Meet American Tackle Pro Staff Member

 Michael Bloch 

Michael Bloch was born and raised in South Florida, where fishing was a signifcant part of his life. Years of tournaments and endless amounts of time on the water brought him to expand his horizons to all that involved a rod and reel. He got started building rods out of  necessity more than anything. Building to fit specific applications and situations where a factory rod just wasnt good enough. Upon moving to Massachusettes for college an unforseen passion for distance surf casting and the striped bass began to evolve and the rods he was building followed suit. Practice and endless time on the field with tape, blanks, and all types of guides brought him to the more technical side of rod development, concept systems and materials. Understanding the components and layouts has always been the most important part of building to him, not the beautiful thread art that is common today.

Now living in Homestead, FL; Michael spends all of his spare time in Flamingo, Biscayne Bay and the Lower Keys chasing redfish, tarpon, permit and bonefish with a fly rod. All of his rod building now is confined to family and friends. But he still enjoys spending some spare time on the casting field to explore new guide layouts, blanks and reels.