Though officially established in 2020, Scenko Stix had already begun making a name for itself on the waters of South Florida long before becoming a business.
What started as a hobby for founder Alex Terescenko quickly evolved into something much more. Frustrated with the performance of store-bought, mass-produced fishing rods, Alex decided to take matters into his own hands—literally. He began building rods for himself, searching for the sensitivity, balance, and performance he felt were missing from the rods already on the market.
The beginning was anything but glamorous. With little more than a desire to learn, Alex mixed epoxy, watched rods as they cured on top of bookshelves in his parents' living room, and refined his craft one build at a time. Eventually, every generic rod in his arsenal had been replaced by one he had built himself.
The difference on the water was undeniable.
Greater sensitivity and confidence in his equipment gave Alex an edge in competition, helping him earn several tournament victories, including wins in an FLW BFL on Lake Okeechobee and a Bass Pro Shops American Bass Anglers Open Series event. As word spread that Alex was winning tournaments—and money—with rods he had built himself, fellow anglers began asking the inevitable question:
“Can you build one for me?”
Those first customer orders marked the beginning of what would eventually become Scenko Stix.
As demand grew, so did the operation. Seeing how serious their son had become about rod building, Alex’s parents generously surrendered their living room to the cause. What had once been a place to relax and entertain quickly filled with rod-building equipment, components, and an ever-growing lineup of customer orders.
It became known simply as “The Rod Room.”
At the time, Alex was still working full time managing properties for his father’s business. His days belonged to property management, but his nights belonged to rod building. After work, he would head straight to the Rod Room, often spending late nights trying to stay ahead of an increasingly long order list.
Eventually, it became clear where his priorities—and his passion—were headed.
As the rod business demanded more of Alex’s time and attention, his father recognized that his focus was beginning to shift away from property management. Rather than allow him to divide his attention between two careers, his father made a decision that would ultimately change the trajectory of Scenko Stix: he let him go.
It was the push Alex needed.
With rod building no longer competing with a full-time job, Alex committed himself completely to the business he had been quietly building for years. Scenko Stix officially became his career, giving him the time and freedom to refine his craft, develop new designs, and pursue the level of performance and craftsmanship that had driven him to build his first rod in the first place.
The business grew quickly—and, much to his parents’ relief, eventually grew out of their living room.
Today, Scenko Stix has evolved far beyond the original Rod Room. What began with one angler trying to build a better fishing rod has grown into a Florida-based rod company offering everything from production models to built-to-order and fully personalized custom rods.
While the scale has changed, the philosophy behind the brand has not. Every rod is still approached with the same mentality that started it all: performance comes first, details matter, and anglers shouldn’t have to settle for equipment that doesn’t perform the way they need it to.
Scenko Stix continues to build on those roots today, proudly handcrafting fishing rods in the USA and bringing the performance and attention to detail of a custom rod to an increasingly broad range of anglers.
From a few rods drying on top of bookshelves in his parents’ living room to a growing American rod company, the story of Scenko Stix has always been about building something better—and seeing where it can take you.
