Brand new to this whole thing, but I'm thinking this would be the winter hobby I've been looking for! I'm looking at a starter kit for my son, I think him building a rod of his own would be a great way for us to pass the winter months. I've been looking at mudhole and they have MHX starter kits that would definitely look great for my son, a good quality rod and a great look that he'd love showing off! A few questions though....

The kit I'm looking at includes a MHX reel, listed as a 5+1 BB setup. Does anyone have experience with these reels? Who makes them? are they a decent quality? As a comparison, he currently has a quantum accurist PT reel. Does it compare? IT would be nice to have a matching look reel, but not if it's not any good.

Mudhole has dipped marbled seats, do these hold up, or is the paint going to disappear quickly?

The starter kit they have for 149, does it have everything I need?

I'm sure I'll be asking a ton more questions in the future, thanks for having me!

I've no experience with Mudhole's kits, and will not express an opinion about the components other than to say it appears that Mudhole does a good job packing a lot of value into modestly priced kits.

Does it have everything you need? No. You will need epoxy adhesive, thread, thread finish, mixing cups, brushes, etc. As you have a reel, an alternative is a kit without a reel but with the consumables (adhesive, thread, etc.) you will need.

And if you get stuck on a problem, lots of folks on this forum willing to share.

I'm interested in hearing how good the reels are too. I'm thinking about buying one, but would really know how they hold up. Hopefully someone who has one will post a review.

I bought a st croix kit from mudhole for my first build, but they didn't include reel, epoxy, thread and such.. It included the blank, grips, arbor/reel seat and guides. The rod was pretty good until I got stupid and broke it. My own fault though. I was snook fishing with a 6-12lb rod in a spillway and grabbed a foot under the tip, pulled on it,. and it broke in my hand(stupid I know). Caught a couple 15+ lb snook on it before it broke though.

Hi Bob,

You will receive plenty of answers here, but your best bet for knowing what you need in addition to the kit, is to call Mudhole and speak with them. They would be happy to talk you through what you will need to order. And I believe their catalogue may even have some building instructions.

That being said, I recommend you order a box of number 11 scalpel blades with a handle. The blades are clean right out of the wrapper, sharp, and are easy to hold and cut with.

Take care,

Chris

Thanks for the info guys! What I'd really like to find in a nice high end blank shorter than 6 feet, and nobody seems to be going that way anymore. One of my favorite rods as a kid was a 5'9" med/light action jigging rod. Now everything in that action seems to be 6'6" or longer......

What you are looking for is called a shooter Rod so give MudHole a call and tell them what you are looking for in a kit and thay my be willing to sub the blank for the kit that you need.

[www.mudhole.com]

Glenn McMurrian

I believe the reels are customized Okuma reels, they have been selling them for some years now. Nothing that Cabela's and Bass Pro Shops hasn't done for decades.

I started off with a CRB turnkey kit and it came with everything I needed to get started. It has the basic stuff that you need to build a rod. I have since purchased numerous other things to improve my rod building. I dont know anything about the marbled seats. I know you can do it yourself but havent marbled a reel seat as of yet. I have marbled eva and the rod blank with some pretty neat results. Cant speak to the MHX reels either. Like Spencer mentions, you might be better off just ordering a Cabela's reel. I have a salt striker that I use for bluefish, cheap reel but gets the job done.

Hey Everyone

Just wanted to touch base on a few things in this thread.

We have multi-option rod kits that allow you to basically pick your rod, handle type and material, application (spin/cast) and even your guide colors. They can be found here:

[www.mudhole.com]

They do not come with supplies - If you need an all-in-one starter type supply kit - I would suggest this (our best seller):

[www.mudhole.com]

We also have some great turnkey kits (rod kits plus all the supplies) well priced to help people get started - here:

[www.mudhole.com]

As far as the MHX reels - we have our Pro Staffers test our blanks AND reels prior to release - they are alot of reel for that price and can be found here:

[www.mudhole.com]

Thanks all - tight lines!

Regards.
Team Mud Hole Custom Tackle
Web: [www.mudhole.com]
Email: sales@mudhole.com
Toll Free Phone #: 1-866-790-RODS (7637)

Stay Connected with us:
FaceBook: [www.facebook.com]
YouTube: [www.youtube.com]
Instagram: [www.instagram.com]
Tik Tok: Tik Tok: [www.tiktok.com]
Twitter: @mudholetackle