Question for the Master Rod Carpenters

[reviveourhomes]

OK, from what ive read in the posts and heard from other people, it sounds like making your own rod with quality parts is quite cheaper and alot of fun.

Now i do have wood working abilities and carpenter skills (not that it will help me in rod building), but just to say i can work with my hands. How difficult is it to make a fly rod. And is there any specific weight, height, material that is easiest to use to make your first rod.
And finally where is a good place that you can find the material for a good price, prefebaly online or catalog. Also what is a good guide or book on all the steps in building a rod.

Thanks for any info in advance Rod building sounds like it would be very rewarding and very fun so any info would be awesome.

P.S. Any of you guys ever made any other type of rods (im actually predominatlly bass and striper fisher), so any tips in other rod making would be nice.

[FlyBy]

If you're handy and have an eye for detail, building a rod can be pretty easy. How cheap it is depends on blanks and components (guides, reel seat, grip). A high end fly rod, like a Sage, can be built for about 40% less than a factory rod.

A good place for a beginner to pick up rod building supplies is www.hookhack.com . Hook & Hackle has great prices and service, constantly has rod blanks and components on sale, and won't kill you on the shipping.

Fly Anglers Online (http://www.flyanglersonline.com) has a great rod building tutorial. Click on "Features" and then "Rod Building" and look for the "Graphite Rod Building" section.

FlyBy

[GUTHOOKED]

Building a good, functional rod is fairly easy if you are somewhat handy. It doesn't have to be expensive, either. A good book that helped me get started is "Rodbuilding Made Easy", by Art Scheck (I think). Also, check out www.rodbuilding.org. You can find an answer to almost any question you may have by searching their forum.

I've built a few casting and spinniing rods, and I really think there are more possibilities for customization and improvement on factory designs than with fly rods. A spiral wrap on a baitcaster can improve a rod's feel dramatically, and is not available on any factory rods that I know of.
http://www.fishingphotos.net/photopost/data/500/303MikeVRodFlexWeb-med.jpg
The possibilities are endless. Give it a shot, I think you'll enjoy it. Whatever questions you have along the way, feel free to ask. I'll be happy to help in any way I can.

Danny

[reviveourhomes]

Wow, that spiral rap is pretty neat, what exactley does that improve? When i get started im sure ill have questions so be ready!!!! :D

[GUTHOOKED]

Basically, the spiral wrap just lets the line go where it wants to. When you flex a rod by putting weight on the line, the line will try to go to the inside of the arc. If the guides are on top, this action causes the rod to try to twist. A spiral wrap eliminates this force by putting the line where it wants to be - under the rod, or inside the arc - allowing you to fight the fish instead of the fish and the rod. Its really surprising how much better this setup handles big fish, such as stripers.

[reviveourhomes]

Does it not cast funny, seems like casting you want the straightest line possible. But the fighting aspect of it makes perfect sense. where can you find rod kits for casting rigs i looked on h&h and they just have fly or spin, and is it harder to make a casting rod than a fly rod, id like to start with the easiest.

[GUTHOOKED]

The only one I've fished was one that I built for my dad last year. It performed perfectly in all aspects, and I'll never build another casting rod with a conventional guide setup.

I don't think either one would be harder than the other, though a casting rod might be a little cheaper. As for kits, I've never used them, so I don't really know where to get them. You might try Cabela's.

[Ivan]

Hook and Hackle has kits and they come with a rod building video.



http://www.mailordercentral.com/hookhack/departments.asp?dept=728

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