Build or not to Build?

[IMakeStuff]

Hello, I've always had problems finding rods with the correct action, power, length, and handle to my liking, so was considering building my own. I have ample room and am not as dumb as my wife says I am. How hard is it build a rod that will look and perform well?

[Braided Line]

Way harder than you think!      Can be done of course but it takes a lot of trail and failure before you end up with something .......nice.

  Many steps from start to finish.  

  Give U-Tube a look see might find a tutorial (audio/visual) on the subject.

 I`ve been at it for the better part of 50 yrs   .    Best part is I`ve made a couple of $$  building and re-furbishing  rods . 

   If you know somebody who does rod work...     nothing like some OJT>

 There are other guys on here who do rod work I`m sure they`ll chime in with their suggestions.

  If all else fails, maybe your wife knows something! 

[Washougal]

I respectfully disagree a bit, my first rod I built is still in use after over 35 years, take your time and pay attention to the little details and you can't help but have a nice rod when your done. It was and is every bit as nice as the factory rod. There are things of course that you'll find that makes for better rods later on, but the first effort need not be a disaster either. Tom Kirkman wrote a book printed through Amato Press that has everything you need to know in it for a great result. $ 15 well spent. The mechanics aren't difficult, fit and finish is where the rubber meets the road.

[Musky Glenn]

www.mudhole.com is your friend. Great how to's and all materials needed.

[mtranger]

I was in the same situation.  I decided to buy one of the turn key kits at WWW.mudhole.com.  I am very happy with the results.  I have not fished with the rod yet, but the initial "feels good" test was a success.  If you take your time and watch the videos you should have no problems.  I think the hardest part putting the epoxy on guide wraps.  Take your time and have fun.

[Bassinman200]

mtranger.

If you are coatin g wraps on a rod turner, try coating under each guide first, then cover the outside of the wraps. Stop the turning motor if you need to, to get the line straitght on double foot guides, then start turning again to do remainder. Continue this on each guide. When the guides are small, like an 8,7,6 or smaller, I sometimes masking tape the blank between the wraps (yes the tape must be cut to width) to insure a straight line. Once turned completely around and well coated, I remove the tape and it leaves a perfectly straight line. Other times, I coat the entire blank beneath the guide, stop and go with the motor, then I go on to the wraps. Even though manufacturers recommend mixing a minimum of 3cc's,  I always mix only enough epoxy to coat two guides because anything can happen, and that epoxy sets faster than I like, and takes a lot longer to cure than I like. Mixing cups are cheap compared to removing ugly 'stringy' epoxy.

[Anglinarcher]

I have not made rods in some time, and always made them for myself, but I too still have my first rod and would have all of them but some have been broken over time.  Even my first rod was of equal to better quality to the commercial rods of the time.  The quality of the accessories you put on the blank can sure make a huge difference.

Here is the story...... if you want to use an existing blank, the only option, then you are limited to your outcome.  You can stiffen of soften the blank a little with guide placement, but the final action does not change substantially.

You can cut he back ends off or the remove sections of tips to fine tune actions, but again, that is trial and error.

Braided Line is correct, but so are the others.  It depends on perspective.  Working with Mud Hole is a great option.

[Bassinman200]

I have neen building rods since 1972. I started with a Fenwick fibreglass blank (that was all they made at the time, and didn't come out with graphite blanks until 1973). I can only remember that it was deep dark brown, a 6 footer, medium action, and I built it into a casting rod with the then very popular 'pistol' grip. I wrapped it up with chrome plated casting guides, less the white ceramic inserts, they were too costly at the time. It was a favorite casting rod, even though I had purchased a couple of graphite rods by Lake King in late 77.

My next build was another Fenwick fiberglass suited for worm fishing in heavy action. It was a honey mustard colored fiberglass blank Model #CA577. I used it with up to 12" Mann's Jelly Worms. I fished it in a new lake built for a power plant that covered several existing farm ponds, one that was well known for having big bass. I was using a 12" Mann's in brush piles that a friend and I had put chained Christmas trees in the cove prior to the official flooding. I hooked up a 10-12lb sow that inhaled the bait. She made a run away, then made a 180 for the boat. She went under the boat just before I got the 4.7:1 Bantam to tighten up the slack. Coming out the other side, she slamed my rod on the gunwale and broke off the tip about 12" down. She came up with a tail walk and shook the hook out. So much for my Fenwick, and so much for my best catch being outdone.

Since then, I have built everything from rods for Bluegill to rods for Blue Marlin. I have an extensive collection of combos, and have built the 'Dream Rod' for many an angler for b'day and Christmas gifts, and just because they want it 'Their Way'. Not every off the rack rod is a perfect combination of what you want in any style of rod. You may like the power in the butt section, but the action may be totally wrong (too slow or too fast). If both of those are ok, it may have EVA grips and you want cork. It may have aluminum oxide guide rings but you want silicone carbide, etc. It may be IM6 graphite and you requirements are for IM8. If you want your perfect rod, odds are 99 to 1 that you, or someone else, will have to build it just for you to your specifications. That's why I build most of my own rods, and build for others. When you become dedicated to fishing, what you use is just as important to you as the proper weight and properly drilled bowling ball is to a devout league bowler. Shure, he could use a nicked up alley ball that is 12 pounds when he needs a 16, but his average would greatly increase if he had a custom ball made just for him. 

Yes, Mud Hole is a great place to get everything needed for building your rods, but there are several others like Angler's Workshop, etc., and prices are competitive. I would suggest BUILD, then after you do, you can decide to continue or NOT TO BUILD. But at least give it a try, I think you'll be surprised at what you made, and proud when you fish with it.

 

[The WB]

As a new rod builder, I would advise you to give it a try.  My first attempts already feel and perform better than the mass produced, and often assembled in China, factory rods.   I practiced building on blanks from which I stripped old and cheap rods.  I invested in a wrapping station from mudhole.com, suspecting that I would love the process and the fruits.  Glad I did, it's addictive.

[Dauds]

My only advice on your first rod: take it slowly with your thread wraps and keep them simple.  If at any time you find yourself thinking, "Ehh...that should be fine," stop what your doing, unwind, and start again.  Epoxy has a terrible way of magnifying any imperfection in your mind.  100 other people could look at the rod and notice nothing.  But, since you made it yourself, you will somehow notice that tiny thread gap on the underside of your rod on every cast.