Expensive Hobby

[lastchance]

I realize small businesses have got to make money and the economy is very bad, but rod building has turned into a very expensive hobby, don't you think? You buy a rod blank for $40 bucks and you end up having to put another $100 to $125 or so into components. It's to the point where you can buy a quality rod for cheaper than you can build your own. I understand it's a hobby and we have the luxury of building custom, but gees, it's getting so expensive. I just had to let off some gripes.

[kbproctor]

$40 for a blank
$10 for a seat
$12 for a fair grip
$10 for guide set and tip top

Another $10 for incidentals, thread, adhesives, etc.

$82

Set it up right and it will perform as well or better than most factory rods in the $300-$400 range.

Catching a fish on a rod you built... Priceless.

Still sounds like a bargain to me.

[hardhat]

I find that when problems or pressures are getting to me that building a rod is theriputic. The sceince of it and all of the making of the custom parts, grip, reel seat, thread design, etc
That is one of the priceless factors of rod building. Also it is a pleasure when you hand over to someone a custom one of a kind rod. And of course catching fish on the rods you build.
I really feel that people need to have hobbies and interest.
Yup it is a bargain to me also.

[lastchance]

$40 for a blank
$10 for a seat
$12 for a fair grip
$10 for guide set and tip top

Another $10 for incidentals, thread, adhesives, etc.

$82

Set it up right and it will perform as well or better than most factory rods in the $300-$400 range.

Catching a fish on a rod you built... Priceless.

Still sounds like a bargain to me.

I have a $25 blank, but I have no idea where I can find the stuff you mentioned above so cheaply.

[Normand]

building one beats buying one

heres a 3 wt for $700

http://www.bearsden.com/page875.html#10090

[Kaboom1]

I realize small businesses have got to make money and the economy is very bad, but rod building has turned into a very expensive hobby, don't you think? You buy a rod blank for $40 bucks and you end up having to put another $100 to $125 or so into components. It's to the point where you can buy a quality rod for cheaper than you can build your own. I understand it's a hobby and we have the luxury of building custom, but gees, it's getting so expensive. I just had to let off some gripes.

You CAN put that much into components, but why would you want to? Like Kevin said, for 30 bucks more for than the price of the blank, you can have a very nice rod that anyone would be proud to own.

For the record, the last 2 rods that I have built have less than 20 dollars in them, including the blank. Granted I spent some time making some of the components from things not intended to be rod components, but my total out of pocket was less that 20 bucks and I have the pleasure of saying I made it myself.

Brad

[hardhat]

To be honest with you I usually build on pricer blanks like: Dan Craft, Sage, Winston, TL Johnson, Steffen Brothers, South Fork, and some SC blanks. Nothing at all wrong with the lesser priced ones though.
Here is a list of some places to shop
http://www.flyanglersonline.com/feat...g/supplier.php

Also look some on ebay

[JohnScott]

... but it might still be good for a laugh.

I've been reading this thread from the beginning, and much enjoying it. I have resisted the temptation to join the conversation, up to this point.

But - today I tried out my first home made rod and outfit, so I qualify to talk about CHEAP, and CHEAPER, and CHEAPEST rods.

My entire fly fishing outfit today cost less than $1.50. I got skunked, but that is not relevant, because I'm satisfied that I can catch fish with this outfit in the right place at the right time.

The rod is a Scott 401.5-1O. ( Hope the other Scott has some sense of humor about this, if they run across it. ) The designation may not be familiar to you. It is a four foot for 1.5 weight one piece made of oak. Get beyond all that fancy language and what you have is a 48" X 1/4" oak dowel from the local hardware store. It cost $.84, including tax. The rod was finished with a tiptop fashioned from Maxima Chameleon leader material, and a decorative butt wrap of fly tying thread.

The line was a custom made Scott 1.5 LLF. Another unfamiliar designation ? It is a 1.5 wt level line floating. The line was furled using 45 plus feet of 20# dacron fly line backing on a seven foot jig to end up with a six strand level line about six feet long. Some mucilin turned a sure sinker into a floating line. Since I had the backing laying around, it didn't cost anything, unless you include labor, but as cheap as I am, I wouldn't pay myself - so it was free.

The leader was one of my standard thread furled leaders with silver chain tip ring. They cost about $.35 for materials, and I don't pay labor for that kind of thing.

Can't calculate the cost of four feet of 4x tippet, so let's just say that was $.10.

Fished a size 18 griffith gnat. That's probably another $.20 ??

That actually comes to $1.49 - got a penny to spare !!

Anyway, I could actually cast this outfit well enough to get the fly almost 20' from where I was standing. The rod was super fast action - some people would call it a stick, of all things. The line carried a tight loop, the furled leader turned over beautifully, the dry fly floated along nicely in a drag free drift. What more could you ask for, except for some nice brown or cutt to take the fly ??

I have to admit, the rod was a bit fast for my liking, and casting such a short rod with a 1/4" grip is a bit tiring. And it would probably max out under 30' even if I added a couple more six foot sections of Scott 1.5 LLF.

But it only cost a buck and a half, with change to spare - and I had a blast. Next time out, I'm gonna fish a creek where a 20' cast is almost always too long, and the fish just love to play with things floating along the surface. Can't hardly stand the wait.

John
__________________
The fish are always right.

[kbproctor]

I have a couple of rods like that, too.

This little rod is built on a $6 fiberglass blank from Ebay with the $11 seat/grip setup from Jann's, and a $7 guideset with a leftover tip top. Less than $30 in the whole thing. It's a noodle, but still good for small creeks. It's a blast to pull out and tell folks it's my "$25 fly rod". Oh... The butt cap cost me 25 cents.

[lastchance]

I have a couple of rods like that, too.

This little rod is built on a $6 fiberglass blank from Ebay with the $11 seat/grip setup from Jann's, and a $7 guideset with a leftover tip top. Less than $30 in the whole thing. It's a noodle, but still good for small creeks. It's a blast to pull out and tell folks it's my "$25 fly rod". Oh... The butt cap cost me 25 cents.

Nice, Kevin. I bet the end cap isn't worth 25 cents. Ha! Ha!
Bruce