The family firm that keeps on growing

Given his family’s background, it was perhaps no surprise that Keller Batson began fishing at an early age and perhaps even less of a surprise that he learned how to build fishing rods from Bill’s dad, aged just 11.

That said, Keller – who is the company’s warranty technician and product adviser – has built up both his angling knowledge and his rod building skills through his passion for the sport.

Keller said: “I started building rods under the direction of Bill. I grew to love it, even though my attention span was lacking at first.

“In 2015 I began to realise I must have had some talent because my dad and Karry Batson (my uncle and also a very accomplished rod builder) started complimenting my work instead of critiquing it.

“Now I’m really excited to have found something I love that also pays the bills.”

He wants to be one of those people who enjoy going to work every day because they are doing something they love and thrives on going to trade shows and connecting with anglers who share the same enthusiasm for the industry as he does, not to mention anglers who know the Batson line of products and are enthusiastic to build custom rods.

The company is probably best known for its Rainshadow rod blank brand and has sold more than a million of them worldwide. More importantly, they are still serving serious anglers around the world.

Another legendary brand in the Batson arsenal is the Alps line of rod components. Its strong partnership with Alps has yielded some of the finest components a builder can put on a fishing rod.

Until the start of the year, when Keller’s grandmother retired, the business counted three generations of Batsons however he  joins his father and uncle in the family business alongside sister Eden, who became part of the marketing department just a couple of years ago.

Bill, the company’s CEO, added: “It is an honour and a blessing to have my son join the family business. Three generations of rod builders is something very special. Keller is an accomplished rod builder with over 20 years of experience. He is way ahead of me in his rod-building knowledge when I was his age. The future is exciting for the Batson family legacy.”

batsonenterprises.com

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