I'm curious how you guys built experience during your early rod building days. Did you just build completed rod after completed rod or did you focus on specific tasks in between completed rods?

I'd like to build experience and I can easily practice wrapping guides over and over on a blank or even a dowel, but how about perfecting rod finish?

I guess what I'm asking is, if you had to do it all over and start with virtually no experience, would you build complete, functional rods with average cosmetics until you built up some experience or would you have focused more time on certain tasks before releasing your rods out into the world?

As always, thanks for your time!

Both approaches work, if you have access to scrap blanks or pieces of them, practice wrapping and epoxy finishing. Otherwise starting with inexpensive rod kits can be a good alternative.

I think most of us that have been building for a while, look back on our early finished rod efforts as some of our best learning experiences, and still enjoy fishing them, though they would not meet our current out put standards.

I started out by just going for it and practicing as I went. That's what those cheap Blem blanks were always for. Friends and family got a lot of rods in those early years. i still have some of my first rods. A lamiglass fly rod that I refuse to redo as it''s a reminder. the wraps are huge and not packed and the finish is just passable. Also a Fenwick spinning rod i build for Dad. If I knew then what i know now I would build it differently and better. I still pick up broken pieces to practice on.

I'd tell you to contact and talk to some of the experienced rod builders in you area. When I started out I went to a small class and kept in touch with the man who put it on. Through him I've met some really talented and experienced builders around the state. Also, this forum is full of all the experience out there so be sure to ask questions when they come up, I have learned a lot by just asking a simple question on this forum...

Lastly, just build and use some rods until you find what you works for you...I built plenty of rods that have failed after some fishing abuse, I just roll with the punches and learn.

Have fun!!

2nd Jon's comments.

If you can go to a rod building class for your first rod - it will be of tremendous help.

The teacher is there to assist, make suggestions and answer questions.

So much easier to have the help of a talented rod builder on your first rods. A good teacher, can quickly stop you when you are doing something incorrectly and get you back on the right track without doing any bad work.

Be safe

Would you say that there's a dead giveaway when looking at a newbie's rod? Poor finish? Lousy guide wraps?

I live in Pennsylvania between Reading & Harrisburg and will try to locate some local builders. I haven't found any rod making classes in my area yet.

Good tips, thanks again!

Hi,

In the 70's everything was a secret. Very hard to get info. Dale Clemens catalog and book was a great help. I started by fixing and rebuilding our family rods. Then I tackled repairs. Repairing rods is a great teacher. Joined RodCrafters in the 90's and those master builders from around the US of A shared all their info and experience with me and other budding rod builders.
No internet in those days.

Capt Neil Faulkner

'Double down' on Capt Neil's post. I too started with repairs (fixing & rebuilding my own rods). I know I learned more from repairing rods than building 'scratch up'. I got to see first hand all the things that, for one reason or another, just didn't work - as well as those that did. As others have posted - find a local rod builder of some repute - someone who has already put in the time learning. 90% of good to outstanding builders will happily share what they know. Note too that local fishing clubs will also host seminars by builders and some companies also hold classes -- MUDHOLE comes to mind on that last score

'Double down' on Capt Neil's post. I too started with repairs (fixing & rebuilding my own rods). I know I learned more from repairing rods than building 'scratch up'. I got to see first hand all the things that, for one reason or another, just didn't work - as well as those that did. As others have posted - find a local rod builder of some repute - someone who has already put in the time learning. 90% of good to outstanding builders will happily share what they know. Note too that local fishing clubs will also host seminars by builders and some companies also hold classes -- MUDHOLE comes to mind on that last score

I went to the Mud Hole class and that was a great experience for me I learned a lot, but I also learned that I didn't know anything compared to what I need to know. They need a second class (advanced) for people who have had the first. I have learned a great deal from this board and reading. My biggest issue is still the finish I struggle with that. It could teach you finish, how to measure and buy things like handles grips and guide placement a list of things you don't get in the two day class. Phil

Nothing wrong with having an ugly duckling or two in your rod rack, I'm sure most of us have a few. A few of them "ugly ducklings" taught me how to remove guides and strip off old finish. It's also how you learn to replace grips and seats.

Over the years, I have made a point to rebuild any of my rods with which I have not been satisfied. Maybe different guides, or perhaps a different grip and or reel seat.

