Why build?
Why build? How much I am really going to save? As a novice, I would buy an inexpensive blank and when finished have an inexpensive rod. Or buy an expensive blank and screw it up as a first timer So, why do it? Is personal satisfaction and gratification enough?
I am wrestling with this idea and keep going back and forth between building and buying.
Comments?
paflyfisher
[This message has been edited by paflyfisher (edited 10 May 2005).]
Why build?
- Mostly because I enjoy it.
- Sometimes I can save a few bucks.
- You can custom design the rod to meet your tastes.
- I like catching trout with the rod I built on the fly I tied.
You can save some money by choosing a good blank and using less expensive componants. For example a Pac Bay aluminum reel seat with a wood insert for $12 instead of a Venturi nickle-silver one for $50.
You can save a litle with your 'sweat equity' but don't expect to have the skills of the folks at Winston or Sage right away.
Maybe you like the action of a Cabela's Stowaway (blank only $30), but don't like the stripper guide, handle shape, thread color or reel seat. For $40 worth of componants you can build you own version. so for $70 and a few evenings work you can craft your own.
As for starting with a expensive one or a cheap one it's your choice. If you don't like the blank you may end up with a rod that has sentimental value but you don't actually fish with.
You can strip the componants and rebuild the rod if you don't like how it turned out. Short of breaking the blank (which it possible) it's hard to ruin somthing. Expensive blanks from a big name company are sometimes guaranteed against breakage.
Prices range from $30 to $400 for blanks. There are good casting inexpensive blanks, there are also bad ones. I expect you pay a premium for a name brand, esp. one with a warranty, but you can test cast a factory rod and then buy the same blank.
why not build ? why tie., why fish,,,,I have a lot of fun building and don't care if i don't save money.but if you shop around and your not into the latest blanks etc you can save a lot of money.newest blanks are not always better.
There is nothing like being able to say I made it myself...FB.
"You are wrestling with the decision to build, or buy...?" Don't build, if you are that undecided about doing anything.....don't do it.
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Plain old Jim, I'm Plain...and I'm old.
right now Hook & Hackle has some kits on sale for amazingly low prices.
For me it is a hoot to catch a fish on a fly I tied on a rod that I made.
Rick
Couldn't agree more. Like before I built my first canoe, I collected information and bought books, drooled at the MN State Fair as the builders demonstrated technique, went to the canoe building shows,, the whole nine yards. Took me several months to build my first one. Ten or so later I can do one in a week by myself. I went through the same tripedation with rod building. Same process. I can't build a rod without a being in a course. A St. Cloud Fly Tying club spent a winter going through the steps, I was told, but were already in the process. Round trip there and back was 2 1/2 hours without even considering the time for the class. There just wasn't time. By then I'd found FAOL and I read Al Campbell's instructions time and time again. Someone dropped Dan Craft's name one too many times and I finally bit the bullet. Six rods later . . . I made mistakes, just like I did with my first cedar strip. I still make mistakes, although now I have enough experience to correct them. Only advise is that when you're working a hobby and you reach a point where your so frustrated it isn't fun, get up and go fishing. I've tied flies for years and years, and the other morning I kept breaking my thread. Out of nowhere my temper raged. Always a scary moment. I walked away only to come back a half hour later and have things work out. This is fun stuff. It isn't rocket science. Work your way through the processes. I always feared laying strips on the forms, then realized it was the actual laying of the fiberglass cloth that was the scary part. With rods it's making sure the epoxy is smooth without any telltale nubbins sticking out. Little things, really. The rest of it, really, is actually pretty simple. JGW
Why build?
Just wait until you catch a fish with a rod that you built with a fly that you tied. What a feeling! Plus it is a lot of fun to do.
Paul
JC,
This is exactly what is going through my mind - thanks for the article.
pa
I think building rods is valuable experience. I personally like building my rods, and I'd like it just fine if I never bought another factory rod. But, building isn't for everyone, and that's fine and dandy too. I still say the experience is valuable. What if you buy a rod without a lifetime warranty. Maybe a five year warranty? In year six you have a boo-boo and bust a stripping guide, oops! If you know your rod building stuff, the rod's not junk and you can fix it in an evening granted you have a spare stripping guide on hand. The point is that even if your preference isn't to do something yourself, it's still handy to know how just in case you have to.
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