I've seen it said so many times that pretty rods, or rods with bling do nothing, I have to totally dis-agree.

There is much to be said for a pretty rod, it shows so many things like: rod builder talent and care, fisherman that really enjoy their sport, it can create great conversations pieces that can spark lifetime friendships from just one meet on the water or at the ramp..... and the list just goes on and on.

The pretty rod can indeed help put fish in the live well of some anglers as well, by using a tool that they are proud to own and up their confidence level while using it. Confidence is BIG in the fishing game.

There are a lot of sides to this rod making deal, some we don't often think about. Lets not dismiss these sides just because we ourselves may want a dull black on black tool. Not a THING wrong with a rod built that way, nor in the far corner as well. It's all about pleasure, yours, his or hers.

DR

That is the difference between a - plain Jane / dull or a full or semi custom / pretty.

Pretty just costs more

Bill - willierods.com

I agree with you DR. I have been asked before if I was trying to catch fish or fisherman with my rods. The honest answer is both! And I don't see any reason why you can't create a really beautiful rod that outperforms most if not all of the production rods on the shelf.

Also, if you have a rod that you really are proud of and you use it more often, it becomes your favorite and catches more fish. Why? Because you use it more often!

Matt Smith
Greensboro, NC

I have had a few guys that rarely use the rods because they are so affraid that they are going to get broken or damaged. I built two G-loomis Ultra-lights and a SCIV St.Croix for a buddy of mine and he bought an oak rod rack and said that he just keeps em in the garage and the neigbors come over and look at them. It took a year of me bugging him before he fished with them.

Steve Bro
(BroCo Custom Rods)

Heck when I build any for myself I usually make em plain Jaines ??? LOL To laze to put all the Pretty on, just want to fish em

Bill - willierods.com

When you have 15 of my rods sitting in the boat on tournament day, you're not going to pay for me to spend the time wrapping thread.

There are aesthetic benefits to plain ol' black. It always matches the colorful reels out there, when you bust off a guide - there's no concern about the new thread matching against the faded thread wraps on the other guides, you can use any brand of black thread on repairs - and it matches, and so on.

Not to mention if you're sponsored by X, and using Y, black rods make it real easy to say "its a prototype".

In today's market, the all black rod is beginning to really stand out on the rod rack... it's the darkest color of the rainbow currently available.

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AD

it's the darkest color of the rainbow currently available...

I have seen rainbows with purple in them,but not black. ;) :D

By all means...not knocking plain black rods at all...just saying the "pretty" ones can perform as well as the plain ones.

Matt Smith
Greensboro, NC

Matthew Smith Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> By all means...not knocking plain black rods at
> all...just saying the "pretty" ones can perform as
> well as the plain ones.

Amen Matt, and it doesn't take hours of thread work to pretty up a rod either. I've yet to see any rack rod that can touch (performance wise) a pretty rod made by a good builder with his eye on weight and quality.

DR

You bet! And it catches the eyes of others.

Just by seeing at a distance they know it is a special hand built rod and should perform as well as it looks.

Bill

Ohio Rod Builders

Canton, Ohio

I second Duane's comment -- it doesn't take hours of threadwork to make a rod pretty. In my opinion, the prime contributor to "pretty" is color selection -- at least that's what folks notice first when you're fishing on the beach, for instance. Whether the blank is black or colored, chosing primary wrapping thread and trim color(s) that set the blank off -- colors can be subtle or blingy -- is what catches people's eyes. Even all black with the slightest bit of color in trim rings can be pretty. Matter of fact, a rod I built recently on a black blank using the reel seat from MudHole with the red trim piece, split grips of black EVA, and black wraps with narrow metallic red trim rings, looks really slick.

In total, having the threadwork, even if simple, compliment the blank, reel seat, guides, and grips is what I think makes "pretty."

Bilgee

I’m in the middle here I enjoy looking at pretty rods and like black as well.

But I have found (at least for me) a definite benefit to adding some color to my rods. While color may not cause the rod perform any better or worse. Color in a rod improves my efficiency and time management while competing on the water.
When I have fifteen rods on the deck and look down to grab or exchange on for another. I don’t have to figure out which rod to grab.

