Thorne Bros Custom Rod & Tackle

thornebros.com

A Minnesota institution for custom ice rods, built and sold from its own shop in the north Twin Cities suburbs. Blanks are finished in house, so a walleye rod can be ordered by action, length and handle rather than picked off a peg, and the shop's own ice series has been copied across the industry for years. Alongside the rods sit tungsten jigs, dead stick setups, spring bobbers, reels, line and a tackle wall that fills up before first ice.

The place to go when the rod matters more than the price tag, and when advice from someone who fishes Mille Lacs and Upper Red is part of what is being bought. Custom builds take time, and in peak season the wait can stretch, so ordering in autumn beats ordering in January. Shelters, augers and big hard goods are not the focus, so a full outfit usually needs a second stop.

Address: Blaine, Minnesota, USA