Well Im still trying to find some info on buidling a 12 foot saltwater surf fishing rod. Is there any good books out there that I could use to learn a little more. This is my first surf rod ever.
Your suggestions are welcome,
~Don~

I'm not aware of any books that are just about building surf rods. But if you can already build either a spinning or casting rod then you can build a surf rod. Everything is the same.

About the onlyl thing you need to watch out for is guide passage of a shock leader knot if you are going to use one. If you try to use small #8 - 10 or even sometimes #12 guides the leader knot will somtimes hang or grab in these guides on the way out. The best I can do if my customer is going to use a shock leader is stay with nothing smaller than a #16 guide. If you are not using a shocker, then you can just go as small as you need to. I have used #10's on my long but lighter surf rods. All the heavy stuff has to pass a shocker at high speed so 16's is as small as I go.

Handle length is important too but you didn't say if you were building it for casting or spinning. I'd lean towards making the handle length the same as whatever your favorite surf rod has now. Then adjust to make it perfect for you. A little longer, or a little shorter, whichever you have always wished it was.

If you can give us a bit more info on what you are building, type and lure weight range, etc., the ideas might be easier to pass back to you.

Well I am building a 12 foot spinning surf rod. It is for my dad. He will be casting mostly 3-6 ounce weight with live bait rigs such as mullet rigs. I am still not sure what type of blank to use. I have heard the breakaway is a great blank but it also costs 180 dollars. Do you have any suggestions for 12 blanks that may be a little cheaper. Alo my dad would like to have a white tip section of say a foot and a half in order to night fish for sharks. They sell these rods commercially but no one can seem to give a place that sells white tipped blanks.

If there isnt any white tipped blanks what kind of paint can I use to paint the tip white?? Will this void a warrenty by any chance?


Thanx,
~Don~

I forgot to mention I have very limited experience with blanks other than fly rods. I could really use all the help available!!

I've got the rod you're talking about in my garage. It was built on a Lamiglass one piece blank trimmed to 11 1/2 feet . If you have some specific questions e-mail me. I'd be glad to give you some specs and measurements so you at least have an idea of where to start.

Just start looking through the various blank catalogs or websites. There are lots of good choices here.

I used to make white tips by wrapping with white NCP thread between the first two guides and giving it several coats of color preserver (didn't bother with finish to keep the weight down, although on these big rods you aren't likely to notice much).

............................

If you want a good one for bargain basement prices look at the Lamiglass blems at Mudhole. You can try some of the Seeker rods, Diawa makes a couple of good ones, Pacific Bay has an 11'5" 3-5 oz. or the Allstar you mentioned. You are most likely going to pay at least $100 for a good blank, other wise look at a Shakespear.

I'll second Jeff's suggestions, However, the British make the very best surf rods for bait fishing. You might be able to find a Diawa UK blank (very nice) fairly inexpensively around $100? from Hatteras Jacks in north Carolina. Or a search on line of Diawa may find you one somewhere.
You can also get a light for the tip of the rod from Breakaway on line, for about $6.00. Its removable and great for night fishing.