During the trip to California last weekend stopped into the local Salt Water shop to check out the tackle. Naturally I had to check out the "Barrel". You know the one - the one full of rods/blanks they want to get rid of. Sure enough in amongst those big Tuna Sticks sat some Fly Rod blanks. I picked up two blanks for $15 a piece.

Tonight I sat down and did my ordering on the NET. Just finished ordering everything I need to build these two blanks. I spent $88 bucks on parts including reel seats, guides, guides for a spinning rod I'm building, hook keepers, winding checks, and an 8oz kit of Flex Coat.

Total to finish building a 7 1/2' 3wt, 8 1/2' 5wt, and my spinning rod came to $88 + $32 for the blanks = $121 + spare parts I had laying around.

Anyone else as cheap as I am? My favorite rod is an 8' 4wt I built from "Scrap Graphite" I paid $10 for out of a Barrel in another shop. That $10 scrap graphite built three rods - two 8 1/2' 7wt and one 8' 4wt!