I was reading the thread asking why build a rod, and it got me to wonder about customization. It seemed the overall consensus was that you could just build a better rod--one that is specific to your needs. I know this is a very general question, but what do you think really separates your rod from others. What do you try to do differently than what others are doing--whether that be manufacturers or custom builders?

And maybe even more important than that, what did you try that was a complete failure?

I "liberate" every good idea I can from this board. Rattan grips, stained cork, single foot high frame strippers, tamer sets, single foot ceramics, Klass-Kote, blocking wraps. As to mistakes, I have never made any (LOL).

I think the single most important benefit is performance. A factory rod, no matter how high quality or good a rod is basically inefficient by nature. If a company is producing rods for the general public, it has no way of knowing what reel or line you will be using, how tall or how long your arms are nor your style of fishing, let alone what you are fishing for! They are made "average" to suit the "average" anglet (whatever that is. Guide sizing and spacing (won't even go into quality) have to be very general and, as a result, inefficient. Ideally, a custom rod's guides are set up with a specific reel and ensures that the rod will be as efficient as possible.

Handles are also very generic and for the most part are made from poor quality, filled cork (filling will always fall out soon after using) and genericly shaped whereas custom rods will have a handle that is specifically firred and sized for a particular angler's needs/wants and can incorporate various materials.

Next is "Eye Candy" While it generally adds nothing to performance, weaving, decorative wraps, exotix woods, etc all ad to the value/allure of the truly "custom" rod.

There is also the shear pleasure of catching fish on a unique, one of a kind "fine fishing instrument" that is as close to perfect as you can get

Mike

As far as I know I am the only rod builder in the world that makes the encapsulated grips and hozels.I have given three demos at Rodcrafter Seminars and wrote an article that was in the Rodcrafter's Journal so it's not like I haven't shared how to do it. The grips are sold through Mudhole and Merrick Tackle. Some have tried doing it and say they would rather pay me 40.00 than go through the hassel of making a model,mold, and casting a grip that has to be turned on a lathe before it can be fitted to the blank. It's gotten to be my "Trade Mark" as about 90% of my rods have the grips or hozels on them. As far as Failures go, I've had so many over the years I would'nt know where to start but what "May" be my latest is that I just had a TV commercial made [400.00] and bought 189 spots on 5 channels[1,000.00] to be shown between Nov.30th and Dec 24th. I was thinking I'd probley need a traffic cop to direct parking here in the marina and so far not a phone call from the commercial,got to look at the bright side cause nothing ventured,nothing gained.Jesse

My answer is a bit different from those above. I'm just a novice builder (12 rods made so far), so I can't claim superior workmanship or innovative design, though I'm doing decent work. But I do build exactly the rod I want: the blank (sometimes I've even cut it), the butt and foregrip (lengths, diameters, taper), the guides (type, size, number, positioning). Color of course also, but that's really secondary for me. None of the rods in the stores, no matter how expensive, have all of the specifications I want, and after years of fishing, thousands of fish caught, I'm very particular about what I want. The rods I build are exactly right for me (most of them anyway, I'm still tweaking things), and I now have a boat-full of them.

my motivation for building my own rods has nothing to do with money or performance. no doubt i can buy a rod that performs as well as one i make, for a price. i personally have always needed a creative outlet. whether it is large format black and white photography or rod building. frankly if i took the time i take building a rod and directed it into my profession (insurance) i could make ten times as much as i might save building a rod. what i enjoy is learning the skills, planning and gathering the components and executing the plan. of course i get a great deal of satisfaction from this that transends anything having to do with money. it is simply the satisfaction of the creative process and the craftsmanship that goes with it. if i had to justify it with saving money or increased performance i don't believe i could. i just love making things. i also like to fish with the rods i make. after all, they are tools that we use to pursue something we enjoy. it is hard to quantify or even explain this feeling of acomplishment that comes from using a tool that one has created with his own hands. i believe it is something that drives human beings and makes us what we are.

I do it for some of the same reasons people have mentioned, but especially because 1) I enjoy this type of craft project; 2) I love catching fish on rods I built; and 3) I make rods that I can't buy off the shelf. My rods are a good bit different than most factory rods but I use a lot of the same components that many on this site prefer. Still, nobody has the exact same tastes. I don't have 2 rods that have the same combination of components or handle shape. I try something different on every rod - always experimenting.

