Cermele: A Rod With Bite

Okay. In recent weeks we’ve seen posts here on the Honest Angler dealing with Barbie rods and camo rods. Why not bring up genuine rattlesnake rods from Arm Breaker Custom rods? Check out the slide show below. 

I stumbled across these photos after finding a YouTube video about this company’s custom rods with ostrich leather handles. They also make cobra-skin, alligator-skin, and lizard-skin grips, but the rattler is by far the most fascinating. All prices are available upon inquiry, which usually means I can’t afford it.

While the gimmick-lover in me thinks this is cool, I will say that the company is not passing these off as show pieces. They have a few photos of matching tuna sticks, which suggests to me that someone out there is rigging their boat with custom-colored gator- skin rods. I actually own a preserved rattler head, and it is extremely delicate. I also have a leather pliers sheath that is about destroyed from getting wet and covered in fish slime. So if you can afford 5 custom ostrich-leather trolling rods, do you worry about grabbing them with bait-covered hands? Or do you just call up every few months and say, “Kill a few more birds please. I need new rods?” —JC