Not tough to keep all of your rods current.

Be safe

My first build was a "kit" that I told my wife I wanted for my birthday..just to try it out. Once I had built a couple rods, I began to beg my friends and family to "just give me money for parts and I will build you a better rod." There are still some family members and close friends that I do this for. Practice as much as your finances (and your in-laws' finances) will allow. The clearance blanks at any of the suppliers on the left are a great place to start. Garage sales are a good supply for minor repair jobs that will keep your hands on rods. I like to pick up stuff at garage sales, repair them and give them to kids at my church or other kids I know. I figure the more high quality practice I get, the more apt I am to get a consistent result with a finished product.

I got into this field by reading Dale Clemens' book over 30 years ago. Then I ordered from his catalog and did the best I could. My first few rods were fishable but lacked true quality, looking more homemade than custom. I have two of the three left and consider them treasures, despite their obvious shortfalls. Today's novice has an entire world of information to them. This forum is invaluable. Each time I post a question, I always get several different approaches to solving my problem. Most large suppliers offer 'how to' videos. All of the major video programs offer an endless supply of informational videos on all kinds of subjects. Don't expect perfection out of the gate. Make something you like and learn from it: repeating the things you did right and improving the things you are not satisfied with. Just like tying your shoes, it takes practice.

I started with a Mudhole class which gave me all the basics start to finish. After that I just built and practiced to become proficient. I'm a decent builder but still have a lot to learn. I learn a lot just from logging onto this board and others on a daily basis. Ask questions and you will get quite a lot of good advice.

Steve Hartzell
Lake Conroe - Willis, Texas

I'm currently in the "finished rod after finished rod" category. I've got 4 under the belt and love it so far. Just bought a reel for the fifth. Gonna start looking at blanks now.

I started out a long time ago in an information vacuum learning how to repair and rebuild the stuff my friends and I broke as kids. Later, when I was about 12 or so, I discovered that the local tackle store owner had a pile of old rods in various states of damage and need of repair, and I happened to be there the day he was taking some of them out to the garbage. I asked him if I could take them and all he asked me was "are you going to get in trouble with them?" I said no, and he said okay take them. I took them home, sorted them out, and found 8 or so among the pile that I figured I could repair and put back into service. My mom offered some advice on how to study how they were assembled as I disassembled them, and my dad helped with teaching me how to use his lathe and drill press to make and fix some parts and how to use materials like brushes, varnishes, paints, and adhesives. By the time I finished the last rod, I had learned enough to realize I could repair a couple more challenging rods that before seemed too severely damaged. I set aside the two best looking repaired rods for the tackle store owner at my mom's suggestion and about a month later she drove me to see him and prodded me to show him what I did and how I did it. I didn't realize it then but I had just begun a rod repair business as a few days later people started calling our home being referred by the tackle store owner. I was able to fix about 1/2 the rods people dropped off, but some were beyond my understanding of how to fix properly.

It took me a few years to build my first rod from scratch, but I was armed with Dale Clemens’ newly printed book I received as a Christmas present and all the parts to build my first rod, a salmon rod to be built on a Fenwick 9' 10wt fly rod blank. It was the detailed planning of how I wanted to build and customize every part of that rod that hooked me for life. I built a few more after that and some 6-7 years after fixing my first rod I had honed my skills well enough to begin selling some rods to other people.

Fast forward 37 years or so, and I began to travel to various gatherings of rod builders. I met and became friends with a number of the legends of rod building, learned some new stuff I never considered, and sometimes was asked to give a seminar or two to share my knowledge or way of doing things other people were struggling to learn. While I was often the grizzled veteran among the group, I was amazed by the quality of work being displayed by people who attended just a few gatherings. Aided by the vast knowledge being openly shared by veterans some of the beginners, with just a couple months of experience under their belt, were producing rods comparable to the stuff that took me 10 years to learn to build. I've followed a couple guys work via the internet whose artistry has surpassed mine in just a year or so.

My advice is to get out there and meet other rod builders at every opportunity. Travel overnight if you have to or make a family vacation out of it. Find some way to network with other builders. Forums like this are helpful, but they can't compare to watching a master do their thing and being able to ask them questions during the process. The learning curve, face to face at a gathering where there are instructive seminars, is a much better way to learn the craft and artistry of rod building.