Go for it. I'm in the middle of an FTL that looks to be a sweet rod. It is a 9' 6 piece rod with the guides wrapped and finished, and compared to a 8'6" Forecast (which I like) without guides, it seems to be lighter by about 1/3.
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I build for many reasons. I first started building just for myself because I wasnt happy with what all the money I use to spend on factory rods got me. I have owned all the big name rods in the past...$640 Winstons, $500 Sages, $300 Scott rods, pretty much you name it. But if you ever really look over those rods (even the high dollar ones) factory rods are not very impressive in the fit&finish. The wraps have gaps in them, the finish has low spots, the cork grade is normally really lacking, and the real seats are nothing special. So I decided to get into building so I could build myself rods that I knew were put together right and didnt have all the mistakes a mass production rod has.
Then it just sort of snowballed on me and other people started asking me to build them rods. Whioch then turned into a buisness for me. Far as the first ones you build being "lesser quality rods" that doesnt have to be true as long as you take your time. My very first rod build was actually one of the nicer ones I have done. If you've ever seen the CD-rom case cover for "rod maker pro" http://www.application-software.com/rodmaker/ that rod in the pic that they used for the CD-rom case cover is actually the very first rod I ever built. So take your time and put alot of care into your first build and it will come out great. I never was one to buy into the whole buy cheap stuff to get the hang of it at first idea. I say take your time and make the first one the best you can8-)
As the other have said it doesnt have to be expensive if you dont want it to be. Build your own wrapping jig, turn it by hand to dry it and you can cut alot of costs and build rods for a low cost to start if thats what you want to do.
Its a great thing to do and is just an extension of the passion of fly fishing that is very enjoyable.
Steve
with me it was to redo old boo rods to fish H_I Montauge ,ect now i'm hooked
Zug,
I know your line of thought. I've done the exact same reasoning and (sort of) allowed myself to question the sanity in it.
But then I found bamboo and all that reasoning went to _ell! :mrgreen:
Jeremy. P.S. Hey wanna buy a really nice "unused" Dennison Midge? 3 wheeler, reeeely smooooth...;) (I need a new vise).
ive only built 1 rod which was an exact coppy of a montague flash... restored several old bamboo rods also... fer me, its kinda like tying flies... i have more fun catching a fish with flies i tied myself than store bought flies and i dont have to stick with just the flies they have... i can change the patern up if i wanna... same with the rod building... you can spend as little or as much as ya want building your own rod from the bottom up... desigh it, wrap it, engrave or inlay it or just whatever you want... ya can build it slow, medium, fast or somewhere in between on action...
Thanks for the responses guys, plenty of insight..exactly what I was hoping for. I think some of you read between the lines for sure, and caught my concerns about them being "lesser" rods. I suppose I owe that opinion to those I've met who build them. It would seem that "the craft" takes a back seat to the value in building your own. I've seen some of these creations too, and plenty of them seem really garish if you ask me. "To each his own" I suppose, but I'm left asking myself "just because I can, does it mean I should?" Another consideration is that I spent my early days fly fishing with the cheapest gear I could find...having to look past the Sage rods, nicer reels and waders out of necessity. Now that I'm in the position to afford some of this nicer gear, home-grown gear seems like a step backwards somehow. My logical side says its not, the (possibly) vain side of me likes seeing a T&T and a few Sage rods in the corner.
So, I haven't decided what to do..but clearly, I'm drawn to it somehow. I have, and will continue to check out this forum daily..see what you guys are doing. Thanks again to everyone who responded.
TZB
Nothing second rate about them if you take your time and do it right. Like Steve noted, you can do as good or better than the factory rods if you take your time. And the beauty of building your own is that you can build them simple and elegant, or wildly custom and showy. In the end, it is your rod, and built exactly the way you like. And no factory rod can do that.