Thread: Custom Fishing Rods

that's a sweet looking rod Rich. I may just have to look more into that idea. thx.

I've been thinking of trying it. How does a person decide on the blank, eyes handle etc?
Really I'm too old to get into anything else.
It's kind of funny really.
Three or four weeks ago wife and I took a three hour drive to Cabelas for me to buy a new spinning rod and LSS2. Came home with nothing. The next day we took a three hour drive for the same thing to BPS. We came home with nothing except empty gas tank and full belly's.
Last week we went back to BPS and was talked into waiting for there spring sale by a salesman after looking at about a dozen rods and not figuring out which one I wanted. BPS had a rod there for 99.00 that was awesome. The salesman put the tip to his throat and had me hold the other end. I could feel every vibration of his larynx. AWESOME!!!!!! Problem is there all too heavy for what I need.
All I want is a spinning rod to throw 1/16 and lesser jigs.
Incidentally. Today I got my LSS2 on Crappy Dot Com from Bill at Big River Marina and never left my chair.
I'm rambling now an apologies.
Question I have if I want to build a rod is how do you tell what you want?

FisherMike,

I am just like you (I think alot of us on here are). We look long and hard to find exactly what we want. When we finally find it, we buy one..... then we wish we bought three....
Rods that is... There are tons of sites out there and millions of blanks, one can get confussed.... Here is my simplified way to explain blanks the best way I can.

Length.... We all get that
Pieces..... One, two (three or four when dealing with fly rods)
Type.... Casting, spinning

Weight.... Ultra light, Light, Medium, Heavy, and then you get into ocean stuff
Action...... Slow, Moderate, Moderate fast, Fast, Extra Fast

We all know weight as we have several rods in Ultra Light, and light and even medium weight.
Action Simplified..... Slow= Rod will bend from the tip down through the handle
Moderate= Rod will bend from the tip to the middle
Fast= rod will bend the top 1/3
Extra Fast= Rod tip will barely move

Go to a site like mudhole.com and look at their blanks. You will see the information provided above. Alot of sights also give weight reccomendations for lures to use and line weight per blank.

Based on what you said you wanted, I would guess an Ultra-light Fast action, or a Light Fast to pitch that size jig.
Most of these sites will put together a package for you based on what you select. Cabelas has great packages too rod, eyes and handle.
If you decide to do it, buy a package from getbitoutdoors. They sell a hand turner and everything else you need. I do reccomend a Batson electic rod dryer (about 45 bucks). It will make your life easier when you epoxy your first rod.

Capt Kevin from Getbit is great and will email or call you to answer any questions. I ask him reccomendations all the time. This man actually called me on the phone after I placed and order to thank me and to also make a reccomendation on thread sizes. A company like that is one worth going back to.

I hope this helps you out. It is fun to do and really nice to look at when you are done. Trust me, you make one and you will be searching for people to build more for!

Don, you can get 10 to 16 foot spider rig blanks too!!! In case you were wondering

Here is another idea. If we get enough people who are interested in doing it, maybe we can put something together one weekend. Get a rod blank, and put one together on my turning jig. Everyone can put an eye or two on. Just like the old saying in the Doctor business (watch one, do one, teach one).

My office in lansing has a great conference room that would work perfect.

hey rich, thats not a bad idea, as im a builder too , i have been doing this for about 4 years now off and on. there is a great sense of pride when you build a rod for someone or for yourself, and it helps pass time in those down times. as far as choosing the right rod blank for a custom build, i always think how im going to use this rod, what techniques-casting bobbers, casting jigs or dippin jigs, ect. for me i do alot of casting light jigs 1/16oz mostly, so i prefer a longer rod 7.5 - 10ft, the lightest blank i can find, and one with good sensitivity.

Originally Posted by wicklundrh

Going through the winter blues? You don't like to ice fish or you are looking for something to do to pass the time after dark on those cold evenings. Ever thought about building fishing rods?

I started building rods because of all of the above. I started building my own because I simply couldn't find the rods I wanted in the store or the colors. The weight, action, and length was always something that never fit what I was looking for. Lastly, PRICE. A good St. Croix rod in the store will cost in upwards of $350.00 for a 6'6" rod. A 10 foot steelhead model will cost more. I can build the exact same St. Croix rod (from a blank) for $160 dollars and can make it the way I want it.

In the end, you are left with a product that meets exactly what you want, you are proud of the look and the feel, and take pride in knowing you had a hand in making it. Although there are many classes available, I like to learn on my own. I utilized youtube and watched several videos. The best is a 9 part series from "getbitoutdoors". Capt Kevin is great. Trust me, one hour of time on the computer and you can build a rod.

You don't have to spend a ton of money and most of the tools needed you can build or find around the house. If you want a custom rod but don't want to build one, get with someone that will do it for you. Tell them exactly what you want. Colors, decals, one piece or two, action, weight, cork or rubber handle, and it can all be done for you. I do it because I love to do it. Most of the time I charge the materials cost plus a couple bucks to make it worth my while. I love to see the finished product. Below is a rod I just finished for a gift for my dad. This rod would have cost me close to $300.00 in the store. I built it for $50 dollars and I'm yet to find a finished rod in this length and action.

nice work on the rod

Thanks kevin. I prefer a longer rod too. I love my 10 foot steelhead rod for crappie. I am currently working on refabing a 10 foot fly rod with 6 inch removable casting butt. It is a glass fenwick. Hard to find. It would be cool to have a rod building workshop. Maybe we get a few people interested and we tie up a custom together. Then wr use that rod on the traveling trophey.