and a extremely versatile rod.
Contact Mike through e-mail at mikecrosby35@gmail.com.
Study extra about St. Croix rod blanks at rodgeeks.com.
About Rod Geeks
Delivered to you by the individuals, experience and expertise of St. Croix of Park Falls, Inc., Rod Geeks has delivered handcrafted, high-performance fishing rod blanks to customized rod builders since 2014. Backed by practically 80 years of expertise in designing and constructing the Finest Rods on Earth, we personal and function trendy, state-of-the-art fishing rod factories in Park Falls, Wisconsin and Fresnillo, Mexico the place we mix the perfect uncooked supplies, gear, applied sciences, experience, and skilled craftsmanship to provide 1000’s of uncompromising fishing rods and blanks each week. No matter your subsequent journey or mission, belief Rod Geeks to supply a basis to your ardour and creativity that’s worthy of your skills. The St. Croix Household of Manufacturers consists of Rod Geeks, St. Croix Rod, SEVIIN Reels, St. Croix Fly, and the St. Croix Manufacturing facility Retailer.
