How many times do we get asked this! I have my reasons but what do you tell folks who. Ask you?

Kenne

In a nutshell...you can get something better than what you can buy off of a rack in a store that is built to fit your particular needs and specifications, rather than a rod that was mass produced in hopes of taking care of those preferences. A rod that will fit you and, if desired, a rod that looks like no other in the world!

Kenneth,
The simple reason to build custom is that a custom rod can be built in a way that is unique and can contain components that are not available in a production rod.

Another reason is to upgrade a rod that the manufacturer has cut corners on to meet a price point. For example, the Winston Passport was a great rod in the 3-5 weights, but the components and the finish were cheap. Building the blank with top components and attention to detail yielded a rod that had looks and performance far superior to a $200 factpry rod.

Necessity. Because the rod you need isn't available on the rack.

To keep me busy and out of my wife's way!

Typical examples where custom is necessary:

1. Angler A wants a broomstick flippin rod with micro guides. This guy loves micros and wants to start with a 6 single foot stripper and transition to 3s all the way down. He's convinced it will hold up for his style of fishing and he has cash in hand ready to burn.

2. Angler B wants a slick looking steelhead rod that looks like a fighter jet in order to show up his buddies on the few times a year he makes it to the river with them. He's willing to pay double what a production rod goes for to achieve his desired look, or better yet, wants someone to show him what's possible with a custom option.

3. Grateful Employee C wants to present his career-long mentor with a retirement rod to place over the mantle at his fishing cabin. He's requesting a piece of art with custom wood, thread, etc and money is no object.

4. Picky Angler D needs a regional application specific rod that just plain doesn't exist in the production world yet.

5. Insert your own example in another post, this could go on forever I'm guessing. Every angler needs a custom rod, even if they don't know it yet.

-The Batson TEAM
BatsonEnterprises.com

Phil Erickson Wrote:
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> To keep me busy and out of my wife's way!

And it's something I've discovered that I like doing.

I don't build "custom rods"
I build finely tuned precision instruments, that perform better then anything else they can get their hands on
If they choose to call them custom rods that is fine.
I call them tools specifically built to perform with a higher degree of efficiency, thus improving their results.

I consider my rods to be highly functional works of art, and I just feel good using something that is as good or better than what the richest person in the world can buy on the market. The biggest difference, aside from asthetics, between a custom rod and a factory rod is the structural integrity in the grip/reel seat area. Next comes the quality of the cork, if you use cork. Factory rods just don't have good quality cork. You think it's good until you look closely, and you find a really big dose of fill.

Next comes the meeting of specific needs for the fishing techniques you want to employ, from rod power, action, guide selection (including appearance in all its forms, finish, weight, sizes, placement optimized for the blank, materials that meet the corrosion and strength requirements you have).

Finally, look at some of the works of art in the magazine, works of art from all over the world, and you will have the final reason to build. You want to get that good. You want to produce something really superior in all aspects of its being.

I usually just let the person answer that question for themselves. All you really have to do is answer their question with a question like "Tell me about what you fish for and describe your favorite fishing rod for that purpose." Listen carefully to what they say and then follow that up with a question like "If you could change one thing about that fishing rod, what would it be"?

If they can tell you something they would like to change, then they've answered their own question, you can then discuss how you could make that change a reality. If they respond with something like, "I wouldn't change a thing", then you have much less of a chance to make a case for a custom rod for this particular person. And that's okay too.

Steve Gardner Wrote:
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> I don't build "custom rods"
> I build finely tuned precision instruments, that
> perform better then anything else they can get
> their hands on
> If they choose to call them custom rods that is
> fine.
> I call them tools specifically built to perform
> with a higher degree of efficiency, thus improving
> their results.

I really like this answer. Some day I hope to be able to say the same.

All of the responses above are correct and true, but there is another reason I build custom rods. I remember many years ago listening to an interview with a man who had climbed Mt. Everest. He was asked why he climbed the mountain. His answer was simple. He said "Because I can".

That is another reason I build rods: "Because I can."

During my life, I have met many people who can read and write poetry, draw pictures, create beautiful oil paintings, write and play music, and even write novels or short stories. I seemed to lack any of those creative abilities. It is as if my soul is barren of creative talent.

However rod building has changed that. When I decide to build a rod I try to develop a picture in my mind of how the rod will look when it is finished. The use of wood for grips, the use of myriad of colors of thread has increased my ability to make my rods unique. I started using Inlace for decorating my grips about 7 years ago to put rings on my grips. Recently I began to use Acrylic esters for reel seat inserts. While I may not have a creative soul, I now make my rods a bit more distinctive and unique.

As a 77 year old, I find my fingers are not as nimble and my eyes are not so good either. I just moved from a 3.0 diopter lens in my Optivisor to a 7. I'm now looking for a 10. I know that the nimbleness of my fingers and the aging of my eyes is not going to improve. But I will continue to build custom rods as long as I can.

Mike Blomme