Hello everyone,
I've been building for almost 8 years but this will be my first fly rod.
What is a good way to start? I see kits from Mudhole that look very attractive and I have no problem beginning there if others think that it is a good idea.
I want something light for panfish or crappie. I want to get started but I'll wait to see what the members here have to say on the subject.
Many thanks.
John M.

Karen at Bingham Ent. to the left also has a dandy kit made on their SHX blanks.

John

With 8 years building experience, you know over 90% of what you need to know to build a fly rod - you just don't realize it. Nonetheless, a kit is a good idea to fix the cost, avoid false starts, and gain confidence quickly.

The kit market is reasonably competitive and you get what you pay for. Most, but certainly not all, target the new builder and those seeking lower price points. Nothing wrong with that so long as your expectations are for functionality and utility and not stroking ego and vanity. So shop around the online retailers, make comparative lists of the contents of various kits and select a 4 to 6 weight rod kit you think the best value that strikes your fancy.

You did not indicate if you are a new or long time fly caster. If you are new to the fly, know that many are still stuck on stupid touting the virtues of the super fast, high modulus, glorified tomato stakes disguised as fly rod blanks. The good news is softer / slower actions are re-gaining popularity and fiberglass is making a comeback. Generally, the relatively slower actions are easier to learn to cast. If you are already a fly fisherman then you already know what you prefer.

In addition to purchasing a kit, search for and watch as many YouTube videos on fly rod building. Again, I suspect you know the vast majority of what you need to know, but the videos might be another way to build confidence. Yes, fly rod reel seats are in the wrong place, the grips are oddly shaped, and snake guides are a little different. But guides are guides, wraps are wraps, and finish is finish, so go for it.

As Donald said you have the majority of what you need for the build, and what he said about broom sticks disguised as fly rods is very true I gess there mistaking them for bass rods.
As he said fiber glass or E-glass cant be beet im a bit old school. I really like the Batson products as well as St. Q,
the one thing you want to do is pay close attention to the spine, stratest side normaly the same side.but not always If you Get the spine left or right of center the rod will twist under stress.

I built a 6-w rod on the stratest side only to test the difference in performance, when the rod was finished I put the rod in the spine finder and started to add 1/4 lb. at a time it took only the first weight the rod twisted about 10 deg. to the right as you
would hold it.

I now use it to let folks see for them selfs the differance in casting accuracy it missis the target to the right every time, you must compensate.
One thing I found also is the softer the rod the smaller the affect, the stiffer the rod more affect.

Curt
.

John The only concern I have with a rod kit is that they very often include several different size running guides (snake guides) when you only need one size. A typical 9 foot fly rod that you want to use a six weight fly line with needs one stripping guide (size 10 or 12) and the running guides. [Some fly fishers prefer two stripping guides.]

In terms of action this is really a personal choice. People who are just learning to fly cast often prefer a slower action rod. Information of the action of the rod, the power of the rod, and the feel of a rod can be found in a series of articles written by Dr. Hanneman. Just look up Common Sense System on the materials on the top left of this page. Last year I built a Pac Bay Quickline fly rod which is fast action and has the best feel in a rod that I have felt in a long time. I'm planning on building a Batson Eternity 2 fly rod this summer---this is also a fast action rod. I wish you well on your project.

"I fish because I love to; because I love the environs where trout are found, which are invariably beautiful, and hate the environs where crowds of people are found, which are invariably ugly; because of all of the television commercials, cocktail parties, and assorted posturing I thus escape; because in a world where most men seem to spend their lives doing things thy hate, my fishing's at once and endless source of delight and enact of small rebellion; because trout do not lie or cheat and cannot be bought or bribed or impressed by power, but respond only to quietude and humility and endless patience; because I suspect that men are going along this way for the last time, and I for one don't want to miss the trip; because mercifully there are no telephones on trout waters; because only in the woods can I find solitude without loneliness;, and because bourbon out of an old tin cup always tastes better out there; because maybe one day I will catch a mermaid; and, finally, not because I regard fishing as being so terribly important but I suspect that so many other concerns of men are equally unimportant--and not nearly so much fun."

Robert Traver

Robert Traver was supreme court judge for the state of Michigan. I am only sorry that I did not have the opportunity to meet him. I have asked my wife to place this poem on my gravestone

Mike Blomme

Curtis, I do not understand how the guides on the bottom of the rod can twist uphill under weight? I can understand the theory of deflection along the spine, but as almost no one cast front to back on the same plane, the spine becomes irrelevant.