I still stand by my first reply.

Hey Lyle,
All very good advice already mentioned and I am also at your stage. To learn, I took an old flipping stick from the very early days when 7' was long. I always loved the rod and literally wore it out. Three eyes were missing rings and the finish was peeling off. The tip guide is gone. I have finished stripping it down to the blank and have painted it. I just received a cheap cork handle I ordered and line guides. I plan to turn it into a striped bass casting rod for large jigs and lures. I fish for stripers rarely, and never seem to have the right rod when I do. It should be the right length at 7' and have plenty of backbone for a good size fish. It was a Bass Pro Shops Extreme blank-80s. It was the best rod that I could afford at the time. I never thought I would fish with it again! The point is, a stripped down blank of an old rod is as fun as building from a new blank, plus you are already familiar with it's qualities. Also, I made a wrapping jig that cost me about $10. I can't believe how immediately it has improved my wrapping skills. I have been able to rewrap several eyes on other rods that were out of commission due to the line guides. I have been working a week and have put two of my rods back in the rotation with decent looking repairs, and should have a new "old" one in a few more days. I really don't need any more rods-I love hobbies. I hope to eventually sell my current rods and replace them with customs. Good building.

I ordered a DIY kit from Mudhole so I'll be able to jump in soon. I have an old rod that's in terrible shape so that's what I plan on practicing with.

Lynn, I'm taking your advice. It's incredible how much info there is on here.

Lyle, Morehead City NC

First rod I build was a mudhole kit. I still fish that rod every so often for white and spotted bass/trout. This board has been such an amazing resource. Get a subscription to Rodmaker magazine as well. Oh,and just a word of warning. This is extremely addictive! Good luck.-Robert

Thanks Robert, I decided to get my feet wet by getting a DIY kit from Mudhole and it should be here in a few days. I've been reading posts and going through the library on this site as well. I'm grateful that there are so many people on here who are willing to offer advice and guidance.

Lyle, Morehead City, NC

If you have questions during the learning process just ask. The people here will be more than happy to help.
Norm

Thanks Norm, it certainly seems like a great forum.

Lyle, Morehead City, NC

Welcome to the addiction Lyle. It's a fun one to be sure. I would just add that when building a rod, be sure to keep the idea of actually using that rod, in mind.

What I mean by that is, build the rod so that it is comfortable to use. When determining where to place the reel seat, do it with the thought of how the length of the rear grip is going to affect your ability to use the rod. Too long of a rear grip can make a rod as unusable as too short of a rear grip can. Also, related to something that Russell posted in his first reply to this thread ..... while it is technically true that any weight added to a rod blank lessens its' performance, it doesn't mean that weight is your enemy when it comes to actually using the rod.

I'm a freshwater bass fisherman, and I have no clue as to the type of techniques you use in the type of fishing you described. Even so, I doubt that some of them are any different from some of the techniques that I use. Specifically, techniques that involve slack and semi slack line techniques where you have the rod tip up, and you're trying to feel the bite. For techniques like that, rod and reel balance play a very important role in both your ability to detect bites, and in your ability to use the rod without causing undue fatigue on your wrist and forearm. A neutrally balanced, or even better IMO, a tip light rod and reel combination. make those types of techniques much more efficient. When searching for your preferred degree of balance, weight behind the reel seat can be very much your friend. Even weight in the guide train in the form of extra guides can be your friend if it's there for a reason. Such as protecting the blank while fighting fish. So weight isn't always bad.

Even weight in the name of aesthetics isn't bad if it makes you feel better about fishing your rod. It's like when your vehicle or boat is washed and freshly waxed. You just feel better about being in it. It adds a bit of confidence. And when it comes to fishing, if you aren't confident and feeling good about what you're doing, you aren't going to fish as well.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 11/26/2020 07:19AM by David Baylor.

Excellent points, David. I bass fish every now and then and have found that the only significant difference is the hook set. Thanks for the advice. I'm looking forward to getting started.

Lyle, Morehead City NC