didnt do a proper hello when i joined so ill do it now :D

hi :) im about to finish my first rod thanks to all the help ive recieved from this forum. i really appriciate all the help guys...i did my first rod kinda ghetto but i like it

i bought one of the kits from mudhole as a first build and it turned out better than i thought it would for a first time (ill post pics if possible when its done)...also just want to say mudhole was an absolute pleasure to order from

this rod will be going on my wall for the rest of its life (6-12lb st croix) as it wouldnt be practical in the type of fishing i do(i go after huge fish 100% of the time...ex: 35+lb snook, 300+lb grouper etc etc)

st. croix blank, cork butt and foregrip, fuji reelseat, and not sure which guides

i used loctite 60 minute epoxy and i thought it was crappy to use as probably none of you use it but for $3 i must say it is super strong...i used gudebrod green thread(got it at local tackle shop for $1 for 400 yard spool...they have a bucket of thread colors they no longer use for $1 a spool) my fav color is green and the blank is green...i used flexcoat lite finish(from what i hear about threadmaster i think ill try that on the next rod i build) and everything was easier than i thought

1 more rod buildaholic to add the bunch!

thanks a lot to all of you and i hope in the future im able to help any of you

you can start by helping me :)where r those 35lb snook that you talking about ,sure love to fight one of those bad boy.I build my own rod for throwing bucktails @S.I .If you interested in my setup let me know .

i like that...you built it to hang it on the wall. I too have my first rod hung in the rack...but not for beauty reasons. Its kinda goofy looking because the reel seat is too far away from the first guide because i tried to slip the EVA foam grip on from the back which it only made it half way and had to splice it with PVC pipe and a steel rod which you can hear rattle every time you cast.

The guide wraps were done with sewing thread from wal-mart, half of the guides were finished in 5 minute epoxy and look a little rough. and the other half were finished with clear nail polish because i didn't like the way the epoxy looked...HAHA i look back at it now and laugh at how many times i messed up. But i do say i did catch a couple of spanish mackerels this summer on it. But i was young and dumb and have learned a lot by finding this site and reading on it daily, and just practicing and taking my time.

Good luck to ya on future rods, and try not to get pulled in by one of those big snook!