I first met Eric when he came to our office during a meeting to introduce himself as a local real estate attorney. I heard he was one of the best in town! Then we ended up going to church with them and I’ve loved getting to know their family over the last year! I wanted to introduce you to Eric and his family!
Hi Mary and Eric! Tell us about yourselves…
From a high level, we’re Christ Followers, parents, devoted spouses, a nurse practitioner and real estate attorney, home church pastors, and fishing rod manufacturers. Each of these categories enable us to share the gospel of Jesus Christ in unique ways to different people, whether they’re our kids or our clients and patients. Eric presently works as a real estate and land use attorney for Braun & Gresham PLLC, which is the sister company to Plateau Land and Wildlife Management. Mary is a nurse practitioner for WellMed, which is a division of United Health Care, and she specializes in geriatrics. We have been in Dripping Springs since 2017, and moved here all the way from South Austin! We have two kids–our daughter, Shiloh, who’s 12, and our son, Fisher, who’s 10. Both attend Drippings Springs public schools, which we’re proud to say are some of the best in the state.
What brought you to Dripping Springs?
We wanted to get out of the hustle and bustle of South Austin, to live somewhere with more of a small town feel and have the beauty of the Hill Country all around us. The strength of the schools out here was an added bonus.
What do you enjoy doing as a family?
We LOVE to travel together whether it’s heading down to the coast to take the boat out fishing or somewhere beautiful we’ve never been before or sharing with the kids some of our old favorite stomping grounds (New York City!). On a daily basis, we really try to spend time together a couple nights a week in the Word, discussion and prayer. Having dinner together is always a priority. And “family movie night” is something we’ve done forever and really look forward to. All these things help to really keep us connected.
What do you love about Arrowhead Ranch?
It’s sooo close to the schools! And it’s nice that the neighborhood is west of town and right on Hwy 290 so we can get to everything pretty quickly. We also like that we’re in the city limits of Dripping Springs, so we get full municipal services and avoid MUD taxes, etc. Another reason we initially picked this neighborhood back in 2017 is that there are a couple of beautiful grottos right here on the property that we fell in love with. We’d never seen anything like them in a neighborhood.
How did you start Leviathon Rods?
Leviathan Fishing Rods is a Dripping Springs based manufacturer of high-end, made in the USA fishing rods. As a company, we specialize in swimbait rods, which is a specific niche of bass fishing, but we also have a custom shop that is able to build any kind of fishing rod out there.
Most people don’t know what a swimbait is. Swimbait are designed to mimic the appearance and swims of bait fish. Swimbaits are also pretty large and heavy, ranging from around 2oz to 16oz or more in weight. So, you need a specific fishing rod that’s designed to handle those loads effectively.
That’s what we do! The name “Leviathan” comes from Job Chapters 41 and 42. In Job 41:1, God asks Job if he can draw out Leviathan with a hook. The answer was clearly no! I’ve always been enamoured by that imagery–by this semi divine monster in the water that only God could fish for and capture. So the name “Leviathan” became our company name.
Beyond that, Leviathan is a faith-based company and we believe in being a blessing with the resources that God has blessed us with. An example of this is that a portion of every rod sold is donated to Foster Village, Inc., which is a Drippings Springs based non-profit formed to help provide resources for foster families.
Where can everyone buy your fishing rods?
Our fishing rods are sold in retail stores across the country. We are in stores on both coasts and everywhere in between. Probably the most recognizable store we’re in is Tackle Warehouse, which is the largest online tackle store in the US.
Where are the best fishing spots?
This is a question that we get asked a lot, and we’re afraid that it doesn’t have a happy answer. The hill country is a special place and it’s a privilege to live here. That said, unless you live near a lake or a large river, like the Colorado, your fishing opportunities are very limited. All accessible waterways in our local area, such as Onion Creek, are surrounded by private land. Even though the waterways are owned by the state, you can’t get to them without trespassing.
We have personally caught very nice fish here in Dripping Springs from very large bass to rainbow trout, but they were all caught with the grace of the private landowner who allowed us to fish from their property. A fortunate geographical element of Dripping Springs is that it’s equidistant to many large water bodies. Canyon Lake, Lake Travis, Lake LBJ and Lake Austin are all about the same driving distance away, being roughly 45 minutes or so.
There is also the Guadalupe River in and around New Braunfels that has numerous public access points and is a prime spot for landing nice rainbow trout. That is where we send our fly fishing friends.
What are your favorite things to do in Dripping?
We wish we could say we get out and enjoy the scenery by hiking and fishing every weekend but….we don’t. It’s on the list of things we want to do more often though, for sure!
But when we do get outside of our neighborhood to enjoy nature, we love Pedernales Falls and Reimers Ranch. It’s also cool that we are so close to Wimberley – Jacob’s Well is one of our faves too. We’ve really enjoyed the “Friday Night Lights” experience that is DSHS football, the annual Founder’s Day festival, Christmas on Mercer, and all the “mom and pop” shops and cafes – our lives have been changed by The Great British Baking Company!
How can we follow you?
Leviathan Rods can be found on Instagram, Tik Tok, and Facebook. We also have a website at LeviathanRods.com. If anyone is looking for a custom fishing rod, they are welcome to contact us through info@leviathanrods.com.
Are you excited about this thriving town full of creative entrepreneurs and want to move here? I’m a local Dripping Springs Real Estate Agent and can help you buy or sell homes or land here. Give me a call! 512-569-8480 or email at laurenclark@magnoliarealty.com to get started!
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