I might ramble a bit here, so please bear with me.

I would like to take up fly fishing. Mainly I will be fishing for Steelhead from the fall to spring, and smallmouth during the summer months. I would also like to pursue trout, but since they are not present in Ohio streams (except for the steelhead), I would have to make special trips out of state to acccomplish that, but honestly, i don't think I would have a special rod just for that purpose at this point in time.

I have been looking at fly rods and reviews of them, but with my budget, I am not happy with what I am seeing. I had planned on spending up to $300 for a rod and reel. The rods I am seeing that I like are $400 and up. While that is going to break my budget, I can rationalize it knowing that I am happy with it, and that a purchase of a new rod in the future would be of a different weight to handle different conditions, not to upgrade. The problem of breaking my budget leads me to my question. Can I build a flyrod for around $200 that rivals the more expensive models of rods? The next question is, would you attempt it if you have not built a rod before? In hindsight, the second question is a bit more important than the first, as I know it takes alot of skill and patience to build rods, and that is what determines whether or not that the rod will perform correctly.

I am relatively handy and patient. I have alot of time in the evenings, so I am really in no hurry. My lone spinning rod will get me through till I get another rod or two.

Thanks for the forum, and looking forward to your responses.

A Smith

By the way, where can I pick up a copy of Rodbuilders magazine?

im not sure about building fly rods as im still on my first rod (light spinning) but soon ill be building my first fly rod...

i know this isnt what you were lookin for but this is some info that might help you with your budget....

in fly fishing the 2 most important things are the rod and flyline...the reel is just something to hang the line on so to speak haha...so spend on the rod and fly line more than buying the best reel

Hi Aaron,

Welcome to the forum. As for getting your hands on the back issues, look to the sponsor list to the left, you can get back issues there. There is also a CD coming out soon with all the back issues

As for your price range on building a fly rod, absolutly you can build a very nice rod for around the price you want. The sponors to the left here have kits you can buy and they are great for first time builders. I bought the Sage SLT 9' 5WT Kit from Mudhole for less than $300 and that rod could sell for over $500 (factory made)

I agree with Jon on the reel. I own a Ross C-2 Cimmaron, new it cost me around $200(about 4 years or so ago). BUT I bought a Scientific Angler reel for my daughter, cost me $25.00 and I totally love this reel. So you can find a reel that is pretty inexpensive and it would probably last you a few years depending on how well you take care of it.

Hope this helps

Regards

Scott

The reel is secondary at this point. While I think the reel matters a bit more on the heavier weight rods, I feel I can get a decent reel and not spend over $75.

I have been checking out the sponsors for the last couple of days. I am finding alot of information, and the more I read about actually building the rod, the more comfortable I feel.

How long did it take you to build your flyrod Scott?

A Smith

Aaron, you can build a fly rod in a day if you want to hit it hard but the fun is in taking your time and doing it at your own leisure. Enjoy the journey, it's not just about the destination. Oh, and btw, you can build an outstanding rod for $100 complete these days, that can rival anything out there for several times that much.

Aaron,

Be careful about building a fly rod, you might like it so much you keep on building more and more of them!

It is easy to find rods and kits that are great rods and can be built for less than $200. My favorite small trout rod is fiberglass and cost less than $100 to build.

As far as the reel, if you are fishing trout or even smallmouth, almost any reel will be fine. But if you are serious about steelhead, a reel with a good drag system is important. But saying that, you can find good reels for little money. Scientific Anglers supposedly make good reels, though I have never tried them. I use Orvis reels exclusively, and have five different models of Orvis reels. They are not overly expensive and work wonders with little maintainance. I caught my first few steelhead on their cheapest model, the Rocky Mountain.

I'm always happy to discuss blanks if you would like. There are many out there that are wonderful, without the fancy prices. I've dealt with many of the sponsors to the left side of this page, and have had nothing but wonderful experiences with all them, so you can't go wrong with any of them.

Wayne

My first rod took me about twenty hours to build. Now, it takes about 2-3 hours from start to fishing (not counting drying time) for a very basic build. Fly rods aren't any more time consuming than spinning or casting rods...in fact, a lot of fly rods are quicker as they have smaller wraps and less complicated handle assemblies.

