Port O’ Connor Rods may be new in town but the faces of the owners, Donnie and Julia Klesel are familiar to many people. Donnie and Julia have been fishing and vacationing here since they met in 1978. Now, being married for 28 years and moving to Port O’ Connor last May, they are enjoying their residency here in their favorite place on earth.
Julia will be the first to tell you that she has family ties here from the 50’s and 60’s. Julia’s great uncle Lupe Santa Maria lived here and worked here as a brick layer and shrimper. Julia’s dad would come to help Uncle Lupe in Port O’ Connor. Julia says, “I came here as a child many times with my dad to visit Uncle Lupe and watch my dad pull shrimp heads”.
Donnie Klesel with some of the tackle available at POC Rods.
Donnie, having a 32 year background in construction and inspections, has also had a long time talent and passion for fixing and repairing his family and friends’ fishing equipment. Now with his talents and experience with crafting rods and repairing many brands of reels, he looks forward to a long time quality and personable business here in Port O’ Connor. Cleaning and repairing reels is a big part of his day in the rod shop and when you ask him, “Where did you learn all this” he has no problem giving the credit to his very close friend in Port Lavaca. Donnie says, “He is a retired 35 year reel repairman that has many talents and gives me the confidence to become a great reel shop. The technology of the reel business is ever changing and my goal is to be the best place on the coast to bring your reels in for service. Every reel goes in my hands and is cleaned, repaired, and rebuilt in my shop.”
At POC Rods their goal is to provide customers with a high quality product that’s custom made with the latest state of the art rod building materials and components.
Donnie says, “Here at Port O Connor Rods we are always searching the market for high quality rod components so we can offer performance and value to our customers. With all the best rod building components at our finger tips we can build with confidence and value while still being able to use products with great warranties. Many rod blank companies have a great line up for all the different actions for the angler’s specific tastes. Blanks from, ultra light, to extra heavy, can be offered in many different values and performance so any angler can enjoy a true, one of a kind custom rod.
POC Rods offers high quality custom rods, fishing supplies, reel repairs, rod repairs, and all brands of new reels, re-spooling reels, and some apparel. Shimano, Kelly Wigglers, Abu Garcia, Flounder Pounder, Penn, Stunt Grunt, Okuma, and Texas Tackle Factory are just a few of the brands they carry in stock. If you need your equipment to stay in tip top shape, then Port O’Connor Rods is the place to bring it to. They offer a fast turnaround and in-house repairs on your equipment. They also carry the tackle you are looking for; just tell them what you use and they should have it on the shelf or can get it for your next trip. You can buy all your Shimano products at POC Rods, as they are now a Shimano Top Shelf Dealer, right here in POC. This gives all the customers a great place to bring any Shimano product in for warranty returns, parts and service repair.
Donnie Klesel repairs a reel at his Port O’Connor Rods shop.
The shop is conveniently located just down the street from the public boat ramp at 82 North Byers. The shop hours for now are, 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., 7 days a week, unless they are fishing. Be sure to visit Donnie and Julia at their location for some friendly fishing conversation and some awesome fishing gear.
Also check them out on the web at www.pocrods.com
