I have never built a rod, but have been tying saltwater flies for several years and think I would enjoy rod building. I want to try a 6 or 7 weight fly rod as my first attempt. I have read the FAQ section, a couple of books, and other on line sources but would like a little more feedback on what I need to get started. I obviously want to save money, but want to avoid being frustrated as well. Are the all-in-one kits (ie the Flex coat beginner's kit) worth the money, or would I be better off buying supplies seperately? I'd like to take a minimalist approach but still end up with a product that I am happy with and that would make me want to keep building. Thanks for any suggestions!

Pete

Pete, I think if you call most any of the suppliers down the left you will find that they are extrememly helpful and will work with you to put together a "kit" of the stuff you will need. I've also found that of the suppliers I have worked with, that they don't tend to try and throw extra non-neccessary things in when they are not needed. Pretty stand up group overall. My best experience has been with Custom Tackle Supply, super nice and will talk rod building for as long as you have questions.

Hey Pete,
I'm have only been doing this for a little over two years and have made about 10 fly rods. I have been salwater flyfishing for over 20, fresh water over 40. My favorite so far, (I;m on a limited budget mind you) is a Batson #IF976 which is a 9&1/2' med./fast 7 weight 2 peice. The blank list for $80.38 in this years catolog but our vendors will cut a good prtion off that and you can build a nice set up for around $100. Although I have several big name rods in the 7/8/9 weight range, but somehow I almost always grab this rod for insore / flats fishing. I'm sure there are alot of other guys here w/ much more experiance than I that will chime in but for me this is a @#$%& of a rod for the $$$. Also I like having the extra 1/2' out in the open water as most of my rods are 9'. Good luck!

Snooker Pete

Check out Mudhole, they've been very, very good to me.

I bought the flex coat all in one kit and it was very helpful. I've only been doing this a few months and have built 5 rods with the flex coat kit. I just had to order some more supplies and I'm working on my 6th rod. Just my two cents.

~Jon

There is certainly something in angling that tends to produce a serenity of the mind

The kits are certainly sufficient, especially if you are not sure if you will want to do any more rods. But, your basic needs are these: Blank, Reel Seat, Cork grip ( I would buy a preformed grip if this is your first build) a set of guides, thread, rod wrapping finish (whichever type you like) and a tip top guide of course, some guide sets come with a tip top but most do not because of the different sizes. For your wrapping finish you should either use U-40 Permagloss or a light build epoxy finish. You will need a wrapping stand with a thread tensioner, it can be something you made your self or one of the many reasonably priced ones that can be purchased from most of the sponsors here. I made my own because of very limited funds at the time of my first rod, I have since found that it works quite well and have had no need to purchase one. I am also a gun nut and have a few gun cleaning racks laying around so I used an MTM sighting and cleaning rack, shortened the taller v to make the rod sit level and put a felt pad in the elbow to not scratch the rod. You will also want a hook keeper. there are several guide spacing charts available on line if your blank doesn't come with one, and you will want to attach the guides and weight line with a reel attached before you wrap them to check your spacing, even if the blank comes with a spacing chart, they almost always require adjustment, you want equal pressure on all of your guides when the rod is loaded. There are methods tips and tricks all over this forum for everything I mentioned here. Hope it helps.