Most of you who know me know that I have been trying to help Steve Douglas of Monster Rod Holders. Steve has been hit from all angles this last year. From court battles to a 50-year flood event, to a battle with cancer, he has been hit.

He started off the year in a court battle just to keep the Monster name. Although he won that battle, it was not without a huge financial burden.

Next, he had the flood in the spring which put not only his business but his home under 3 feet of water. This was a major undertaking on the cleanup side and is honestly still not finished. We have gotten him back up and running business-wise and got him back into his home, but there is still a lot to do before it will be back to normal. Although insurance did step in to pay some, Steve was still financially liable for a large chunk of the expense.

Now, if you know Steve, you know he is a tough ole man from here in KY, and he was not going to sit and watch us do this cleanup work without being right there shoveling with us. Well, while shoveling, Steve started to feel really weak and experience some extreme joint pain. After several weeks of doctor visits and a whole lot of testing, he was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer. While not terminal, the doctor said it was treatable but not curable. Now they are in a battle to stop the cancer from growing and get him a plan together to live out what is hopefully a long rest of his life.

That brings us up to now. Steve is unable to work every day here in the shop, and I simply can’t drop everything in my life to be here full-time. So unfortunately, we have been forced to close up shop at Monster until Steve is well enough to at least help me open it back up. This leaves him with no income and a pile of doctor bills, his regular bills, the bills from Monster, and some hefty insurance premiums. So I have discussed this with Steve, and against his stubborn ways, he has agreed to let me do this fundraiser for him. I’m asking all his past customers, YouTube subscribers, friends, family, and acquaintances to donate anything you can. Even just a couple of bucks will be greatly appreciated and will go a long way. This man has done a lot for the catfish community in so many ways. Whether it’s teaching many of us something on YouTube, sponsoring anglers, sponsoring tournaments, putting in thousands of hours with Catfish Conference, or just talking fish with us, we have all gotten something from his existence in the catfish world. Even if you can’t donate money, it’s free to share this out and help get this man back on his feet and back to catching some fish. Thank you for any and all contributions from the bottom of my heart.