• Our story

    Our company was born in a Texas garage. After Trey Kistler returned home from serving in the Gulf War, he went to work with his father building fishing rods. When his dad retired, Trey decided to blaze his own trail. He decided to make an exciting life for himself, his wife and four babies. He decided to create some solid American jobs. And he decided to try and catch as many fish as possible. So he set himself to the task of making the best bass fishing rod out there. We, and Trey, wouldn’t have it any other way. If his family name is going to be on it, it’s going to be the best. Kistler products are excellent. Period. They are the most sensitive, the most responsive, the most trustworthy. When you hold one of our rods, you know you’re holding something special.

  • We. Love. Bass. And we love fishing. And we love the strong community that is fishing. We make rods and reels for pros, for tournament anglers, and for obsessed anglers who live to catch the most and catch the biggest, because that’s our goal, too. We don’t sit on our laurels. We are restless. There’s always a bigger fish to catch. So we push ourselves to test, innovate, and make our products and your fishing experience the very best. We build our rods in America in a small building full of new ideas and full of our Kistler family. The best design, materials, and components. The best service. The best feel and strength. Your best day on the water. As we said before, Trey wouldn’t have it any other way.

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The Way Fishing Should Feel

Your Best Day on The Water

Kistler works each day so that every day you fish is your best day out on the water. We design products for our fishing family, handcrafted by experts. We always keep pushing ourselves to make our products better because we just plain love to catch big fish. And to catch big fish, you need to be fearless and show up and try new things every single day. Funny enough, it takes the same things to make the best, premium bass rod on the market. And we’re not afraid to say it: a Kistler rod is something special—it helps you feel more, so you can catch more, catch the biggest.

Featured Kistler Employees

  • Jordan S.

    Jordan processes orders, Takes
    customers calls and walk-ins,
    Inspects all the reels, and
    Does production manager duties.

  • Marion B.

    Marion wraps the guides
    to the rod with the respective
    colors on stock and custom rods
    and does guide repairs.

  • Reuben E.

    Reuben takes care of all
    of our warranties, takes
    customers phone calls
    and when they walk in.

  • Kaden K.

    Kaden hand picks the best
    blanks for the custom rod
    orders, fits up all the handles/butts
    on the rods, glues up those parts,
    and applies labels to the rods.

  • Emily B.

    Emily puts finish on all the rods
    and inspects them when they
    dry to make sure they are up to
    Kistler quality.

  • Mike S.

    Mike straightens all the guides
    to the reel seat and applies
    the first pre-coat of finish
    to the rods.

Kistler Carbon

  • Hold Something Special

    KISTLER has partnered with multiple elite carbon factories across the globe. These well-established carbon experts have exceeded Trey Kistler’s demands for excellence in terms of quality control, consistent actions and power as well as durability.

    KISTLER is now providing carbon blanks that we believe are the best in the business, period. For KISTLER and for our customers, it is an evolution into a better technology than ever before.

  • The proprietary blank construction used by our partnering factory, Composite Forge, out of Dallas, Texas, has enhanced the performance of KISTLER Carbon Blanks, making them noticeably lighter and noticeably more sensitive.

    This is an evolution that offers our customers better rod technology, better fishing, and a better warranty – the KISTLER Bend Strong Limited Lifetime Warranty on every rod series. KISTLER has made the choice to make the best rod on the market.

    Trey Kistler’s 28 years of experience has enabled KISTLER to provide our customers with the most advanced designs and engineered carbon blanks that will certainly increase the cast to catch ratio for every level angler.

History of Kistler Rods

The story behind the brand
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Our Standards.

Our Values

Faith

Our faith in God influences all that we do, as a business and as individuals. 

Family

The family that raised us taught us how to fish. How to work hard and follow our own path.

Excellence

Maybe it’s just how we were raised or how we are wired. But whatever we make, whatever we do, we want it to be the best

Respect

The world just works better when people treat one another with mutual respect.

You won't find this anywhere else.

The Kistler Difference.

Service

Customer care is our priority. From the time of your order till it gets to your door and beyond. We're here to help.

Design Detail

We're meticulously obsessed with the small things so that every rod or reel you get beats your expectations.

Sensitivity

World renowned, mind-blowingly lightweight rods that help you feel everything. When you feel more, you catch more.

Expertise

We're expert rod builders with decades of combined experience. We know what helps you catch more and bigger fish.

Built By Hand In Texas

Born in a Texas garage, we build rods by hand in Magnolia, TX.

Kistler Reels

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What Our Customers Say

Kistler difference. The employees at the shop are world class. The customer service is upfront and personable. And, the products are build with the American difference. Kistler Rods, I found are strong, balanced, and set hooks on BIG fish.
Currently, I am enjoying the Kistler HELIUM rod. I can't wait to purchase a new Kistler medium action rod.

Christopher Donahue

These products are like nothing you have ever used before! The Argon Series Rod has to be one of the lightest, most sensitive rod I have ever owned. They are not kidding with their Professional Sensitivity. Its crazy knowing now what I have been missing in a rod like the Argon Series Rods. They are a must buy if you are looking to elevate your fishing performance. Love the fact they are Veteran owned also.

Andrew Saraiva

I have been using Kistler Rods for three years now. I can tell you their customer service is second to none. I can tell you that when I place an order, it does not take long at all before I receive my new Rod, reel, or apparel. Trey Kistler runs an incredible business that others could learn a lot from. When you’re with Kistler, you are part of a family.

Kevin Whitmire

Kistler difference. The employees at the shop are world class. The customer service is upfront and personable. And, the products are build with the American difference. Kistler Rods, I found are strong, balanced, and set hooks on BIG fish.
Currently, I am enjoying the Kistler HELIUM rod. I can't wait to purchase a new Kistler medium action rod.

Christopher Donahue

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