First, let me start off by saying that I am new here, but I have been reading posts here for quite a long time. The knowledge base here is awsome. I would like to start building my own rods, and who knows, maybe even turn it into a side job. I have a lot of free time. I am very good with my hands and am somewhat of a perfectionist. Until I get the hang of building custom rods, I would really like to begin with some cheap ( inexpensive) blanks. Some that if I mess it up, I am not out alot of money. Does anyone have any suggestions?

Thanks in advance.

Almost all of the Sponsors listed to the left of this page have websites that show their range of blanks and their prices. You can also call most of them for advice. They all have "entry-level" blanks, not necessarily cheap, but pretty inexpensive.

You didn't give us enough information about what kinds of rods you'd like to start with, for us to be able to help you with anything more specific than that. On the other hand, it might be that what you can afford will determine what you will build at first. That's perfectly OK, but it means you're gonna have to do some research as suggested above. Eventually you need to narrow your search by the type of rod you want to build. It's sort of a Catch-22 - first you need to find an inexpensive blank, then pick what kind of rod you want to build from the blanks in your price range, but you sort of need to know what you want to build in order to know what to look for.

I might have some suggestions for you if you want to email me privately, too, and no, I don't sell blanks so I'm not going to tell you to buy something I sell.

Uncle Russ
Calico Creek Rods.

Like Russ said, more info would be helpful. You might want to go to Fishstics4U on the left and check out the Forecast line of blanks. Good blanks/good price! Very good value Foe a step up check the Rainshadow line. That being said, most of the companies, St Croix, Pac Bay, American Tackle also have some inexpensive lines. Tiger Eye blanks are also a great value!

Mike (Southgate, MI)
If I don't want to, I don't have to and nobody can make me (except my wife) cuz I'm RETIRED!!

Charles, Check Acid Rod, on the left, they have blanks on special. They might have something you like.

JBH

Charles, by all means , check out all the sponsors on the left. They will go out of their way to take care of you. Mark Griffen at Acid Rod for instance, is a professional Rod Builder. He has great shipping prices also.

jbh

Don't Leave Neal out of the list guys....I KNOW he has blanks at a more than reasonable price for the beginner.



Derek L. McMaster
Rohnert Park, CA

Born to Fish, FORCED to Work

Just about all the sponsors have some low cost blanks that are very nice. But even if you spend a bit more and get a higher end rod and "mess it up", you aren't really out of anything. Just strip it and do it again. Something you'll want to learn to do anyway for repair or refurb work down the road. I think if you ran a poll, you'd find that a lot of guys here spend as much time, if not much more, doing repairs which involve stripping existing stuff as they do building rods from the ground up.

I guess I'm from a different school, I bought the blank I wanted to use right off and built my first rod. I talked to a few builders and they explained to me that it's pretty hard to not get a decent rod if you take your time and pay attention to details as you go. Anything you don't like can usually be fixed, guide wrap don't look right, redo it, etc.Spending money on a blank and parts you probably won't use much afterwards just seemed like false economy to me.

Thanks a million guys. I guess that I never gave it much thought, as far as if I don't like it I can redo it. I have checked out several of the sponsors on this page, and they all seem to hve really good prices. More than likely I will start with a rod that I want, rather than settling for something to just practice on. Besides, I have several rods that are in need of repairs, so I could practice on them. By the way, I am a hard core bass fisherman, therefore, all of my rods will be built for that purpose. I would like to eventually replace all of my store bought rods with rods that I built. Again, thanks a million. I will definitely be keeping a close eye on the site.

Charles,

If I can make a suggestion, I would really encourage you to first get a copy of Rodbuilding Guide by Tom Kirkman. It will be the best $15 you will spend. It will give you step by step instructions on every phase of building (and explain why). It's a great beginning to a horrible, life changing addiction!!

Mike (Southgate, MI)
If I don't want to, I don't have to and nobody can make me (except my wife) cuz I'm RETIRED!!

Mike, that sounds like a really great idea. That would probably save me a lot of time and headaches. Thanks for the advise.