My recent component order was a complete flop. The guides i ordered are too small and the reel seat too large. What is the best way to figure out the proper sizes of these parts? I dont have any parts at home to compare. Are there general guidelines to go by for certain types of rods? thanks, mark

You need to read a book or two on rodbuilding, Mudhole and others offer them. Other good sources of info are the tutorial series that Mudhole has on line and in their print catalog, also Getbitoutdoors.com. Read the articles at the Anglers Resouce website (Fuji). All these companies are sponsors on the left. Your request for general guidelines is just too broad to be handled on a forum. Different techniques, lure weights, line test, line type, all drive differences in components, especially guides. If it makes you feel any better, I've been building for years and screwed up sizing on my last order on one component.

A couple are not that hard, though. For most casting rods, size 16 seats are fine. Many require you to provide the diameter of the blank where they will be mounted, then you don't need shims or tape. For most fresh water spinning rods a size 16 or 17 seat is fine. I like 17's because they are ergonomically better for me. 16's are too small for my hands (9 inches spread out, thumb to little finger), especially for a long day fishing.

Flex coat also has some really good tutorials on line. Especially valuable are there tutorials on epoxy, color preservative, grip turning, etc. Google search for something like "flex coat rodbuilding tutorial videos."

Based on your question, I think you need to do a lot of studying before starting that rod, and I would not start with expensive stuff. A kit from Mudhole, Getbit, or others is a good place to start. It would be a shame to screw up a $100+ blank. One thing that is undeniable is that with experience your builds will get better and better. But it will take some time and a good number of builds before you get really good.

Subscribe to Rodmaker Magazine. I guarantee that you will learn something new with every single issue. Also, go to a lot of the subjects on this site. You will learn from some very good builders. Keep in mind that not all agree on everything, so you can get some info that may not work for you. Utilize the library accessed at the top of this site. It has some very good info that you will find valuable.

Mark,
If you are not sure of component sizes and you order from a good supply house, call the supplier and explain the situation and ask them for help.
Most of the suppliers will do their best to get you the best match for your individual needs.

However, at the end of the day, it is the builder who makes the final determination on parts, so it is up to you to do your share of study and preparation so that you are better prepared as well.

If in doubt on something, take your dial calipers with you along with a notebook and take measurements from commercial rods that are being sold at various stores.
Compile your notes and use them as a starting point when doing builds and parts orders.

By the way, don't feel bad about incorrect orders, or perhaps better said to order parts that you don't end up using on a given build.

Virtually everyone that has built rods for any length of time will end up ordering and getting parts that either never end up being used, or end up being used on a completely different rod than what the part/s were originally ordered for.

One of the reasons that folks who have been in the building business for a long time have boxes of parts on hand. Likely a good chance that some of these parts will never end up being used for anything at all.

Be safe

Mark,
By the way, nothing wrong with wrapping guides on a rod and doing some test casting and then stripping off one or more of the guides to wrap on some different guide/s.

It is also not uncommon when one is doing some testing to strip off all of the guides and start over with a substantially different setup if the initial setup does not do the job for which was originally intended for the rod.

This is a very simple thing to do, as long as the guides are switched, before finish is applied to the thread.

It is also somewhat common to have to move one or more guides so that a guide can be removed from a guide setup to optimize the performance of the rod as well.

This is just part of the learning curve, that never really stops when one is in this vocation of building custom rods.

If you do make rods for clients, always be willing to listen to the client, both before the rod build as well as user comments on the use of the rod after it has been built. You may very well find that a client may want something changed on a rod that has been built for him because it does not suit him in some way. Again, just part of the task of the custom rod builder.

A good part of rod building, is to ask questions. If building for oneself, ask all of the same questions that you would ask of a client. Insure that enough questions are asked and answered to be sure to get the rod built that will be able to successfully answer all of the questions asked. But, again, experience will help to ask all of the right questions when initially starting a rod build.

Be safe

Guys, thanks very much for the advice. Im embarrassed because ive done lots of studying. I have read several books and watched lots of videos. I built 3 rods, 4 or 5 yrs back and im just getting back into it. On those first rods i followed manufacturers recommendations for components, guide spacing etc. This current project is my first truly custom rod i guess. It's a rod that i cant find in a factory model and its a rod i have a need for. It's a project thats ahead of my skill level hence my questions. Wished i had a rod building retail shop close to home where i could look at sizes of things and see what would work. I'll definitely follow advice from above. thanks, mark

BTW, im building a 7' downrigger rod for light line salmon fishing with 12lb line. Plan to use a shimano tekota 300 reel on it.

Mark,
The obvious choice for this rod would be a spiral wrap. I would l use something like a size 10 - 8 and 6 to the size 6 tip. You will not be casting this rod, and the size 6 guide will be able to handle leaders that you might encounter with this style fishing.

Since it is a downrigger rod, it will largely be used in a rod holder, so again, the obvious choice is an EVA grip with a 12 inch back grip and a 4 inch fore grip.

A nice picture of such a rod in use:

[www.google.com]
Good luck



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/22/2015 06:31PM by roger wilson.

thanks roger!

I called Batson and they were very helpful.....