How My Hobby Became Trinity Custom Rods
It was the summer of 1987, and I was 16. My father, Paul, got military orders to move to Hawai‘i for the last stretch of his career in the Marines. I thought, “Here we go again—the third move of my life and the third time I’ve left everything and everyone I grew to know to start all over again.” I didn’t have a choice, and we headed to O‘ahu. I quickly made friends with other military kids and their families. I also ventured to the water because I love to fish and the water was calling me. Through my new friends, I met my now long-time friend Michael Wiley, and he began to teach me to fish Hawai‘i-style. I thought I knew a lot about fishing, but I soon found out that I needed more education.
I learned how to cast with a conventional reel, and after a few burned thumbs, I began to get good at casting my PENN Jigmaster full of 30-lb test monofilament with an 8-oz lead. I started fishing Hawai‘i-style! I loved it so much that my friend taught me more stuff, like how to fix broken guides on my 14-foot one-piece rod. It was a Fenwick 16810 blank fiberglassed to a 4-foot aluminum butt. It had an old-school hose clamp reel seat. I still have the rod!
After Michael showed me how to strip an old guide and wrap on a new one, I was intrigued. We took the rod we repaired over to his Uncle Wendal’s house to have
