Hi All, i'm just getting into rod building, I built 2 trout flyrods back in the 1950s when I lived near the beaverkill and katykill rivers but now I live in Florida (Tampa Bay area) and I'm thinking of surf fishing (no boat). I would like to read all I can about surfrods I'm sure they are different than a trout rod and wonder if any one would could set me onto a web tutorial or good book to buy that will give me all the info from novice to pro. I have already started to gather rod building equipment and need information so that I buy the right equipment. Thanks for any help Nick R.

The below is four pages of links from this site on surf rod builds and questions . Before anyone can offer assistance you need to find out what you're looking for in a surf fishing rod , spinning /conventional , length , action , weight sizes expected to be throwing , fish being targeted , casting distance needs , line type and preferred test poundage, repeated casting of lures or dead stick fishing etc....


[www.rodbuilding.org]


For all around beach fishing i would recommend a 10 foot rod and most do nicely with a moderate fast action type of blank that handles 1-4 oz or 2-6 oz .

Rod Geeks has some amazing blanks for the money as does Rainshadow (Especially their new lineup) , many like MHX surf blanks and if real high end is what you want Herb L can get surf blanks from CTS .

[rodgeeks.com]

[www.rainshadowrodblanks.com]

[www.mudhole.com]

Thanks a million Herb, This is exactly what I need, also grips, guides, and anything relating to heavy salt water rods

Nicholas Riccardi Wrote:
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> Hi All, i'm just getting into rod building, I
> built 2 trout flyrods back in the 1950s when I
> lived near the beaverkill and katykill rivers but
> now I live in Florida (Tampa Bay area) and I'm
> thinking of surf fishing (no boat). I would like
> to read all I can about surfrods I'm sure they are
> different than a trout rod and wonder if any one
> would could set me onto a web tutorial or good
> book to buy that will give me all the info from
> novice to pro. I have already started to gather
> rod building equipment and need information so
> that I buy the right equipment. Thanks for any
> help Nick R.


Nick , i just re read your post and my above post missed answering some of your questions so my apologies. You say you're in the process of buying rod building equipment , there isn't anything that you need to buy specifically for building surf rods , all the stuff out there to build rods other than surf rods works on building surf rods . The length of your rod wrapping machine (If that's what you purchased) may benefit from having an extra 4 foot section to connect to it but it's not necessary .

I built all my surf rods from 8 feet to 12 footers on a long 14 foot plank of Poplar wood i bought at Home Depot and i constructed some V blocks , slapped a rotisserie motor on one end for drying and turned the blank by hand when wrapping them , very very simple . A surf rod will have a longer handle , a typically larger reel seat , larger reduction train guides if building as a spinner etc... nothing really different from other rods just on a larger scale . Don't go broke buying stuff you don't need UNLESS you plan on building regularly , this surf rod thing sounds like you want to build one or two.

If you know what reel you want to use with it that will be a big help.



OK i see you asked about handles and guides , can't choose guides until you decide on what reel but the best grip i have used that made me strip off my shrink wrap grips on my surf rods is the Winn grips , that stuff is really tacky and gives you and amazing grip, better than cork tape that many manufacturers use as grip material of their surf rods .

The " Rainshadow blank" link i listed in my first post shows what the Winn grip looks like in the Tuna Blue color, actually looks like Camo Blue my mistake , they're amazing . I attach directly to the blank nothing underneath .



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 02/05/2019 04:36PM by herb canter.

Thank You soooo much Herb for your rapid response. I have not chosen any rod wrapper yet or any other large equipment just waiting for a good tutorial that will explain what I must do. I think you are right I may be putting the cart before the horse,This forum seems to have a very large number of very good pro builders that are willing to help, I think I will concentrate on the reel and what fish that are available before doing anything further. All your suggestions will most likely be used, Thank you again Nick R.

Yes, this forum has many of the most knowledgeable & experienced rod builders to be found anywhere on the planet no doubt about it . So the Tampa area is your new home , i know how that is . I moved to an area on the N.C / SC border after 35 + years of living and fishing the NY , NJ coastlines so i used to go to book stores early in the morning when they opened and would stay the entire day reading every surf fishing book i could get my hands on specifically about this very new unfamiliar area i was living in . I did the same with every library i could find within 50 miles .

I didn't get my first computer until around 2009 so books was where the info was . After gathering all the info i could i realized many aspects were very different compared to what i was used to up north . Take your time and go check out some local tackle shops , get a feel for what fish species you would be most interested in targeting and then choose your equipment accordingly . Many folks that are not considered "Spring Chickens" with boundless energy gravitate to "Pier" fishing , i never saw a pier in my life until i moved down to this area, i walk the sand and fish around the various inlets , no way could i tolerate fishing on a pier lol. I will fish on the sand underneath the pier casting up and down it's length late at night but i'm gone when the sun comes up .



I have scoured the internet backwards and forwards looking for a QUALITY surf rod building tutorial for you and i cannot find a single one that is exceptionally good & i would recommend , just parts of tutorials that are good , 99.9 % of them are NOT surf rod tutorials just regular rod building tutorials. Will keep my eyes open.

RodMaker Magazine. Full, complete, detailed and specific on everything there is to know on building Surf Rods.

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Well there you go Nick , the info was right in front of our noses the whole time , Rodmaker Magazine , it does indeed have a very detailed tutorial on surf rod building.

Thank you Herb and Tom, I really appreciate all your input which helps so very much. You are spot on Herb when you say moving to a new area is very confusing, my moves were from the mountains of NY Beaverkill brook trout to Fl. lake Okechobee large mouth bass which was not a big jump BUT surf casting was truly alien to me and my age also becomes a factor (just turned 90 sept 2018) I hope I can stand up to surf casting??? I am looking at the Penn Battle ll or maybe the better Penn Pursuit what does that sound like to you? Hope we can keep in touch I have so much to learn and so little time, All the best to both of you. Nick R.

The surf rod article is in Volume 18 #3.

...........

Nicholas Surf casting was truly alien to me and my age also becomes a factor (just turned 90 sept 2018) I hope I can stand up to surf casting"



What a huge inspiration you're to me and fisherman everywhere , God bless you my friend , still trying to educate yourself at the young age of 90 . Remember you're only as old as you feel , i'm in my mid 50's but feel 90 but thats not important . The Penn Battle would be more than adequate for all types of salt water fishing , it's far superior to the Pursuit in every way . The BTL 5000 is what you want , not too big not too small , plenty of line capacity , 25 pounds of drag instead of 15 of the BTL 4000 size and it's total weight is a perfect match for surf rods in the 9 - 11 foot range .

Any spinner that weighs between 17 oz and 22 oz balances to perfection on rods in the 10 foot length , 24 to 27 oz reels balance the best on rods 11.5 feet to 13 feet long and reels that weigh in the 12 oz - to 16 oz range balance perfectly on rods in the 7 - 9 foot range.

Tom Kirkman Wrote:
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> The surf rod article is in Volume 18 #3.



Nick , the link to purchase that back issue is below , it says it has a complete guide to surf rods.


[www.rodmakermagazine.com]

I have spoken with some guys from the west coast (FL) who fish from the beach with two-hand spey rods and flies. From time to time they catch a lot of fish. Before you go over to "the dark side" (spin rods) you might look up the local fly fishing club in the Tampa area and take advantage of the members' experience and suggestions.