Wanting info to get started...

Equipment Rod Building: Cane and Graphite
1

…on learning to build fly rods.
I have been considering for a good while the merits of building my own rods.
Frankly not too many come to mind except the same thought that came to mind when I started tying my own flies to save a buck. No one WARNED me about that one (many happy hours and oh so much poorer).
Now is the chance to warn a guy. Can a buck be saved by building a rod yourself. I am not talking of over the top high end rods . Just good (ok maybe a little better than good) and
decent quality rods that I wouldnt normally be able to afford.
Thoughts and opinions are hearby being sought out from those who should know (or maybe should know better :slight_smile: ).
Where to start for beginners books . Simple ,easy to understand (lots of pictures too) and again inexpensive.
Thank you in advance for any input that is offered.

Perch

2

you can save plenty of money.
start right here w/ al campbell’s series under rodbuilding on the front page. haven’t you done yer homework?

you can build a rod on a high end blank for about half msrp.

3

This is all simply my experience at building . . .

The answer to can you save money is . . . it depends. Sure you can build a very inexpensive rod. Inexpensive parts/blanks are all out there so it can be done quite economically.

I think things are a bit different when you try to “build” a factory-like rod. For example, I bought a Scott A2 7 wt blank a few years ago. I put a REC reel seat on it and some snake guides. The grip was a nice one also. The grip and seat were probably better than what they put on a factory A2 at the time. I put it together for something just under what a factory A2 would have cost. I did not save money per say, but I have better components that the factory rod. I am getting ready to build a A2 6 wt. I’ll put a Struble saltwater seat, REC Recoil guides, and a custom made cork grip. I think I’ll end up with about the same in it as I would have bought the factory rod for. But when I bought the blank, they did not make an A2 with a saltwater reel seat w/fighting butt. They also don’t put REC Recoil guides on the A2 or 3 series. So again, I did not save much but I’ll have something different or “upgraded” from the factory rod.

Now if you move up to the higher end rods, something like a Sage Z-Axis I think you can actually save a few bucks. I have priced it out, and I can buy the blank and nice components and build a Z for a fair amount less than buying a factory Z.

Can you save money? Yes . . . Maybe not, it depends. Can you save money tying flies? Yes . . .I kept a spreadsheet with all the materials I bought when I started tying, and kept track of all the flies I tied. When I started, my flies were about $10 each. At some point they were about $0.69 each, and I quit keeping track. But I also had enough materials left over to tie hundreds more flies. But I bought vises, tying desks, tying glasses, tools, books . . . I did not count all that. So my flies are less than store bought, but I also have a lot of money in other things related to tying. So no I did not save any money . . . :slight_smile: I could probably have bought the flies I needed, and been money ahead of tying, but it’s another hobby :slight_smile:

4

Obviously you didn’t learn from the last trip down the lane … LOL.

This is like asking if you can save money on daily newspapers by buying the publishing company and reading the printing plates. You are definitely asking about upgrading an addiction to a much more expensive AND time-consuming one. Anyone that tries to tell you otherwise, hasn’t passed the first step.

I started needing just one perfect tournament rod, over 20 years ago. Now I have a woodworking shop, an office, a rod building shop, a business license, a tackle shop and it just gets worse.

IF you need another hobby AND you have the extra dime to feed an addiction, jump in with both feet - it is enjoyable, rewarding and so much more. Otherwise, run like someone just offered you an all-expenses paid trip to Tehran for sightseeing and miscellaneous fun.

TJ -

5

I find that I may save some money when building a rod. Most of the time I build for the enjoyment of building a rod different than any other rod out there. I find the whole process of finding and deciding on the blank and components, calculating the number size and locations of the guides, playing around with different wraps, and building a custom grip a very enjoyable and relaxing venture. I would not necessarily count on saving money but in having a quality and unique rod. There is great pleasure in catching fish with a rod you made and with a fly you tie.

