It all started when Frank Legault (no, his real name isn't Francois, but everyone asks) broke his finger and couldn't work as a tow truck driver for several months.
"I had some free time," he said. "Instead of doing nothing, I decided to build myself a rod and build some for the kids."
Legault, an avid fisherman, watched "countless" hours of videos and read several books on rod making, and worked painstakingly at creating his own masterpieces.
Eventually, he began posting his own rods on TikTok and Facebook, and people started calling.
"One guy in Toronto wanted two rods, and it started from there," he said. "I'm stuck at home, [and] I'm making less money. Might as well have some type of sideline business."
In nine months, he's sold 60 rods, and the order book is full for the next two months.
He said customers love the attention to detail and originality of his rods as well as the feel.
His rattlesnake skin rod is a fan favourite.
"The feel is really unique," he said.
Working out of his small home in Chambly, Legault has had to transform his bedroom into his assembly plant.
His business is growing so quickly he had to give up his bed and sleep on the couch, though it's his dream to eventually get his own workshop.
Each rod takes 15 to 40 hours to make, and they start at $500.
If they aren't flawless, Legault doesn't send them out.
"If it's not perfect to me, I'll take it apart and start over," he said.
His success, he says, is a dream come true.
"Unfortunately, it doesn't leave much time for fishing."
The parents of young Ontario hockey player Ben Teague have been searching for answers since he died while at a team retreat in 2019. The mystery about what happened and the code of silence in hockey culture is explored in CTV W5's 'What Happened to Ben,' on CTVNews.ca and W5's official YouTube channel.
In an effort to keep the foreign interference story at the forefront, and to do an apparent endrun around the Liberal filibuster blocking one study from going ahead, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is forcing MPs to debate and then vote on a motion instructing an opposition-dominated House committee to strike its own review.
Police in Halifax say four people have been stabbed and a student is in custody following a weapons complaint at a high school in Bedford, N.S.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump's calls for protests ahead of his anticipated indictment in New York have generated mostly muted reactions from supporters, with even some of his most ardent loyalists dismissing the idea as a waste of time or a law enforcement trap.
Officials are still looking for victims after a fire ripped through a building in Old Montreal last week, killing at least one person. At a press conference Monday morning, spokespersons for the Montreal police and Montreal fire department said six people are still missing. They come from various locations in Quebec, Ontario and the U.S.
Questions abound as to why U.S. President Biden is only now making the visit to Canada, more than two years into his presidency.
Some of the world's largest central banks came together on Sunday to stop a banking crisis from spreading as Swiss authorities persuaded UBS Group AG to buy rival Credit Suisse Group AG in a historic deal.
Quebec provincial police (SQ) announced Monday morning that a third person has died in connection with the tragedy in Amqui, in the Lower St. Lawrence region, where a driver drove his pickup truck into pedestrians a week ago.
The 2023 World Happiness Report identifies the happiest nations, those at the very bottom of the happiness scale and everything in between, plus the factors that tend to lead to greater happiness.
Ontario employers who withhold foreign workers’ passports or work permits could face steeper penalties under new labour laws, with maximum fines setting them back up to $200,000.
In a few weeks, the Toronto Transit Commission will increase fares for youth and adult riders. Here's what you need to know:
A liquidation sale at six Nordstrom locations across the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) could begin as soon as tomorrow.
Police in Halifax say four people have been stabbed and a student is in custody following a weapons complaint at a high school in Bedford, N.S.
The University of Prince Edward Island Faculty Association says its staff has gone on strike after what it says are failed attempts to enter additional negotiations with the university's administration.
The student union president at Cape Breton University said food insecurity has become a concern for many students and the on-campus food bank cannot keep up with demand.
Lane restrictions are now in place on Wellington Street as construction gets underway on Phase 1 of the Wellington Gateway and Municipal Infrastructure Improvements project.
The first day of spring in the London region will be a beautiful one. The daytime high is forecast to be 6 C, slightly warmer than the average high for this time of year.
A 46-year-old has been taken to hospital with serious, life-threatening injuries after a single-vehicle crash on MR80 near Donaldson Crescent in Val Caron.
Police in Halifax say four people have been stabbed and a student is in custody following a weapons complaint at a high school in Bedford, N.S.
Heavy police presence at Corbiere Road on the M'Chigeeng First Nation on Manitoulin Island Sunday afternoon.
The Town of Strathmore and Siksika Nation hosted the first Lead By Example Powwow this weekend in honour of a young Indigenous man who was shot to death four years ago.
Autopsies confirmed gunshot wounds as the cause of death for two constables responding to a domestic dispute Thursday, the Edmonton Police Service says.
The Mount Royal Cougars, dubbed the Cinderella team of the U Sports 2023 women's hockey championship, are the new golden gals.
A community is in mourning after a 10-year-old girl was killed earlier this week when flames tore through her family’s camping trailer southeast of Brantford.
Waterloo regional police say they arrested nine people for impaired driving over the course of nine hours between 6:30 p.m. on St. Patrick’s Day and 3:30 a.m. on March 18.
A person has been taken to hospital with life-threatening injuries after being rescued from the Grand River.
Vancouver firefighters were called to the Downtown Eastside Sunday evening after a fire destroyed multiple tents in an encampment and spread to a building near Main and East Hastings streets.
An Ontario woman has launched a lawsuit seeking $500,000 from Tim Hortons after she suffered major burns from an alleged ‘superheated’ tea. The company has denied all allegations and said she was ‘the author of her own misfortune.'
An international student was swarmed and beaten by a group of people who ripped off his turban and dragged him across the sidewalk by his hair in Kelowna, B.C., Friday evening, according to a local politician.
Autopsies confirmed gunshot wounds as the cause of death for two constables responding to a domestic dispute Thursday, the Edmonton Police Service says.
A pedestrian was taken to hospital Monday morning after she was hit by a vehicle while in a crosswalk on Whyte Avenue.
One person was treated by emergency responders after a fire early Monday morning at a west Edmonton home.
The Windsor-Essex County Health Unit says 1,908 students were suspended Monday due to out of date immunization records.
Essex County OPP responded to a crash in Leamington Monday morning involving a vehicle and a school bus.
Concert-goers might leave Caesars Windsor with ‘a few good stories’ after Canadian country singer Brett Kissel takes the Colosseum stage this spring.
Regina Pats’ captain Connor Bedard reached the 70 goal mark on the season in Regina’s 4-2 win over the Blades in Saskatoon on Sunday.
Some residents of Saskatchewan's capital city have been vocal with their disapproval of Tourism Regina's latest rebrand, prompting an apology from the organization.
Current homeowners in the province have been struggling to keep up with mortgage payments as interest rates rise, according to a mortgage expert.
Ontario employers who withhold foreign workers’ passports or work permits could face steeper penalties under new labour laws, with maximum fines setting them back up to $200,000.
The Rideau McDonald's Farewell March brought people from across the city, some dressed in costumes, who wanted to say goodbye to a part of what they say makes Ottawa Ottawa.
If you are yearning to walk the trails around Mud Lake in the Britannia Conservation Area, be aware there are wild turkeys looking for mates. A gang of three have been chasing and pecking at visitors to the nature trail for weeks.
After weeks of anticipation, the day Saskatoon Blades fans have been waiting for finally came.
A provincial appeal board has overturned a city decision to block the development of a 112-unit apartment on former Knox United Church land.
A Prince Albert police officer totaled their cruiser on Sunday after colliding with another vehicle on 2nd Avenue West.
