Mercury Marine: Signature fishing rods

1939: Founded by Carl Kiekhaefer in Cedarburg
Fond du Lac: Head office on Lake Winnebago since 1946
Lake X: Florida test site created in 1957

The story of the brand

From Cedarburg to Lake X, the path of Carl Kiekhaefer

In 1939, engineer Carl Kiekhaefer bought a bankrupt engine plant in Cedarburg, Wisconsin. Faulty outboard motors came with the deal. He redesigned them and named them Mercury, after the Roman god of speed. The first models were shown at the New York boat show in 1940.

In 1946, the company moved to a former farm in Fond du Lac. In 1957, Carl Kiekhaefer spotted Lake Conlin from his plane and set up a secret test site there, Lake X. In 1961, Mercury joined the Brunswick group and presented the MerCruiser sterndrives. Mercury left Lake X in 2004 and returned in 2017.

Mercury Marine still has its head office in Fond du Lac. The brand develops its outboard and MerCruiser engines there. It has also signed a series of rods with Rodhouse. Two of these rods carry the names Lake X and Winnebago, two places from its history.

Key dates

1939 Carl Kiekhaefer buys an engine plant in Cedarburg
1957 Lake X, a secret test site in Florida, is created
1961 Mercury joins the Brunswick group and launches MerCruiser

Frequently Asked Questions

Everything about the brand

Who founded Mercury Marine?

Mercury Marine was founded in 1939 by engineer Carl Kiekhaefer. He bought an engine plant in Cedarburg, Wisconsin. He redesigned the outboard motors he found there and named them Mercury, after the Roman god of speed. The company joined the Brunswick group in 1961.

What is Lake X for Mercury Marine?

Lake X is the Mercury Marine test site, on Lake Conlin near St. Cloud, Florida. Carl Kiekhaefer chose it in 1957 to test his engines away from prying eyes. Mercury measures the power and endurance of its new models there.

The brand left the site in 2004 and came back in 2017. One rod in the Mercury Signature series carries the name Lake X.

Which blanks are Mercury Signature rods built on?

The Mercury Signature series, created by Mercury Marine and Rodhouse, is built on blanks that rod builders know well. The Lake X uses the Mama Buster blank, made in the USA. The Torque, the Keys and the Winnebago are built on North Fork Composites blanks. The finishes follow the visual codes of Mercury Marine.

Mercury Marine, an engine maker from Wisconsin

Mercury Marine designs engines for leisure and fishing boats. The brand builds outboard motors. It also makes sterndrive engines, sold under the MerCruiser name. Its head office is in Fond du Lac, on the shore of Lake Winnebago, in Wisconsin. The brand settled there in 1946. Mercury has been part of the American Brunswick group since 1961.

Mercury has lent its name and colours to a series of fishing rods. These Mercury Signature rods come from a collaboration with Rodhouse. The series includes casting rods and spinning rods. It is built for predator fishing, at sea and in fresh water.

A culture of testing

Mercury tests its engines at its own site in Florida. The site is called Lake X. It lies on the shores of Lake Conlin, near the town of St. Cloud. The brand has used it since 1957, with a break between 2004 and 2017. The teams there measure the power and endurance of new engines. They also set up boats for partner builders.

The Signature series follows the same technical logic. Each rod is built on a blank that rod builders know well. Here are its main points:

North Fork Composites blanks for the Torque, the Keys and the Winnebago.
A Mama Buster blank, made in the USA, for the Lake X.
Fuji guides with SiC ceramics on the Lake X and the Torque.
Finishes that follow the visual codes of Mercury Marine.

The name Mercury comes from the Roman god of speed. The names Lake X and Winnebago refer to two key places in the history of the brand.

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Mercury: casting and spinning finished rods

From Cedarburg to Lake X, the path of Carl Kiekhaefer

Key dates

Products

Spinning Rod Keys Mercury Signature 2m22 (15 - 40 g)

Casting Rod Winnebago Mercury Signature 2m14 (10 - 30 g)

Spinning Rod Torque Mercury Signature (25 - 80 g)

Casting Rod Lake X Mercury Signature 1m84 (30 - 100 g)

Everything about the brand

Who founded Mercury Marine?

What is Lake X for Mercury Marine?

Which blanks are Mercury Signature rods built on?