Rod Building

[Wes Mitchell]

Spring may arrive here in MN in the next couple of months (emphasis on MAY ARRIVE) and I'm debating trying my hand at building my own fishing rod. It doesn't look like there is much savings to be had by making your own rods, but it does seem like something I'd enjoy. I'd like to find a place that sells inexpensive components to see if I enjoy it before spending the money on higher end stuff. Anyone have any experience and sources for custom rod building? I'm looking at freshwater casting or spinning rods.

It looks like mudhole has a ton of stuff, but their blanks are pretty spendy. I'm not a huge fan of Ebay, but they did seem to have quite a few items.

[Dave Richards]

Spring may arrive here in MN in the next couple of months...

Optimist!

I'll ask a guy I know. Did you look at Orvis?

[Wes Mitchell]

Optimist!

I'll ask a guy I know. Did you look at Orvis?

Sunday will be shorts and T-shirt weather at a whopping 60*, then back to the 30's again...

I looked at Orvis, but it looks like all they have is fly-fishing gear.

[Dave Richards]

Woo hoo! Summer comes... and goes.

You may be right. I didn't look at them. It just popped into my head. A friend of mine may have a better suggestion. I may not see him until next week, though.

What about picking up some old used rods and scavenging parts? My father in law used to pick up fishing rods at garage sales. I don't know why because he didn't fish but I think there's a pile of them up at the cabin.

[jeff vanek]

I made a few this winter, simple to do. There's a lot of videos on youtube. Look for other companies than mudhole.com, crazy shipping prices and they have a restocking fee when you return.

[Wes Mitchell]

Dave, I guess I'm not positive, but I think the graphite has come a long way in the last 10 years or so. I'll definitely be hitting up garage sales this spring though.

Thanks Jeff, that was the feel I got from them as well.

[James Conrad]

Wes,

Try Cabela's, Jann's Netcraft, and Anglers Workshop. I use to buy most of my stuff from Anglers. They have various grades of components and house brand blanks.

EDIT: Looks like Cabela's is out of the rod building game, they use to have a great selection. Jann's has a good selection of complete kits, so that might be the place to go if this is your first go.

[Kevin Bourque]

I have about a dozen surf rods. I thought about building them myself, but amazingly it was cheaper to have someone build them for me, plus they look fantastic. I think its a labor of love.

[Brett Luna]

...it looks like all they have is fly-fishing gear.

Is there any other kind?

(sez the recovering bass addict...now a trout bum)

[Moses Yoder]

I have landed a lot of salmon on rods I built myself, mostly from Angler's Workshop. The expensive graphite blanks are well worth it if you require a rod where you can feel what the line is doing. Also for fighting big fish, where you need backbone and the ability to sense what the fish is doing. This may not be of any use in bass fishing, where you basically just throw out a plug and reel it back in hoping something hits and when it does winching it in. Building your own rod adds to the enjoyment of the process. I would suggest looking at St. Croix for inexpensive rod blanks and Sage when you are ready to spend a little more money.

[Keith Westfall]

I built one (many) years ago, and it is a bit of a labour of love. Nothing quite like pulling a rod out that you made yourself. Plus if I remember right, you can do things lie getting the spine(s) in the blanks lined up which you probably won't get in an off the shelf rod.

The wrap can be your own design, the handle contoured like you want it to feel etc. For people used to making things, it would probably be a good experience.

[Mike Henderson]

MN has four seasons:

1. Almost Winter
2. Winter
3. Still Winter
4. Road construction

Mike

[Andrei Georgescu]

Like Moses said, check out St. Croix. I have a few friends who build rods on these blanks and seem really happy with the money spent.

[Rick Potter]

Funny,

I thought this thread was about an entirely different subject.

Rick P

[Dick Latshaw]

MN has four seasons:

1. Almost Winter
2. Winter
3. Still Winter
4. Road construction

Mike

Sorry to correct you, Mike. As a former resident, I know for sure that there are only two: Winter and August.

[george wilson]

You need to get some Tonkin Cane,and temper it in an oven at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Tonkin Cane is the best bamboo for rod making,and was carefully hoarded during the Vietnam war as it was not available during those years.

[Mike Henderson]

Sorry to correct you, Mike. As a former resident, I know for sure that there are only two: Winter and August.
Yep, a southerner asked a Minnesotan what they did there in the summer. The Minnesotan thought a bit and then replied, "We usually have a picnic that day."

Mike

[Rob Matarazzo]

Spring may arrive here in MN in the next couple of months (emphasis on MAY ARRIVE) and I'm debating trying my hand at building my own fishing rod. It doesn't look like there is much savings to be had by making your own rods, but it does seem like something I'd enjoy. I'd like to find a place that sells inexpensive components to see if I enjoy it before spending the money on higher end stuff. Anyone have any experience and sources for custom rod building? I'm looking at freshwater casting or spinning rods.

It looks like mudhole has a ton of stuff, but their blanks are pretty spendy. I'm not a huge fan of Ebay, but they did seem to have quite a few items.

There are many reasons to justify building your own rod. There are probably more reasons to justify not building your own rod. Forget about any cost savings. If you enjoy building things and using things that you've built, by all means go right ahead. If you want a rod built the way you want it and not subject to fads and trends, that's another good reason. If none of these applies to you, don't bother.

Over the years I've built about 50-60 rods for myself and my wife. It was the right thing for me, but for most people it's not. Some of the suppliers I've used are Angler's Workshop, Netcraft, Cabela's, and Hook & Hackle. Good luck!

[James Conrad]

You need to get some Tonkin Cane,and temper it in an oven at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Tonkin Cane is the best bamboo for rod making,and was carefully hoarded during the Vietnam war as it was not available during those years.

There are a few types of cane still available for bamboo rod making, I use to get mine from Charles Demarest, as far as I know he is still the, and probably, only source for Tonkin. Tonkin, while a traditional choice, is not always the best choice especially for light weight rods. Mandake cane has greater strength in its outer edges from the concentration of fiber strands, it is much smoother in comparison. Tempering often takes place after binding the rod sections together, making the rod stiffer and driving out additional moisture before final tapering and glue up.

[Steve Rozmiarek]

Are you guys talking about natural or synthetic rods?

[James Conrad]

My post about cane rods is about real bamboo. Hexagraph is a company that makes a "synthetic" bamboo fly rod.

[Wes Mitchell]

Thanks for all of the info everyone. Looks like I will go with Angler's Workshop, they seem to have some good prices. I'm hoping to get an order going soon, and when/if I ever get anything built I'll be sure to post it.

Mud hole has a great series of videos on youtube, there was a lot of info in their 10 video series. Sounds like the big advantage of building your own rod is in getting the spine/spline correct.