Hello lady and gents,

My name is Mike and I from Gainesville, FL and have been an avid fisherman since I was able to walk. I just finally decided to pick up rod building as my new hobby, and I'm excited to start the process. I never could find rods that certainly fit my needs, so I figured this is the best way to fill that! My first rod build will be for my fishing bud, as I told him he would be the test subject. We generally fish the saltwater flats for trout, reds, snook, and tarpon. I'm looking to find him a decent blank that would be great for tossing artificials(mirrodines, skitterwalks, etc). He wants a medium/heavy fast tip blank. Could you guys point me in the right direction for one that is in the moderate price range(I'm worried about getting a decent rod and messing up my first build). Any help would be greatly appreciated, and I'm looking forward to being a regular here!

Thanks,

Mike

Hi Mike,
I am new to rod building too, and I don't have lots of experience. I am not a saltwater fisherman (bass guy), so I can't suggest any particular blanks, but Batson Rainshadow blanks are a great place to start. They have a huge selection and good prices; plus If you order through Utmost Enterprises, you get a great discount on blanks and components. I am sure others will chime in on specific blank suggestions.
I have also heard great things about mud hole's MHX blanks, but have no experience with them.

Hello Mike
My first "new" rod was a MudHole "kit" rod, it was a heavy bottom rig.
It was a good place to start because they send you everything you need to build the rod and if you dont think you are going to like building you hav'nt put a lot into it, but if you do like to build your next one you might try buying it as componants.

From the small amount of info you gave I would suggest a MudHole kit, the ATCGS-3 for spin or ATCGC-3 for casting.
It has a 7' Blank with 20-30# Line wt, 1-4oz Lure wt, Med-Fast Action, Med-Heavy Power.
It comes with real seat, guides, winding check, EVA grips, and a gimble style butt cap.

Good Luck and "Welcome to the Addiction."

Bob,

New Bern, NC.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/28/2011 05:59AM by Robert A. Guist.

Hey Mike,

My best advice to you is to give a couple of the vendors to the left a call and ask them. The folks at Batson, Mudhole Bingham are IMO some of the best in both knowledge and customer service. They make a living at keeping Rod builders informed and have great knowledge of the various waters we all fish. Let them know what you are looking for and the spec's you want and they will take care of you. I have ben building for almost 40 years and I still ask questions so give them a call and trust me they will point you in the right direction.

Tight lines,

John Hernandez
SoCal

I would say start with a kit on your first build so you know what's all invovled in building a rod from the size of the reel seat to the winding checks to the guides you will need for your build. Most of the venders will help you with a kit or have some prepared.

If a company doesn't have a kit that seems to fit you needs, you can always ask them to make sure all the components you want will fit your blank of choice. Talk to the shop before placing an order, ask for advice. Many times they will pre-fit components for you so you will be sure to get compatible parts. Most shops are ready to help.

Kits are a good way to start. All the selection of componants are done for you. Mudhole has some good kits. Also some good instruction videos. They can help you with the supplies, and wrapper to get you going.
Rainshadow blanks are excellent. I like to use Midwesr Rod and Reel. They are excellent, and will also help you spec out the whole build.
Lance at Swampland also does a great job.
Good luck!

The kits seem fun; however, they also seem very limited to creativity...I always feel like I'm "selling out" buying those type of things. Or is it the best way to get started?

Michael, you're right,The only negative to a kit isthat more often than not the components are not going to give you the performance that you expect. I would suggest that you browse this sight thoroughly and check out the Library, FAQ, Glossary and Photo pages. I would also highly recommending that you pick up a copy of Tom Kirkman's Rodnuilding book (the best $15 you will ever invest in this addiction)

Not to slight ANY of the sponsors, I would suggest that you get a copy of Mudholes catalog (I believe that it's the only one that offers a print catalog) so that you can see what all the available options are and what they look like.

Above all, don't hesitate to ask questions

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!!

Yeah, I just got shipped my new small business starter kit from mudhole.com, and the book was included in the kit! Now it's just a matter of blank, guide, reel seat, and thread purchasing!

Michael -
Welcome! From here on out you will not own a pair of jeans that does not have stiffened epoxy spots; your dwelling will be a maze of seemingly endless tag ends of fine nylon and polyester threads; short pieces of adhesive tape will magically peel from your shoes everywhere; your hands (especially around the fingernails will have a hard shiny look - or feel sticky for hours. You will forget any television series you were engrossed in and "get lost" in the workshop for endless hours.

Hi there!
I am still a rookie as well.
I did my first few build with the cheaper Mudhole blanks. They are resonable in price and good blanks!
I did a build on a Batson RX8 blank and was very impressed as well.

Enjoy your new highly addictive hobby!

Decided to go with: MH Special IM6 7' 8-12lb. B.440 for my buddy, which will be used for trout and reds. Going to build a split grip handle for him as well. Now.....Anyone know of any decent sites to get thread from? Mudhole has some thread bundle kits for sale on there, but they seemed a little overpriced.