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Glover, Vermont - May 22, 2009

Shadow Lake in Glover is beckoning boaters, but before Keith Chamberlain can put his boat in, he's got a job to do. Wishing he were outside fishing instead of inside working, Chamberlain chuckles, "This is good stuff to do when it's 20 [degrees] below [zero] out!"

An injury a few years back forced the Barton father of three to stop working as a mechanic. When he was home recuperating, he started tinkering on a device that would help other anglers.

Daughter Autumn Chamberlain says, "We caught a lot of fish on this release. We've been using it a long time."

Chamberlain's family business, staffed with an assembly line of his kids, produces downrigger releases. The lifelong fisherman took us out on the lake to show us how they work.

A weight keeps the fishing lure and line at a chosen depth and length. Trolling with the lines behind the boat, the releases work as an angler's eyes and hands underneath the water. They trip the rod when a fish takes the bait.

Chamberlain says his design improves on other manufacturer's releases he's used for years, because his is more adjustable, can handle more rod tension, gives fewer false releases, and can detect even small fish on the line.

But they call this fishing, not catching. The inventor got a bite and his release tripped his rod, but his lunker got away. Chamberlain laughs, "It's not a fish until it's in the boat, right? It's just a story!"

His business story has seen him talking to bait and tackle retailers all over the country about carrying The Chamberlain Release. He is gradually finding success, thanks in large part to word of mouth on the internet.

"It's a great feeling to know something that came out of your head is going all over the country," Chamberlain says.

That's good for the area plastic molders, metal fabricators, and package printers he hires to manufacture his component parts. He may not have caught any fish, but Keith Chamberlain has no complaints. He says, "Any time I'm out on the water, it's a good day."

He'll just try again tomorrow with his Made in Vermont fishing equipment. The $20 device is available at retailers and online.

Jack Thurston - WCAX News - Made in Vermont