Let me prefiss this with I am not trying to be offensive or mean BUT
What is up with people. I built rods for people for a price. I am not advertizing here just making a statement. Had a guy the 4th of July want a 6FT 2 weight rod built. He gave me his specs and I gve him a price $1000. He wanted the best cork, snake skin inlays, jungle cock inlays on the joints and the best guides, with a nice reel seat. I asked him what he was going to be fishing with it to get a better picture of how to build it. He is putting it in a case in his closet. He will not be using the rod. I know I should not be upset but my goodness why pay that much for a rod to put in a closet. Now to me that is stupid when in reality you can get a nice rod built that is very much fishable and preforms very very well for under $300, depending on what you want. First off with snakeskin inlays under all the guides you are taking away from the action and paying someone to make the rod worse instead of better. For most that use a short rod in a light weight it is for small streams and the better the action the better the fishing, least wise in my opinion. I love fly fishing but I refuse to spend gobs of money for equipment. I still catch just as many fish and can cast far enough to get to the fish. This year because of all the medical things going on I am not going to make the idaho fish-in. Next year without fail barring any life threatning emergencies I will be at the fish-in and will wrap a rod while there. May even give it away. Thanks for listening my friends
Exactly, Bob. If the guy has this “kind of money” where he can have you make him a simple “ego stick to show his cronies”, do it and let it go at that.
Obviously, if YOU don’t built it, (and pocket the grand, while smiling and shaking your head), someone ELSE will anyway.
Unfortunately I am one of those guys that takes great pride in what he does. I built the rod and sent it to him and he was very happy to pay but I want my rods to be used. I have to date taken back two rods and built a different one cause the person did not like the way it cast. sold the others at a discounted price. Just the way I do things. I love building rods and have built over 400 to date, but I want them to be used.
I thought the first rule of the tailor business was that if the customer wanted sleeves on his vest, you gave him sleeves on his vest but made sure he knew what he was getting.
Sorry you will not make the Idaho FI. Really would have liked you to cover one of the evenings. I understand the ‘rod’ problem and can see both sides. If it’s just as an ‘investment’ to be sold for big bucks when you’re dead, then maybe, oh well, your choice I guess.
Harleybob,
Apparently you’re an artist at the rod building trade and this client wants to purchase YOUR intellectual/artistic property to display. I can’t imagine ANYONE paying THAT kind money for a
display rod UNLESS there was some builder NAME factor involved. Kinda like a Kusse etc. I always assume that anyone with money didn’t get there because he/she was stupid so I’ll give this client the benefit of the doubt. He must have wanted YOUR work. Personally, I would build the rod and bask in all the implications.
I was THINKING that he wanted the rod so when Bob croaks it will potentially double in value, but something inside me said that would not be the proper thing to say here. How wrong I was…:p:p:p. Thanks, JC. I was starting to think there was something wrong with me, but after your response echoed my deviant thoughts, I now realize that I’m really OK. You’re a jewel!
I don’t really understand why you are so upset with this collector. He’s paying you very good money for a product and once you turn over the completed rod, it belongs to him. Rather than be angry with him, you should feel flattered that he thinks so highly of your craftsmanship. Many people do exactly the same thing with very expensive, full dress salmon flies. They collect them because they are beautiful not because they want to fish them. Bob, no hard feeling I hope. It’s just my two percent of a dollar. 8T
I would like to say I am not a craftsman when it comes to building rods. They are people on this board who can build a lot better then my self. As a rule most of the rods I have built sell for between $100-$200 depending on the materials. I charge $30 over the retail cost of materials for building the rod. I charged the getleman that price because I did not want to build the rod. It would have cost him more in the lines of about $350.
I build rods to help people get started or who have started fly fishing and just want a little extra. My son who is in Salmon is my biggest and bestest salesman. If you walk into the store where he works and you mention fishing you will not get out of the store until you have seen my flies and rods. Most of my sales have come from him, my friends and friends of my current customers.
In 2002 when I started fly fishing again I heard from a lot of people in fly shops you have to have this rod , reel and line. It was very expensive and made me think I would not get back into fly fishing again. About then one of my friends who does fly fish sent me to wally world to get the whole set up for about $50 with the expectation of getting a more expensive rod later on that would cast better. I found after a little practice the rod cast just fine and you did not need a bunch of money to become a fly fisherman. Fast forward to 2006 when I joined FAOL. I learned a lot of things from a lot of people here. I got the courage to start building rods again (built a lot in the 70’s), tie my own flies and even give advise to those that needed it and feel secure about it. Through all this time I have kept my belief you don’t have to be rich to flyfish and I have set that expectation to the new people I have taught. JC should love this one: I tell people about the broomstick, fly rod he used to catch salmon on. That is the bext example I can use to show it is not the rod but the person casting the rod. If anyone saw my primary set up they would say “why don’t you buy a good rod and reel” but this fits my needs. A TFO I got for $50 new off ebay, aquavona line $18, backing that was on the original reel, leader $2, and a Pflueger medalist I bought on sale for $15. I make my own tools when I can and have a good time doing it. AS far as pictures I will indeed take some of the next rod I build and post them here. previous pics have been terrible but a friend of mine will take them (he knows what he is doing) and I would be more then happy to post them. What I do is nothing more then what anyone else can do by listening to others in the field, and reading and practicing what they have learned. I strongly encourage everyone to try it at least once but be careful cause like fly tying it is very addictive.
