Fishing Rod Building
Fishing Rod Building
Frequently Asked Questions About Custom Rod Building
1. Can I Really Build My Own Fishing Rod?
You sure can! Almost anyone can build their own fishing rod. Although you will develop more skills the more Fishing Rods you build, you can have every confidence in being able to build your own functional rod the first time around, and one that is better quality than many ‘off the rack’ Fishing Rods.
2. Is It Difficult To Build A Fishing Rod?
It is not all that difficult to build a fishing rod. Many children even are taught to build rods, and do very well at it.
3. Will I Save Money?
Although there are inexpensive rods on the market, you certainly can save money by building your own rods in comparison to others of a similar quality. Of course, you may wish to use even higher quality components than what you would find on an ‘off the rack’ fishing rod, which may cost you a tiny bit more, but the quality will far exceed what you can purchase on a factory built one.
4. Do I Need To Purchase Special Tools?
Although if you continue on with rod building for any length of time you may want to purchase some tools, it certainly is not necessary to own or use a great deal. Many rod builders simply fashion their own tools which assist them in building their rods. The only tools that you really need to build a quality rod are perhaps a round file and sandpaper. You will need some type of brush or applicator as well for the epoxy finish. Many ingenious devices have been made by rod builders from commonly found parts to make more extensive rod building easier.
5. Any Books Available?
There are several excellent books available on fishing rod building. There are a couple that are adequate for the beginner, and even large volumes that go into great detail on all aspects of rod building. We can recommend one to you.
6. How Do I Choose Components?
The first thing you need to do is decide what type of rod you want to build. Do you primarily fly fish? Spinfish? Do you want a bait casting rod or even a salt water surf rod? Once you have decided that, you will find that most blank manufacturers have made it fairly easy to choose one of their products. Fishing rod blanks usually are described with the specifications and ratings for which they are suited. You can pick a blank from both graphite and fibreglass, that has been made for particular fishing situations.
Some considerations in choosing your blank include:
- Cost
- Material
- Power (Ultra Light to Heavy)
- Action (Slow to Fast or Extra Fast)
- Length
There are other personal considerations as well.
About the Author
Ian Scott is a frequent contributor to About Fly Fishing and owns CustomTackle.Com
Can I paint a fishing rod?
I have been taught the art of rod building from a true master. I want to however, bring them to a new audience. I’d to airbrush the blanks to make them look awesome. Looking for suggestions, paints versus colored varnish. Will they still remain flexible and sensitive?
IMHO, The paint will tend to hide any cracks in the blank that might devolop from use.
There is a fella I know of that makes custom rods and uses paint in a unique way on his rods. You might want to take a look at his website as it is full of useful rodbuilding tricks:
http://www.rod-crafting.com/
look here first:
http://www.rod-crafting.com/articles/marbling-help.html
Rod Building grip inletting tool
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Building A Bamboo Fly Rod How-to Guide Book Fly Fishing $104.99 |
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Sniper Fishing Rod Building Blank SP581-10 – 30kg $96.50 |
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Sniper Fishing Rod Building Blank SP582-8 – 2pcs 21kg $94.90 |
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Fisherman on the Tiber River, Art Poster with Wood Frame, poster size: 20 x 16 … |
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Hooked On Fly Fishing, RB Rod Building with Bill Marts [VHS] $19.95 … |
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Building Your Own Rod [VHS] $19.99 … |
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Fishing: Flex Coat Pilot Drill Bits Easily ream out cork grips to fit your rod blanks. Pilot Drill Bits guide themselves through preexisting holes to increase the diameter. They are made from spade bits with an aluminum pilot on the tip. When used with a hand drill, the result is a perfectly centered hole. Sizes: 5/16″ 3/8″ 7/16″ 1/2″ 9/16″ 5/8″…. |
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Rodsmith Ball Bearing Tailstock $79.90 This Tail Stock assembly allows you to turn and shape custom grips on a mandrel (available separately) before installing them on the rod…. |
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Rodsmith 9RPM Rod Dryer with Support Stand $79.00 Pac Bay’s 9RPM Rod Dryer is a heavy duty tool that will provide years of service, offering commercial quality at a Hobbiest price. Height adjustable support stand allows for leveling of any rod taper to prevent finish creep…. |
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The Graphite Fly Rod, How to Build a Modern Classic $33.20 … |
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How To Fly Fish $255.99 Complete set of all 10 How to Fly Fish DVD programs: “Fly Tying Basics with Dick Talleur”, “Bonefish School & Billy Pate’s Saltwater Fly Casting Secrets”, “Knots For Fresh & Saltwater “, “Lakes”, “Beyond The Basics & Reading Water”, “Drift Boat Fishing 101″, ” Billy Pate’s Fly Fishing For Billfish”, “Fly Rod Building Basics with Bill Marts”, “Striped Bass School” with Chris Ryan and Gwenn Perkins … |
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Fly Rod Building Basics $18.13 One of the world’s foremost fly fishing insturctors, Bill Marts uses his experience and teaching expertise to simplify the process of building your own fly rod. Bill breaks down the components into simple parts and uses everyday, household tools so it’s not only inexpensive, but fun! With decades of retail experience in the fly fishing industry, Bill understands how daunting is the proposition of … |
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Rod Building Guide: Fly, Spinning, Casting, Trolling $9.55 … |
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Fundamentals of Building a Bamboo Fly-Rod $22.87 Inspired by the teachings of a master rodmaker, here is a step-by-step guide to the craft of building handmade, heirloom-quality bamboo fly-rodsthe most coveted of all rods. Spurred in part by a quest for something authentic in a mostly synthetic world… |
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Penn Affinity 4000 Spinning Reel $88.99 This Penn Affinity 4000 Spinning Reel features full metal construction and a worm drive gear system. Fishing reel also has 5.1:1 gear ratio and infinite anti-reverse. |
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Penn Affinity 3000 Spinning Reel $89.99 This Penn Affinity 3000 Spinning Reel features full metal construction and a worm drive gear system. Fishing reel also has 5.1:1 gear ratio and infinite anti-reverse. |
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Penn Affinity 2000 Spinning Reel $89.99 This Penn Affinity 2000 Spinning Reel features full metal construction and a worm drive gear system. Fishing reel also has 5.1:1 gear ratio and infinite anti-reverse. |
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Penn Affinity 1000 Spinning Reel $89.99 This Penn Affinity 1000 Spinning Reel features full metal construction and a worm drive gear system. Fishing reel also has 5.1:1 gear ratio and infinite anti-reverse. |
Keep on plugging
With apologies to the poet Lord Tennyson, it’s nearly fall and every fisherman’s thoughts turn to stripers. And with that, the means to catch them. For surf anglers around here, that means plugs.