I know its a very broad question, but what does it take to get started. I've got the time, money, and I think ability. I just don't know how to get started. Do I need to seek extensive formal instruction, or what?

ok, i'll weigh in... since i'm almost in the same situation. i just started "assembling" graphite fly rods. what are you interested in fishing?

the first one i made all the mistakes people alluded to. that's fine, it was a cheap forecast blank and will probably never land a fish due to no use. the secnd rod came out much better and i hope the third and fourth to be even better than that.

you have internet access and have found what i believe to be one of the best resources on rod building around. the library located here as well as the community will help you in many valuable ways.

i also picked up three books. tom kirkman's book (tom runs this web site), handcrafting a graphite fly rod by L.A. Garcia and flex coat's little pamphlet. no need for formal instruction to get started although seeing it live would surely help. that's retty much it for instruction. tools, that's practically another subject altogether, but i'll leave that for others.

eric
fresno, ca.

Hi Adrian, the best advise I have for you is to order a book called the "Rod Building Guide" by Tom Kirkman. Very good book and easy to understand. Many of the sponsors on the left carry it.

Others will chime in; for sure. Biggest thing now that you have the desire to do it is to gain the knowledge of how to do it. You're at the right place. I've built for well over 20 years and I've learned more on this wonderful site in one year than in the previous 20+. And that's no bull!!

Thank you Tom!!

Putter

I'm most interested in building 3-6 wt. trout rods. What wt. would be a good first.

can you give us some more information adrian? have you fished before? "3-6 wt trout rods" leads me to believe you either fly fish or want to. do you currently have any rods? what type of water do you plan to fish? what's your budget?

eric
fresno, ca.

Rod Building Guide, by Tom Kirkman ~ $16
Step by Step instructions for crafting your own custom fishing rod. Building a spinning, casting, surf, fly or offshore rods, Rod Building Guide will explain the how and why in clear, concise text with nearly 100 full color photographs. 51 pages paperback.

THE NEW Advanced Custom Rod Building, by Dale P. Clemens ~ $30
Dale Clemens has completely rewritten this new book. He continues to display his expertise in his discussion of methods for building every kind of rod-from ultra-light fly to surf and offshore trolling. Following detailed explanations and illustrations, rod builders can design, built, and embellish rods to suit their particular desires and needs. Hardcover, 320 pages.

Step By Step Rod Building, by Flex Coat (FC) ~ $ 7
Contains over 100 clear illustrations, charts and guide sizing plus step-by-step instructions on all phases of rod constructions. Some topics included are: designing your own custom rod, determining the spine of the rod blank,
constructing cork handles, foam handle construction, installing the tip top, wrapping the guides, finishing the wraps and helpful tips for a professional finish. Great for both beginners and experienced rod builders. Softbound, 48 pages.

I'd start with a 5wt as it's useful across the board and pretty standard when it comes time to ask for help. The best way to learn is to just do it and see what happens. Your areas for improvement will be obvious and you can attack those one at a time by reading old posts on this board, reading the books available, watching DVD's, and finaly by asking specific questions here that you can't seem to find the answer to. I'd reccomend buying an inexpensive "kit" for your first one or two rods. This way you will not have to worry about ordering the correct parts for your rod.

I'm 23 and I've been flyfishing for eleven years. I own XP's in 3-6 wt., 2 wt. TXL, 6wt. SP, 8-10 Xi2's, along with a couple older Orvis rods. All are outfitted with Abel Super Series reels. I enjoy all trout water, but am partial to spring creeks. I don't want to say I have no budget, but I tend to buy on quality not price.

I really appreciate all of this input. Please keep it coming. To whom it may concern, this is a awesome site!

Sounds like you have good selection of rods, so I'd build one in the weight/action of your "Go To" rod, I'd recommend a Dan Craft blank. Dan's a great guy and an experienced angler and builder, he'll help you select the blank and components you need and help answer all your questions.

Spencer

Adrian:

Good selection of rods. I started out 38 years ago with a Sears 8 ft fiberglass Ted Williams special, I still have that rod.... Since then I built a 2wt up to 11/12 wt for myself. I too am partial to small spring fed streams. I have a friend that showed me how to build one after I asked a million questions. He had to, He was never going to get me to stop asking. I then went to a local rod builder and asked him to show me after I bought some of his flies. He gave me books and took me along to talk with Dale Clemens and Dick French. That was a while ago..... Anyway, ask a lot of questions, don't think anything is stupid, share your mistakes, keep reading and go somewhere that you can see a rod getting built. Look up your area and call the closest rod builder. They would probably be happy to show you. There are no secrets, no hidden agenda's, just pride in doing something that takes patience and skill. Besides, you may be their next costumer.

Randy

What does it take to get started?

1. Patience.
2. Tolerance for frustration.
3. Attenetion to detail.
4. Get a book on the basics.
5. Read lots on this forum.
6. Go to the photos page and browse around.
7. Buy a blank, guides, handle assembly, thread, etc, and go at it.
8. Be prepared to become addicted and have way more rods around the house than you could possibly need and then try to explain to wife just why you need all this stuff : -)

Good luck and enjoy

Scott

The National Rod Builders Show will take place in Charlotte, NC on February 26th and 27th. If you are near enough that you can attend, there will be a basic rod building seminar taking place both mornings at 10 AM. MIght be something to consider.

........

You don't need much training to get started. You may want to start with a less expensive blank (for practice) compared to some of those rods you already have, but you don't have to.

Web resources (very Useful!) - I suggest you go to Mud Hole tackle's web site (link from menu on the left of your monitor screen), then click on Rodbuilding 101 (menu on left of screen). This page contains links to a number of sites with instructions for the beginner ( and advanced builders). For a beginner, I recommend the Virtual Fly Shop (I think) site and Al Campbell's pages - although other sites may also contain good info for the beginner. This site (rodbuilding.com) has good information in both the FAQs page and in the Library.

Please ask if there are other questions we can answer.

The big problem in rod building, as I see it, is buying a blank that you will like as a finished rod, although you can't test cast it until the blank has been bought and work has been done in building it up. There are a few tools to help with the choice; I suggest you keep reading this sight and look for posts on the Cmmon Cents system I won't go into t he CCS here (because I'm tired of typing) but you may want to learn about it.