About Blackfin
Blackfin Rods is a Florida fishing-rod maker founded in 1997 by Allen Winchel, a south Florida angler, and run with Deborah Winchel. The company designs, builds, and assembles its rods in-house at a Florida facility, currently based in Hobe Sound on the southeast coast, with manufacturing long associated with nearby Stuart. Work spans blank production, component assembly, and custom diamond thread wraps, and the brand markets its rods as hand-crafted and made in the USA.
The lineup is weighted toward saltwater. Inshore and nearshore anglers are served by the Carbon Elite Inshore rods, offered in full-grip and split-grip versions on hand-rolled carbon composite blanks with cork handles, SeaGuide guides, and SeaGuide reel seats, plus the short Dockwalker Spinning rod for docks, kayaks, and tight quarters. Offshore and bottom fishing are covered by Offshore Elite, which spans spinning, conventional, pitch, and deep-drop builds on E-glass blanks, the Fin Legacy deep-drop series, and the Grouper Bottom and Snapper Bottom rods rated for heavy bottom work. Deep Stix Slow Pitch Jigging rods are built on solid Toray carbon for 120g to 300g jigs, and the Beachwalker Surf rod uses Fuji K-frame guides and a Fuji reel seat.
The brand also makes Bass Elite freshwater baitcasters, a Li'l Finz kids' rod, and the Cush-It rod-butt cushion. Rods carry a one-year warranty and sell direct and through retailers including TackleDirect, Tackle Warehouse, and Bass Pro Shops.
What Blackfin is known for
Blackfin is known for US-made saltwater rods. The Carbon Elite Inshore line, in full-grip and split-grip carbon-composite builds, is its core inshore offering for trout, redfish, snook, and tarpon. Offshore Elite covers conventional, spinning, pitch, and deep-drop saltwater work, while Fin Legacy, Grouper Bottom, and Snapper Bottom handle deep-drop and bottom fishing. Deep Stix serves slow-pitch jigging on Toray carbon. The Cush-It rod-butt cushion, sold in Big Game, All Species, Elite Bass, and Elite Pro 2 balancer versions, is a recognized standalone accessory that protects anglers and boat surfaces from bare gimbals. Cross-shopped against St. Croix, Star Rods, Penn, and other Florida inshore and offshore brands.