Benjamin Lepien of Wales, Wisconsin turns hobby to business with passion and creativity
PARK FALLS, WIS. (February 20, 2025) – Custom fishing rod builders may be a diverse bunch, but whatever their differences, the community is unified by at least two common characteristics – creativity and a passion for fishing.
Ben Lepien grew up in a fishing family. “My grandfather owned a bait shop in Merton, Wisconsin, so I’ve been fishing as long as I can remember,” the 31-year-old says. “I went a lot with my dad and cousin who exposed me to bass fishing. After starting with panfish, I remember how exciting it was to catch bigger fish on a variety of lures. As I got older, I branched out into walleye fishing, which is kind of where I’m still at today. I enjoy fishing for all species, but love targeting walleyes with different techniques.”
A welder and fabricator by trade, Lepien’s foray into custom rod building was sudden and accelerated.
“A couple years back I saw a popup ad on Facebook for a rod-building kit,” he recalls. “It piqued my interest and I went down the rabbit hole, consuming as much content about rod-building as I could. I spent about three weeks researching before I built my first rod. I didn’t take any classes, just trial-by-fire watching YouTube videos and scrolling through rod-building forums online.”
Lepien built several rods that he fished himself and gave to family and friends. “We went up north on a fishing trip and everyone fished them and loved them,” he says. “It was a test, I guess. I got some feedback, made some improvements, and built more rods.”
A little over a year into his new hobby, word of Lepien’s talents spread from friends and family to a growing number of new customers.
“Being located here in Wisconsin, I am building a lot of panfish, bass, walleye, and musky rods,” says Lepien, who started Wilson Rods LLC at the end of 2024 and recently created a Facebook page to showcase his work while staying connected to new and existing customers. “I enjoy building custom rods to customer specifications, but I have also developed a standard line of handmade rods I call the Carbon Series that I keep in stock. I noticed early on in speaking with customers that they don’t always know exactly what they want. My Carbon Series rods are all built for this purpose on premium St. Croix blanks from Rod Geeks. They are available in both casting and spinning in several lengths, powers, and actions. These are high-performance well-balanced rods that fish extremely well, but also display custom, high-level craftsmanship not found on most production fishing rods.”
When building a custom rod for a customer, Lepien says every project starts with a blank selected to maximize performance based on what the angler wants. “I use BASS 3, CARBON 2, CARBON 4, and CARBON 5 blanks from Rod Geeks, because I know I’m starting each build with the best possible performance and quality,” Lepien says. “I have fished with St. Croix rods my entire life and am very familiar with their materials, lengths, powers, and actions. I know which blanks and materials work best for any given technique or presentation. I also like the fact that they are an American, family-owned company from right here in Wisconsin. I also always use the smallest and lightest guides I can in order to take weight off the blanks and keep the actions pure. I also strive for ergonomic grips and reel seats so the rod feels good in my customers’ hands. It has to feel and perform as good as it looks.”
Beyond these basic requirements, Lepien says customers can choose their colors, handle styles, or materials. “I love the design process,” he says. “Talking with my customers to find out what they like, then designing the aesthetics of the rod to make it their own is my favorite part.”
Lepien says his trade as a welder and fabricator translates well to building fishing rods. “I’ve always been a creative person, so there’s that aspect, but I also think the steady hands you need as a skilled welder pay similar dividends when performing the detail work that’s necessary to craft a high-level custom rod.”
Lepien says he plans to continue building rods in the evenings and on weekends while he grows his business. “I’m fortunate to have a nice backlog of business through word-of-mouth at this point, but I’d like to take things to the next level and see what happens,” he says. “It’s definitely something that I’m hoping I can grow.”
Contact Ben and Wilson Rods through his Facebook page, Wilson Rods LLC, or email him at wilsonrodswi@gmail.com.
Come See Rod Geeks at the Expo
The 2025 International Custom Rod Building Exposition will take place this weekend, February 22-23, in Winston Salem, North Carolina at the MC Benton Convention Center. Rod Geeks, the exclusive distributor of St. Croix rod blanks, invites expo attendees to stop and visit in Booth #98, where they can meet and chat with Rod Geeks and St. Croix team members and learn firsthand about St. Croix blank designs, materials, and technologies.
About Rod Geeks
Brought to you by the people, expertise and experience of St. Croix of Park Falls, Inc., Rod Geeks has delivered handcrafted, high-performance fishing rod blanks to custom rod builders since 2014. Backed by nearly 75 years of experience in designing and building the best fishing rods in the world, we own and operate modern, state-of-the-art fishing rod factories in Park Falls, Wisconsin and Fresnillo, Mexico where we combine the best raw materials, equipment, technologies, expertise, and experienced craftsmanship to produce thousands of uncompromising fishing rods and blanks every week. Whatever your next adventure or project, trust Rod Geeks to provide a foundation for your passion and creativity that’s worthy of your talents. The St. Croix Family of Brands includes St. Croix Rod, SEVIIN Reels, St. Croix Fly, and Rod Geeks.
