OU T D O O R S
Hatteras Jack owner Ryan White hand-crafts a fishing rod in the shop’s backroom workspace.
HOT RODS SINCE 1988, THE CRAFTSMEN AT RODANTHE’S HATTERAS JACK HAVE BEEN MAKING MEMORIES FOR COUNTLESS ANGLERS ONE CUSTOM ROD AT A TIME. PHOTOS BY RYAN MOSER STORY BY STEVE HANF
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yan White grabs a new rod blank, marks the spine, places the blank onto the rod lathe and lines up the guides by eye as though sighting a rifle. Spools of thread spin to secure the guides, with highlight colors added as a subtle special feature. Finishing touches from custom grips to a perfect epoxy coating round out the production cycle. And by the end of the process, guess what? You’re catching dinner – or that record-setting sportfish – with a work of art rather than “just” a fishing pole. “We’ve taken it to, like, McLaren, you know?” Ryan says of the famous elite automaker. “It’s the geekiest of geeky fishing rods. We take it as far as we can.” Once one order is complete, then the labor of love starts all over for Ryan and the craftsmen he oversees at
Hatteras Jack in Rodanthe, where custom rods have been painstakingly made since 1988. “I still have rods coming in that my grandfather built more than 20 years ago,” Ryan says proudly. “People are still using them.” That history is on full display when visitors enter the cozy confines of Hatteras Jack, a little shop about a hundred yards from the sound that offers so much more than a quick bait and tackle run. Framed photos and Polaroids line the walls – and even parts of the ceiling – featuring fun fishing outings over the decades, while a number of plaques that commemorate tournament wins hang above the store’s merchandise. As for the fishing rods? They’re everywhere: Stacked in corners. Lined up on wall-mounted racks. In various stages N O RT H B E ACH SU N | 25