You can definitely build a quality rod for less than $200 in materials. Batson, Dan Craft, and St. Croix all make blanks that will fit that spec. The Batson Forecast RX6 line would be the cheapest blank-- the 907-2 runs about $30! Another $40 for components and glues and you're in at $70 for your first rod!

Make sure you spend another $20 for a quality instruction book. The owner of this site, Tom Kirkman, wrote a good one...

If you aren't feeling up to the build, Temple Fork fly rods are a decent deal, although they're made overseas. St. Croix's mid-range rods are made in America, but will run you $250+.







Scott Kinney
The Longest Cast Fly Rods
[www.thelongestcast.com]

well, if my steeheading buddy is to be belived, the reel is very important when fishing for steelhead. a large arbor is needed as well as a good drag.

as for actually building a good fly rod, of course you can. and should! everyone here who turns out great work once began their first. and my first came out remarkably well for a beginner. well, sure, there were some "mistakes" but nothing which kept it from catching fish. this web site is a great resource by the way. use the search feature to bone up on the basics and jump on in.

eric
fresno, ca.

A large arbor reel with a nice drag is a bonus for steelhead...but by no means necessary. Heck, I caught dozens of steelhead as a snot-nosed kid with a Cortland Crown II click drag reel that must have cost all of $20. Nothing like palming the rim (to create drag) while a steelhead careens down a class IV falls...and that's a *western* steelhead... I fished the WI and MN tribs for a couple years and while it was fun, the fish aren't anywhere near as large and powerful.

Any of the mid-range reels ($100 or so) will be just fine...Orvis Battenkill mid-arbor or BBS, Pflueger Trion, Loomis Venture, SA System 2L, STH MR-POP, etc. An Okuma Sierra ($40) will do OK in a pinch; a lot of guides out here use them on their boat rods because they're cheap and durable. I have caught a couple fish on the Sierras (have 'em on my demo rods) and they hold up fine.

A line in the $30-40 range will round out the outfit nicely.



Scott Kinney
The Longest Cast Fly Rods
[www.thelongestcast.com]

Hi Aaron,

I think you can build a very nice flyrod for 200 US$ without a big problem. Depending on your preferred casting style I would recommend to have a look at the following blanks: Batson RX7 and RX8, Temple Fork Outfitters Professional and TiCR. (I have built on all of them except the Professional from TFO and can tell you they are worth every cent spent on them).

The mentioned blanks will cost you between 60 and 120 US$ approx. if I' am not mistaking, what would leave you enough room for good quality components, a "Made in the U.S." or "Made in Japan" is not a negative point - my personal recommendation is to go with first class stuff in regard of reel seat, handle and guides.

Enjoy the full process of building the rod, from choosing the right components through buidling the rod itself and then the fist casts and teh first fish, its all a part of the full story. And no hurry will have a positive affect not just on the first rod you are building.


RGDS,
Ole
Ellerau/Germany

I'm with wayne on this one.
The biggest problem with building your own fly rod is that you know the next one will be better, and so will the next, and the next amd the next.........
and then you have to explain to your wife just why you HAVE to have all of these fly rods !!!
You don't have to spend a fortune, try something like the Tiger Eye at first, don't worry about it not meeting all of your needs, you will soon have so many rods that will cease to be a problem.
Good luck with it
Dave Olley
Scotland

Hook and Hackle is one of the sponsors listed on the left. They have some excellent, inexpensive kits and will be happy to answer any of your questions. I highly recommend them.

Jim

Arbor aside, what you need is a large outside diameter reel. The size of the arbor doesn't make any difference. It's the diameter of the line at the point on the spool that counts. A small diameter reel with a large arbor will take up line less quickly than a large diameter reel with a conventional small arbor. All the arbor does is determine your backing capacity for the same OD.

Check out the Rainshadow models for great fly rod blanks at very reasonable prices. I think they are as good as many of the so called premium fly blanks costing twice as much. $200 should be enough to build a very nice fly rod that will perform with anything costing $400 in a factory fly rod.

