Building your own fishing rods can be a great wintertime hobby for anglers who like to work with their hands. I started building rods in the early 1970s. Back then, rods were made from fiberglass.

Rob Horken might best be remembered as "Ernie the Angler," his longtime alter ego who did weekly summer fishing reports on WDAZ-TV Channel 8 in Grand Forks, but in retirement, Horken keeps his feet in ...