30 Under 30- Logan Shumate

Words by Logan Fowler | Image by Al Blanton

Growing up, Logan Shumate spent countless hours on the water with family and friends, and somewhere along the way, learning to maintain his own fishing equipment became second nature.

“We would take sewing thread and clear fingernail polish, and we would work on our own rods,” Logan says. “We would put our own guides back on if they broke off, or if you step on one in the boat or something like that. So that was just something that we did.”

That practical, do-it-yourself habit eventually became something more. In 2019, Logan started building custom rods as a hobby for himself and a few friends. Before long, word spread, and that hobby grew into a small business.

“It was a big thing to a lot of my buddies and me,” he says. “We can take a rod and make it what we want it to be. So, we just took it and ran with it.”

Today, Logan and his father, Heath Shumate, run Lost Creek Custom Rods and Tackle, building rods out of their respective homes. Each one is tailored to the customer, with options ranging from specific colors and materials to engraved names and memorial designs.

Logan says the work is part craftsmanship and part calling. In addition to running the business, he works as an electrician, balancing long days on the job with family life and the ongoing effort to grow the brand.

As Lost Creek continues to grow, Logan hopes to place more rods in local stores and introduce more people to what makes custom work different. Still, at the heart of it all is the same mindset that started years ago on the water: take what you have, make it your own, and build it with care. 78