6

Try it. You can order a kit from Hook and Hackle that includes your glue and finish. Wrap using a cardboard box and your tying bobbin or a book. Finish on the same box turning it by hand regularly. You can build a good rod with no more equipment than a box, book or bobbin, a razorblade, strips cut from an old credit card or cheap little paint brushes (to apply finish) and a rattail file/reamer. If you decide that you like it, you can jump in and build or buy a wrapper of some sort, upgrade reamers, buy a dryer, etc.

7

No doubt it can turn into an expensive past time but it doesn’t need to be. I think it’s safe to say a lot of fly fisherman started building rods to save money (i did). Like ol’ blue mentions a basic cardboard jig and a few inexpensive tools are all that’s needed to get started.

8

In my limited experience, (3 rods built,) you can save money by building top end rods, or you can build a mid-range custom (like my Sage VT-2) with better than standard components and the satisfaction of having done it yourself. You won’t save anything on the cheaper end rods, but the satisfaction (for me) offsets the cost. My last project was on a Cabela’s Traditional II blank that only ended up costing about twice what a complete rod was, but that’s because I couldn’t resist the beautiful reel seat in my local shop.

I say go for it - a H&H kit and Al’s tutorial on this site are great places to start!

Cliff

9

Perch,

YES, you can definitely save money on your fly rods by building them yourself.

However, you can also spend LOTS of money on tools and equipment. If you are a tool junky, then you may get into trouble. If you already have some woodworking tools, you probably have all you need right now, but the lure of neat new tools is hard to resist for some of us.

If you are handy and aren’t in a hurry, you can build simple and cheap or free equipment that will allow you to build high quality rods that will exceed factory builds for hundreds less (if you got any old left over lumber laying around and a saw you can build an adequate rod wrapper for nothing but your time).

If you shop around you can buy quality blanks for great prices. Companies like Pacific Bay, Sevier (Tiger Eye), and Rainshadow (plus quite a few others) make blanks that compare to the ‘name brands’ at significantly lower prices. Jann’s Netcraft, Cabela’s, Hook and Hackle, all sell ‘house brand’ rod blanks that are outstanding quality for the price. You can upgrade guides, reel seats, and grips and still spend less than you would on a ‘name brand’ blank. If you want ‘top end’, then folks like Dan Craft or St. Croix are on the cutting edge of blank design, and they aren’t as expensive as other ‘name’ blanks (they aren’t cheap, but they are a great value).

I was a bass fisherman before I started fly fishing. I had an ‘arsenal’ of rods, each designed for a specific technique or application. I carried that concept into fly fishing, and realized right away I couldn’t afford to buy all the rods I’d need. I decided to build them, and managed to get a half dozen rods built for the price of one ‘top end’ factory rod (not the same blank quality, of course, but strong and servicable enough to fish successfully).

After many years of building rods, I know that now I can a build a better rod than the factories produce, regardless of price, and I can make it prettier (I like pretty rods…feather inlays, multi colored guide wraps, stuff like that to ‘dress up’ the rods).

Of course, by now I’ve spent way more than I would have if I’d just bought a dozen Sage or Winston rods. But I’d have missed learning a lot, having years enjoying the relaxation of craftmanship, and the pride of ‘doing it yourself’. Plus, I have given away way more than twelve rods, and I own alot more than that now.

I no longer fish with rods that I didn’t build, nor do I use flies that I didn’t tie. Not that this is a ‘better’ way, but just that it’s mine.

Buddy

10

You can save a lot of money on an individual rod. The problem is, you end up building a lot more rods than you would ever buy. I have 12 fly rods, 8 of which I built myself. If I wasn’t building rods for myself and others, I would probably have about 5 rods. Of course, when you build a rod you don’t need, you have to buy a reel you don’t need to match the rod and a line and backing to go with it.

All but 2 of my rods are built on high end discontinued or overstock blanks I purchased for less than 50% of retail. These include 2 Rainshadow RX7+, a Rainshadow RX8+, a PacBay Custom Professional Series and 2 GL3’s. So, if you buy from reputable dealers, and know how to identify blanks, you can really save some money.