How It’s Made – Islamorada Fishing Outfitters

Teenage Randy Towe flipped his TV tray upside down and settled in on his living room floor for another evening of rod building. Word had gotten around the neighborhood— friends were all wanting one, neighbors were asking when he could fit them in. All because a few years earlier, Charlie March, who was working at the local tackle shop Bill Boyd’s, had suggested Randy’s mom buy the parts instead of a finished rod, giving the young boy a chance to make it himself.

Nearly every night, with his makeshift workstation and the TV providing background noise, Randy would fiddle away on his own fishing rods or those he built for others. He had no idea that these evenings would turn into decades of premium rod building, and he certainly would have never guessed that the first two rods he ever built would return to him 50 years later. Yet, those two rods now sit on display in his 2,000-square foot shop.

“I received a phone call one day from my best childhood friend Pat Kelly who discovered the rods preserved in his late parents’ closet,” Randy shares. “Now every day when I see them on display in my big, beautiful shop, I am reminded how this all started on my living room floor.”

Randy’s career may have started on his living room floor, but it was built through decades of fishing an average of 250 days a year, guiding clients through the backcountry, mastering offshore techniques, and perfecting fly fishing. Every trip revealed a challenge, every species demanded something different, and Randy was determined to create rods that could handle it all.

As he started to transition more from guiding to building, he worked out of a nicely remodeled yet small shop—busy enough to make a living, but not quite thriving. Yet, as word of mouth spread through the Keys’ tight-knit fishing community, demand grew. Captains who fished with his rods told other captains. Tournament anglers gave his rods credit for their winning catches. Charter operators recommended them to clients.

“Nearly all of my business comes from referrals or firsthand experience using my rods,” Randy explains. Captains like Marty Lewis of Main Attraction Charters, Greg Poland in Islamorada, and John Wolf at Ocean Reef have become unofficial ambassadors for his work, spreading the word about these rods that outperform and aesthetically outshine the competition.

This word-of-mouth network recently grew to the point where Randy was able to jump at an opportunity to lease a larger space at Mile Marker 90.5. It needed work, but it was right off the highway and right on the water—he could keep his boat behind the shop and leave straight from there to go guiding and fishing.

Then, this past July, the space next door became available. Randy took it over, giving him an additional 1,000 square feet and the opportunity to do something he has always dreamed of: create a front-and-center workshop where customers could watch the entire rod building process unfold.

Walk into Islamorada Fishing Outfitters today, and you enter through what Randy calls “the factory side.” To your right, a wall displays branded shirts, hats, and the best fishing sunglasses, but it’s what’s ahead that stops people in their tracks.

The workshop is laid out with old-school precision—stations for each stage of rod building, from raw blanks to finished masterpieces. Customers can watch Randy and his assistant, Evan Lindo, wrap guides, shape grips, and apply the finishing touches that transform components into completed fishing rods worth hundreds or even thousands of dollars.

“I’ve built a factory, if you will, so people can see how it’s made,” Randy says. “Even anglers often underestimate the process, the amount of pieces it takes to take a raw blank and create a finished product. Getting to see it for themselves gives fishermen a fuller appreciation.”

Walk from the factory through to the showroom, and that appreciation deepens. The beautifully-lit displays showcase an inventory unlike any other shop in the Keys: finished rods ready to take home that day, custom designs that would normally require a 10-12 week wait, and statement pieces that blur the line between fishing equipment and fine craftsmanship.

The crown jewel? A set of 48 rods with custom teak handles, valued at $100,000 for the complete collection. These aren’t just showpieces—they’re available for purchase, a testament to Randy’s ability to deliver premium products on demand.

Teak handles have become one of Randy’s signatures, and for good reason. He’s figured out how to craft grips that are not only functional but spectacular to look at and hold. They’re an investment, but one customers happily make once they see and grip them.

Randy recalls a recent order that perfectly illustrates this. He’d spent a month on the phone with a customer who was outfitting a big Viking yacht. They’d discussed colors, models, configurations—everything was planned for an order of 44 rods. When the customer finally visited the shop to finalize the order, he picked up one of the teak-handled rods from the inventory, and everything changed.

“Because he was able to touch it and feel it and see it, he changed his entire order to all teak handles,” Randy says.

This is the power of Randy’s expanded shop: the ability to showcase not just what he can build, but what he has already built. Customers buying individual rods stand alongside charter operators outfitting entire fleets, all of them able to see, touch, and understand the craftsmanship before they commit.

Randy doesn’t do it alone. His wife, Joani, a real estate agent specializing in waterfront properties, is often at the shop when Randy’s out fishing. Her clientele overlaps naturally with his—people fall in love with the Keys, and many times a conversation about fishing rods turns into a conversation about houses. “She goes beyond the average agent,” Randy says. “She’s a one-client-at-a-time, completely devoted agent that finds them exactly what they’re looking for.”

Then there’s Evan Lindo, who joined Randy a year and a half ago and has been instrumental in handling the growing volume of orders. Evan is an avid fisherman himself. “He understands the stuff we do and how it’s made,” Randy says. “He respects and appreciates it more because he’s out there using it.”

Randy’s rods start at a few hundred dollars and range up to several thousand, depending on customization and materials. They’re not the cheapest option, but Randy strives to make them the best option. His inventory spans everything a Keys angler could need for backcountry, offshore, and fly fishing, including over 5,000 different fly patterns tied locally.

The big focus of Islamorada Fishing Outfitters remains outfitting charter boats and tournament vessels with rods customized to match the boat’s aesthetic and the captain’s fishing style. It’s turn-key service: rods, reels, line, and complete tackle setups delivered ready-to-fish. Individual anglers and families receive the same service and quality. Whoever the customer, how it’s made doesn’t change. Every rod is made with 50 years of expertise spanning from Randy Towe’s childhood living room to his waterfront shop.

Visit Islamorada Fishing Outfitters at Mile Marker 90.5 in Islamorada and online at IslamoradaFishingOutfitters.com.

Written by Jerrica Mah — writer, Army wife, and freelance book editor who loves to travel vicariously through stories.