My biggest mistakes are usually building too quickly because I want to build a rod on a particular weekend and use what I have in my shop. Then, inevitably, a while later I decide that I should have used X seat instead of Y seat. But hey that just gives me another project as I remove one seat and replace it with another. Almost all my rods have been rebuilt or at least modified once. My other mistake is building rods I don't need or use, ending up with too much money tied up in rods and then needing to get rid of them for zero profit. I'm glad I'm not in business because I would stink at it. I'm addicted to the craft as a creative outlet and I have always been addicted to fishing. Dangerous combination.

High performance custom fly rod with feather inlay and reel seat wood selected from trees in my front yard, disc drag reel, horsehair fly line with home made furled leader. Hand tied flies made from exotic materials and home spun silk thread. Native brook trout with a fly in the corner of the mouth from a crystal clear limestone feeder stream. Fishing nirvana. Contact me for your chance to rise above the every day.
Kenneth Prager

I just think rodbuilding is fun. Taking a bunch of components, that by themselves, don't do anything useful. Put them together, and I've got a keepsake that motivates me to get out and enjoy the best that Alaska has to offer, is fun to use, and provides hours & hours of enjoyment, even if the fishing is slow. Coming from a non-technical background, I am proud of each an every rod I have completed. And I've got plenty of factory rods that I enjoy using. Exposure to rod building opened my mind to fishing rods I would never have even remotely considered. I tried to communicate that to the (un-named) author and his followers on another web site for which I am now banned.
Patrick Vernacchio

That is why I make my own ( colored rings ) I found that the rings one gets are not what I wanted. Gives me the more choises when making handles. When I want a red ring, I can make a ( RED ) ring. Also coloring blanks, I could not find a clear that I liked and gave ( me ) controll, as to set up time, put on thin or thick, then I went to auto clears, I feel these are far better then any on the market now
Then again any thing that is bought from a store, is what the factory made!! Any thing can be ( customized ) cars, furniture, houses. If one does not like what is on the market, have some one build what you want

A few seasons ago, I started to install Tarpon fighting butts on the heavy baitcasting rods I was building. The guys in the shop I built the rods laughed because they felt it looked funny on any rod except fly rods, and no one in their right mind would use the Tarpon balls like that. I did anyway because it works for me while fighting a fish. It is far more comfortable than the standard end of a long handle. Lately, I have noticed a few factory rods coming out with tarpon balls on the ends, and several other builders are doing the same thing. While I'm not claiming to have started the Tarpon ball "craze" up here, because I am sure others have thought about it. I do wish to make the point as to why building as opposed to buying, has some inherent advantages.

I started building (I am still starting) because I am a complete weirdo and no factory or custom maker would make what I want. I havent asked any custom makers to, because I can tell from this board that they would refuse, and rightly so. Im pretty far out there, from what I can tell. Like, i think an Estwing hammer handle would make a great butt, and I like the look of surgical Instruments, and i am trying to incorporate that look into some of my designs. If I took all the poles from a typical tackle shop and threw them in a pile, I could never pick out a specific brand, except maybe those green ones by Gloomis, I think. And I dont even like that color!

My first rodbuilding project was to replace the worn guides on an old ultra-light spinning rod that I searched for over a year to replace. It took me several months to find Clemens, (late '70s) and get the guides, thread, etc. I remember it took me more than 8 tries to wrap the butt guide, but after that weekend I had my rod back! It didn't look as good but it fished as well as when it was new. I didn't know anything, so I put the new guides where the old ones had been. My next project, 5 or 6 years later was to reguide the flyrod I saved money all summer to buy when I was 12 yrs. old. Clemens again. I didn't know any where else to buy parts, but my old Heddon fiberglass rose like a Phoenix to live again. Now, I build for friends, family, myself and I sell a few and do a few repairs. Hey, I even give (I hope) good advice on rodbuilding. It keeps me in fishing money (at least most of the time), and I take a bit of pride in doing each rod I build or repair the best I know how. And while I've never built a rod well enough to suit me I've been getting closer, 1 rod at a time. Why do I build Custom rods? You tell Me. Ralph