About BC Rods

As a child, Adam Burtson basically grew up on Assateague Island just outside of Ocean City, Maryland. Surf fishing was his life — chasing stripers, flounder, croakers, shark, whatever was running at the time. Back home in Delaware County, PA, there were small streams for freshwater fishing with friends. On the beach he admired the custom rods other anglers carried and eventually convinced his father to get him one: a 10-foot, one-piece conventional rod that became his prized possession.

Years later, Adam wanted to replace the guides on that rod and discovered — using no rod-building tools at all — that it just came naturally. He rewrapped it a few times over the years until fishing took a back seat to life. Then in 2013, he found his first rod in need of repair, ordered the proper tools, and made the fix. The thought occurred to him: he was living near Rehoboth Beach, in the middle of fishing country. Maybe he could make something of this.

He was right. Two local bait and tackle shops sent him their repair work, and before long he was doing roughly 30 repairs and one custom build every week. In 2026, he made the decision to go out on his own — and Burtson Custom Rods was born.

Today, Adam builds and refabricates rods for anglers of every level and budget, right here in Millsboro, Delaware. Every rod gets the same attention, whether it's a child's first spinning rod or a serious surf stick headed to the beach.