rod building
 

anyone here build their own rods?? i been doing reading on it and it doesnt sound too overly complicated..just curious if its worth while or if i should just buy my rods..think it would be a fun winter hobby..maybe even put a few on ebay or something..just curious if anyone does it...and just how hard it is..whats the easiest rod to start out on etc...id like to do atleast a light spinning rod for trout and a fly rod..looks like all ill need is the materials and finishes etc + a stand and motor to finish it...doesnt seem really costly..you can get good blanks at a decint price compared to finished rods...just curious if they turn out nicely etc...thanx

RE: rod building
 

im going to start making bambo fly rods soon

RE: rod building
 

TUrn out really nice and its yours. They can pull over 200 dollars a rod due to the individual attention to each one. make em yours i will do some this year and post some diy tips on ere if ya want.

RE: rod building
 

definently if you want to oneshot. if you dont i might. figured around 100$ or so initial start up..then all ill be buying is blanks and handles and seats. im really thinking about the whole ebay thing....i can start a small business and atleast make enough to fish for free lol. i already make my own spinners for trout fishing. i can make them dirt cheap compared to store prices..then selling rods...man...i might have to try it. if nothing else ill beable to make my own rods...

wonder if i should start on a fly rod or an light spinning action..hmm im going to have to look into it all..and then check the bank account..might be waiting till i get back to work after the semester..we will see..

RE: rod building
 

i make my own king rigs dirt cheap and thought about opening up a store as well Mauser

RE: rod building
 

after looking at ebay a bit there is a huge market out there. and once you make a name for yourself your all set. i can probably get someone here at school to make me a webpage as kind of a refrence type thing. my dream is to retier and open an outdoor shop. game calls, fishing gear ...the whole 9yds. theres a shop near my house like that. they sale bait, fishing gear, hunting stuff etc. most of their game calls are hand made by people in the area. i would love to set up a little shop like that..make my own calls, rods, lures, flies, rods etc etc to sale. making them right in the shop for the customers to see and to pass the slow times..that would be awesome. and it would be somethin i love. and by the time i retire id be dang good at it all!! already made turkey calls and spinners for fishing..tried tying flys(which i need to get back into) ..i just love doing stuff like that

though right now i really want a nice flyrod...i really think im going to make one!! i was going to buy one this spring..but i think im going to wait and just make my own...

RE: rod building
 

If you can get skilled at rod building then you will find your own rods to be a lot better than anything you can buy. The reason is you will build each rod for whatever way you want to fish. My uncle is a rod builder and
I had him build me a nice cranking rod for one of my baitcasters. If you have the money.. do it!

RE: rod building
 

i just got me a 12 1/2 ft. fly rod from bambo and its already dried

RE: rod building
 

childers...thats awesome..i never fished a bamboo rod..i know they are pricey and supposed to make great fly rods...one day ill get there....still tryin to learn the ropes of fly fishing...my WOODEN walmart special 40$ rod, reel, line and fly pfluger kit really holds me back...thats why i aint good at it:D i picked up decint line that REALLY made a diffrence...so my goal is to make me a nice fly rod...probably a 8ft 4 or 5 wt. biggest trout ill encounter will be a 2 footer if im LUCKY. that would be a hawg. most of them are 8-14inches..then ill build me a good spinning rod...i cant wait to get into building rods...dont think itll be soon..i wanna do it right and get geared up properly...i know once i start im in for a long haul...might as well buy the right tools now and do it right

RE: rod building
 

I don't know if you have many smallmouth (or any for that matter) where you fish but if you do I would go 5-6 weight you will find a 4 weight might be a bit light! (throwing a big deer hair for a smallmouth is pretty tough on a 4 weight)

RE: rod building
 

4-5 5-6 for small ponds and creeks

and mine is 10 ft. i just measured it. but its just a perfect length and size of bamboo. not one of those 1000 dollar rods

RE: rod building
 

indiana hunter..we got some smallies..used to do alot of fishing for them..but kinda faded away from it...spring is trout time...summer its too hot for trout fishing and its time for catfishing. no in between time lol. i mainly fish small streams..probably build a light rod first...then probably a heavier rod for streamer fishing..i big ole wolly bugger chuckin machine lol. probably a 6 or 7 weight..

RE: rod building
 

for smallmouth if you want to do it like the pro's and do it right like me then go witht a lower number so they can take a lot out and bend the rod a lot and its much more fun. use like a 3-4 for fun or 5-7 for easy fishing

RE: rod building
 

I flyfish almost exclusively and wouldn't try for smallies with anything less than a 6 wt. That's off thread though. I've started getting everything together to start a 4 wt. for trout now. The thing that got me was the actual price of good hardware. Reelseats especially.

RE: rod building
 

everyone says the reelseats and grips is the expensive part. compared to a good blank id say they are cheap!! lol i actually plan to make my own burl cork handle for my fly rod. im figuring on buying a 100$ fly rod blank or somewhere around that ball park..think i can find a loomis blank for about that..

im excited i never actually fished a REAL fly rod lol. i dont think my WOODEN pfluger walmart special counts as a fly rod lol. i held my friends 8 or 9wt sage he paid like 3 or 400 for just the rod...i dont think i actually fished it though..i still got some time to shop around..i just know loomis makes good rods and i seen em for 100 or so. figure by the time im done ill have a 150-175 into just the rod..but itll be worth close to double if i bought the rod i bet. cant beat that. i dont wanna buy a REALLY expensive one with high modulus..i heard they will crack if you hit them with a bead head...im sure a good rod will help me cast better...but i know i smack my rod with a bead head every time i fish one! lol. but if i got a good fly rod ill learn to use it properly...im not bad at casting with my wooden pfluger though..i can cast 30-40 foot id say..not bad all things considered!!

RE: rod building
 

I don't think you have to worry about the rod cracking if you happen to hit it with a bead head. I have a couple St. Croix rods that have been nailed with lead and brass hour-glasseyed bass and salmon flies with no illeffects. If you don't mind a little advice, I wouldn't necessarily look too much at the modulus count of the blank and look more at the action. Your friend's Sage is probably pretty fast(most Sage's are), but you may be better served with something a little slower. By the way action is a functionof the way the rod bends in the cast, the farther down into the rod it bends the slower the action. For a beginning caster, a moderately slow rod is best. My suggestion would be a St Croix Avid, G Loomis GL3, or a Cabela's PT(Progressive Taper). Of the three, the Cabela's rod blank would be cheapest, then the St Croix, then the Loomis.All three will perform very well for you and by building your own, you can beas fancy or plain as you would like to be.

RE: rod building
 

thanx for the advice grizz..im always willing to talk fishing...this is my thread...we can hijack away lol. i honestly dont know much about fly rods...i know i want a decint one that will help me fish better. i wasnt particularly shopping for a blank specifically yet. i know a little bit...like i probably want an 8 foot 4 or 5 weight. i do alot of SMALL stream fishing..trickles of water with native 3-8 inch native brookies. but also do alot of mid sized stream fishing..20-30 foot across..i was already looking at the loomis GL3. i figure by the time all is said and done i would save atleast 100$ off the rod lol..plus it will be MINE and noone else will have one like it anywhere...thats what its all about. ill get into selecting componets when im ready to start building. im going to wait till i am back to work for the summer(at college now) and have about 300$ or so to play with. that should get me a nice motor, stand, hand wrapper all the supplies and components..i figured if i build one i KNOW im not going to stop...so i might as well do it right and order good tools and supplies now..