It’s been a while since I’ve built a rod and want to make one for my 6 year old grandson. I’ve forgotten a lot but since he loves red I thought the 6’ CRB from Mudhole would do.

[www.mudhole.com]

He’s most likely to catch crappie in lakes but they do live on a river but I’m not sure what’s in there.

I’d actually like a light 2 piece mod fast but bot sure where to find one. Thanks.

Trust, but verify - Ronald Reagan

Tim, those blanks are pretty decent. I have a couple of the IS561L model that I built as little casting rods meant to be used with little Zebco 33 reels by my wife and kids. They'll handle all sorts of little jigs, spinners and UL cranks.

For a 6' Light power 2pc, Rainshadow has an option:

[www.rainshadowrodblanks.com]

Along that line, I use the Rainshadow SB720-4, a little 4pc 6' travel rod. It is a fantastic rod that your grandson will never outgrow. I used it most during grad school where I could go just a couple miles off campus and fish a little river that I could cast across. That rod would let me fish little 1/32-1/16 oz jigs for the rock bass and crappie in the flow, and then when I moved to a different section tie on an 1/8 oz jig and grub, 1/8 oz bullet weight and rig up a little Zoom C-tail worm Texas in a little Texas rig, or a Zoom fluke or other weightless plastic to chase smallmouth. It's a really versatile little rod. It has a tip strength somewhere between a typical L and ML power rod and a surprising amount of power in the butt due to the aggressive taper of the segments to make it a multi-piece blank. The blanks finish is clear gloss so the graphite underneath really pops, and it looks great with just about any color of thread. Adding in some red with the thread wraps, reel seat, or an EVA grip will make your grandson happy, I'm sure. As he grows, it's a size that can be packed into a backpack with a couple little Plano boxes. Mine is packed into a little piece of PVC with some closed cell foam tucked into the end caps to keep it from sliding around. I can throw it in the trunk or under the seat with a little spinning reel in a Crown Royal pouch and be ready to fish any time. So, if your grandson lives on a river and has fishable water within biking distance, I'll bet he gets a ton of use out of a rod like this as he grows and begins getting a little bit of free range.

[www.rainshadowrodblanks.com]

My kids are about to step up to something with a little more power. They'll probably get SB720-4s.

Thanks Joe, I really want to do a red blank since he’s into Mario and Sonic.

I just ordered the Daiwa QR reel in red and silver so I want to stay with that theme.

To him it’s looks and not necessary function.

He does have a more stout rod with a spinach reel for down at the river.

Trust, but verify - Ronald Reagan



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/07/2021 02:45PM by Tim Collins.

Sounds like a plan. My 8 year old likes Mario and Sonic as well.

The red blank will definitely limit the options significantly. About the best place to look for painted graphite blanks is Rod Geeks. It looks like you need to go to 4pc to get a 6' multi-piece L power blank, but they have a great color selection including red, and even two-tone for a Mario Sonic theme.

Rod geeks is a great place to get quality rods in any color you can imagine. You could even get one painted RED and have half of it another color like yellow > Not sure what Mario colors are my children are inter 40's Here is a four piece rod from there

[rodgeeks.com]

They also have a two piece in 6'6" which could be trimmed a bit if wanted.

Tom

Tim,
I have built a few rods for young children, but have decided that - although the build of the rod means something to me, it is largely lost on the children.

After building a few for some of the young children, I stopped building for that age children and would just go over to the prebuilt - complete with reel rods in the store and buy a setup for a new child. It typically cost about $20 and when I would take them out fishing they enjoyed them every much as if I had built one for them myself. Then, if the rod happened to get dropped and lost in the water and or get stepped on or caught in a door - it was not a big deal and no tears were shed over the loss.

But, I will also say - that for myself - I really enjoyed doing the build as I was thinking of the child in question. What happened after the rod left the shop was secondary and to a large degree not that important.

But, do what your heart tells you to do and enjoy the doing as much as possible.

Take care

Roger gives good advice.
If you want to use a store-bought and make it special, tape off an area above the handle, paint it red.
Then after it is dry, either make a small label or just use some paint and fine brush to put his name on it, the date, and your initials.
Makes a nice presentation, and if it survives, a keep-sake.
Later, when he gets a little older, the 4 pc blank like Joe V mentions is a great idea.

Best wishes,
Ron Schneider
Schneider's Rod Shop
Mountain Home, Arkansas
[www.schneidersrods.com]
mtnron40@yahoo.com
870-424-3381