I know my big crank bait rod has yellow thread and the rod for smaller crank baits is a black/gold twist threaded rod.
Sinko rod- green metallic with metallic copper trim bands.
The frog rod- black with red
Pitching stick- clear silk
Flipping stick-black on black
Shaky head- blue blank with blue metallic and gold trim
Drop shot- blank with gold
And so on
So while colors in themselves may not improve the rods performance.
The little bit of “pretty” improves my performance which means less time rummaging and more time casting, and that improves my chances of catching additional fish which in turn improves my chances of cashing a check.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/18/2010 08:58PM by Steve Gardner.

Just my thoughts.
While fishing I never recall looking at the rod another is using. What I am interested in, is if he's killing 'em, what pattern is he using and what technique. Most show off rods after the fishings over.
I'm much more envious of the guy that out fishes me not his budget for tackle.

Eugene Moore

I just do flyrods. You would not put a lot of color on them because they appear "GODY" or however you spell it. I do spend hours figuring out how I am going use a couple of colors that will make the rod stand out from any rack rod. If you look at Dave Lewis's work at performanceflyrods.com you get the picture. These are pretty flyrods all right but done with an artists view of color. I am struggling right now weather I should go with small NCP gold or grey trim wraps with garnet on a matte blank. Or should I have a single inlay of braid. This is where I have a lot of fun. A fishing rod is an instrument to catch fish with and nothing more. It will get dirty, get scratches and maybe some big scratches if you fall with it. It's alot like hotrods. You can keep the thing in garage and admire it or take it out and have some fun with it while telling people you built it yourself.

My theory is "You may not catch fish but you'll look good doing it."
You can't make a good fisherman out of a bad one just by using a custom rod but it helps to look the part! If that transposes into someone who takes pride in their equipment and who takes enjoyment in using something uniquely hand crafted to a new level then the job of the custom rod builder has been achieved.

Regards
Mark.

Well out here on the OTHER coast, pretty is in. I think a lot of the guys who buy the totally tricked out rods just seem to fish harder so someone DOESNT come up to them and say "Well I see you have the gear but you couldnt catch a fish without dynomite." It is a real beat the jones mentallity. It kind of goes along with Marks Theory but from another direction. I think it just makes people try harder to be successful so they can show off. What ever the case Pretty sure made making rods more fun and profitable for me.

"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder***author unknown " *** how true!!!
I like to have my rods catch someones eye-when asked where/what store it was bought, I respond I built it and usually I am told @#$%&- I am no more than a beginner, believe me I already have known that for more than 30 days let alone 30 years. I have noticed that my grand childrens fishing rods get a lot of looks and comments (usually favorable) Makes me feel great and the grandkids are proud to use those rods.

Mark

I thought THIS was the other coast? I know this is both a east coast and west coast board. The gulf to I guess. I just build whatever the customer asks for. Seems to work for me.

No way will I be able to sell an all-black rod, and I wouldn't make one for myself. Why? Given the situation developing down here, if I laid a black rod down on the beach, it would blend with the oil and be impossible to find.....

I have been following this thread with great interest. Wanted to jump in with a responce but couldn't find the proper wording with my thinking/feelins. Then it hit me. "Pretty" just isn't the right word to go with my rods. I have never tried to make a custom rod "Pretty". I very much prefer the word "Handsome" along with color-coordinated, highly functional and light. To accomplish this, most of the 'decor/bling' is put in the butt -handle area to maintain balance and a lightness/sensitivity in the front sections of the rod. All is tied together with a coloring, geometric theme. The uniqueness, handsomeness and one-of-a-kindness of each of these highly functional, light fishing sticks is a great source of pride and satisfaction to both the builder and the recipient. I can build a highly functional, plain Jane, black rod in my sleep! It simply becomes a source of income, a business deal. I do not want this fascinating, fun, creative hobby to become merely business, so I continue to strive to perfect the finer skills of the art/hobby and build 'Handsome', functional sticks.