Eric rediscovered fishing and the outdoors after leaving the Marine Corps. after 9 years of service and 2 combat tours to Afghanistan. His unit in Afghanistan was HMH-363 and was known as the 'Lucky Red Lions'. The Red Lion Rods logo was drawn by Marine Alex Limjoco, and it was painted on the CH-53 helicopters that HMH-363 flew. Alex is no longer with us, and the red lion head logo is our way of remembering and honoring him as well as all of the other Red Lions that have been lost.
We believe we are building a lot more than 'just' a fishing rod. We have a terrific community of owners where we enjoy comradery, harvesting food for our families, and friendship that extends beyond the water.
Eric started building rods as an outlet when living in Northern Virginia through the veterans group Project Healing Waters and also discovered Heroes on the Water. He started with a simple hand wrapper and basic tools and has expanded to power wrapping, multi-rod drying systems, high end tools, and the top components available.