You can build a very decent Midwest Steelhead fly rod for right around $200. I chose a Dan Craft 8wt FT blank for my Steelhead rod and it works great. I went with Recoil guides and they've handled the fish I've landed so far real well. The Rainshadow/Forcast blanks (and their guides) would be another good choice and will end up costing the same. As for a reel, I use a Tibor Back Country (non-Cl bought it on clearance) which has a decent drag although a bit pricey. I'm building a 9wt (on a Forcast blank) for my wife and will be using a Lamson Velocity reel (bought it at Sierra trading on closeout) on it. I tried the Lamson earlier this fall and it worked very well with a 30" Steelhead I caught my last time out. For steelhead I like a reel with a better drag system so I try to find good reels that are going through a model change. A few years back the Tibor lights went to the CL models, this year the Lamson Lightspeed and Velocity reels are going through model changes so you can find them for roughly 1/2 off. Another good reel for steelhead that's fairly inexpensive is the Cortland Endurance (around $100)

I honestly didn't expect all these responses, so I'd like to say thanks for those who have taken time out to do so.

I am glad to see they are all positive. Doing more searching, I see I can get a blank, reel seat, cork and guides for right around $200, depending on the blank. I like the way the St. Croix rods have felt, so I am kind of leaning along those lines, but I am not positive yet. I am going to look at the Batson blanks as suggested, and compare the two.

I see the kits have everything that i need to build. Unfortunately, I don't like the way the graphite reel seats look, so I will be going al a carte on components.

I am looking for a 9' 7 wt rod. I don't see a need for a 4 pc rod yet, as I have a truck and transporting a 2 pc nine foot rod really wouldn't be a problem. The manufactures advertise the 4 piece rods as travel rods. I just see a bit more wrapping and the possibility of having more problems with 4 pcs as opposed to two. Are there any benefits to a three or four piece rod, besides break down?

I certainly don't see me building just one rod. I need a spinning rod, plus I love to surf fish, so that would certainly be on the agenda as well. I would like a 3 wt rod as well for panfish and smaller trout too. We'll see how this first rod goes.

As for reels, a large or mid arbor reel is probably best for steelheads here in ohio. I'll deal with finding a reel after the rod is built.

Was going to head to the river this weekend, but we were slapped back into reality here in Ohio. We have been used to 50-60 degree weather all of November it seems. It was 62 this morning, and now its sleeting, 30 mph winds and cold. All the rain overnight has swelled the rivers big time, and they won't clear out before moday or tuesday, depending on the weather. Guess I'll have time to look for blanks.....

Thanks again,

A Smith

Are the Rodmakers magazines available at newstands/bookstores?

Aaron, while I'm still a novice rod builder, 6 rods 1 spin, 1 cast, 4 fly. I am a 20+ year fly fishing vet, most of it for "large 3-10lb" trout and metalheads to 20+lb. Having used bamboo, fiberglass, and graphite from most, if not all, the "major players" in this arena I can honestly tell you the Batson line can't be beat for the buck. I recently built a 10' 7wt just for steelies, outfitted it with a Loomis reel for less than $150.00 total. Fishing? This thing is a casting machine and sensitive enough I would not hesitate to nymph with. Power? I recently, (last month) got roped into a trip to Minneapolis. I figured, WHY NOT, so I took my rod. Long story shorter, I hooked landed and released 1/2 dozen northerns in the 3-5lb range, and Large mouth to 5lb, the rod was beautiful. I can’t wait to get some time for my home rivers. Build your rod, take your time, enjoy.
Keith

Aaron-
I'm the most impatient guy out there, and find building fly rods well within my patience. My first rod took less than 6 hours of labor, now after having built (and rebuilt- I'm very good at breaking them) about 6-10, I average 2-3 hours.

I went with a cheap kit for the first rod to get the practice, now most are Sage rods. As I mentioned, I'm great at breaking rods, so I need the warranty on the blank. Whatever blank you decide on, get one with a warranty. I want my rods to last a lifetime, the only way I can ensure that is with a warranteed blank.

The first fly rod I ever got was a two piece, and I still regret it to this day. I think most 4 pieces are good enough now that you really can't tell the difference in action. It takes a little bit more wrapping, but well worth it. I guarantee you will get on your plane with a rod one day, and it is so much nicer knowing it is in the overhead compartment vs. trusting it won't get lost or stolen once it is checked in.

Also, think about single foot guides which = half as many wraps, which = less time to build and a lighter rod.

Don't get too caught up on "large arbor" reels. I catch 10 lb. bonefish on a regular arbor reel, and sure it causes a few more muscle cramps while cranking, but it still works fine. Look at the outside diameter of the spool, not whether it is large arbor or not. Many "large arbor" reels are the same size as a regular arbor, the only advantage is less backing which equals less weight.