Beginer

[irondragon013]

Had my first rod kit for a while and don't know what to start with. Should I put the handle on first or should I do the guides?

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"Just when I've caught a nice trout and feeling very proud of my fly fishing ability, my feet fly out from under me and there I sit, wet, flustered and properly humiliated by the Fly Fishing gods."
Jimmy Moore, "Taken Down a Notch or Two"

[LadyFisher]

Read the instructions in the late Al Campbell's How to Build Your Own Graphite Rod. How did you miss it? [url=http://www.flyanglersonline.com/begin/graphite/:73274]http://www.flyanglersonline.com/begin/graphite/[/url:73274]

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LadyFisher, Publisher of
FAOL

[Gardenfish]

Go to Flyfishing Basics, then Rod Building there on the left of your screen. BEt you will find your answer there. Have fun. Sounds really neat.

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"Give me ambiguity or give me something else"

[white43]

Ditto. Also, the Mudhole catalog has a good checkoff list of doing this stuff. JGW

[irondragon013]

I decided to start with the reel seat. I used 5 min epoxy. Probly not the best choice but for my firt rod it will work for me. Oh by the way the rod is a 7 1/2 ft Forecast 4wt.
Thanks,
Steven

irondragon013
I built two of those for Cristmas presents and am building a 3rd one for myself.
I wraped 1 present with green and the other gold. Mine is green and gold so we can tell our rods apart!

I always start with the handle. If you have a guide wrapped on the same section with the handle, you will have to slide the cork on from the bottom, forcing you to over ream the cork. Pack rods usually aren't an issue, but why start a habit that could cause you problems later?
BTW, you will like that rod. I've built several of them for freinds and family, and it is one of the best values out there. My favorite wrap on the Forecast blanks is cobalt blue with CP with thin silver trim bands.

[This message has been edited by ol' blue (edited 08 February 2006).]