Calcutta Outdoors, a global designer and manufacturer of consumer products for the outdoor sports and recreation market, announced the Star Rods American Spirit Series to honor its 65th year of crafting fishing rods.
Celebrating those who work hard, dare to bet on themselves, and set their own course, this series brings together a new line of Star Rods with kindred spirits—distillers and brewers who take craft-made seriously—to elevate the American tradition of “fishin’ & drinkin.”
The first spirit pairing in the series, The Gamefish Vodka Rod, debuted in early January at the Big Rock Sports Expo in Nashville,TN, where limited edition signed bottles of the award-winning Gamefish Vodka from Cape Fear Distillery and limited edition signed Steve Goione prints were given away. (Click on the image below to watch the video or here from Cape Fear Distillery.)
“Star Rods sets the standard for high-performance fishing at a great value. With the American Spirit series and our partnership with Cape Fear Distillery, we are raising a glass to those who embrace the adventure of the outdoors,” said Chris Carlisle, president of Calcutta Outdoors. “Cape Fear Distillery’s Gamefish Vodka is the perfect way to celebrate a record-breaking catch or just a great day on the water, and we are proud to partner with them on our new Made-in-the-USA inshore rod.”
The Gamefish Vodka series of inshore rods blend hands-on rod design with cutting-edge science, materials and construction, built on a 7-foot, ultra-sensitive fast taper graphite rod blank. The rod is available in three actions: 6lb-14lb, 8lb-17lb, and 10lb-20lb.
The Gamefish rod is built for reeling in redfish, snook, trout, flounder, and stripers through a marriage of strength, sensitivity and light-weight construction. Limited to 500 hand-numbered rods in the initial production run, each rod comes with a Certificate of Authenticity featuring a new commission from marine wildlife artist Steve Goione called the Coastal All Stars. The print has the rod’s serial number, signed by Goione and master rod designer Chris Pardue.
“There’s an art to landing record-breaking fish and creating award-winning spirits,” said Alex Munroe, owner of Cape Fear Distillery. “I’m proud that our Gamefish Vodka took that art to the next level with a label designed by world-renowned artist Steve Goione, and I’m just as proud that we inspired Star Rods to use Steve’s amazing art for their certificate of authenticity.”
The American Spirits Series will continue with new rod and spirit pairings launching throughout 2024. In conjunction with the Star Rods launch, Calcutta Outdoors also released a range of products during the Nashville show, including new Made-in-the-USA, eco-friendly Beech Head apparel, sport readers with blue light filtering protection and improved sunglasses with corrosion-resistant polarized lenses.
Photos and video courtesy Calcutta Outdoors, Cape Fear Distillery
