Oviedo, FL – Mud Hole Custom Tackle and its premium brand of rod blanks, MHX, are sponsoring the seven-year Bassmaster Elite Series veteran and becoming the presenting sponsor of the annual Bradley Roy High School Open.
Over the past two years Roy had fished some night tournaments with MHX rods lent to him by a local rod builder. He liked them so much he was planning to purchase some for the 2016 season. He had also seen fellow Bassmaster Elite Series competitor Brandon Lester using the rods over the past two seasons. Like many, he was curious about what exactly a “MB 904 from Mud Hole Custom Tackle” really was.
Roy got more than he bargained for when Lester invited him to a small rod building class in Tennessee this past January. “I was intrigued as we fitted the first reel seat and then hooked after we sat down and put the first guides on,” said Roy. “Brandon made it look so easy and I picked it up quickly in that very first rod building session I’ve been building them back at the house ever since and am up over 20 rods built now.”
Roy’s fishing has already benefited from this new skill set (he’s fifth in the Bassmaster Angler of the Year standings after two events) but the real winners in this partnership may end up being high school students and coaches. For years Roy has been personally involved with high school teams in Kentucky, spending time teaching them techniques and fishing strategy. He has spoken at the B.A.S.S. High School National Championship multiple times and in 2016 will host the fourth annual Bradley Roy High School Open in Kentucky (Oct. 1).
Thanks to Mud Hole’s commitment to education Roy will be passing along the skill of rod building to the next generation. He is offering classes to high school coaches and students beginning early this summer in central Kentucky.
“The response to the classes has been solid,” said Bradley. “Teams see this as a way to get a new fishing rod, learn a new skill, and then down the road as a way to raise money selling custom rods.“
Mud Hole has long been known for educating fishermen on the many benefits of custom rod building. The company holds up to 48 rod building classes annually across the country. And this collaboration with Roy is not their first foray into high schools either. Hundreds of classes are taught as part of 4H programs annually as numerous school districts have rod building as part of the school’s curriculum, thanks to Mud Hole’s resources and efforts.
Mud Hole President Tom McNamara was impressed when he learned about Roy’s track record of working with high schoolers. “We love how Bradley is doing his part to give back to high school anglers. We want to help provide the tools those anglers and schools need for education and fund-raising. Learning this new skill will teach them about entrepreneurship, persistence, camaraderie, teamwork, and on and on.”
Mud Hole has created the Bradley Roy Student Rod Building Kits and made them available exclusively by contacting Roy. For more information on the kits or to learn more about scheduling classes high school coaches can reach out to Bradley through his website at www.BradleyRoy.com.
