What builds have all of you done that you consider most difficult to achieve in regards to functionality related to difficult fishing parameters? Most of my builds over about thirty years have been aimed at fulfilling very specific fishing functions better than anything available from factory offerings. I’ve honestly hit and missed at doing this. I’ve built everything from halibut and salmon shark rods to saltwater fly rods and backpacking trout rods. My career has taken me from mountain lakes and stream trout fishing, to boundary waters walleye fishing, to anadromous fishing. I believe I now hit difficult fishing parameters better and more consistently than I use to. This is the pursuit that has long kept me building. I would answer my own question with a lighter jerk bait rod I built this year, a light crankbait rod from several years ago, and a silver salmon casting rod I built last year. I need to build a new backpacking spinning rod as the one I built in the early ‘90’s now feels enormously heavy.

I find that specific, focused, builds for myself and friends that I fish with, to be quite easy. I'll have a specific vision of what I want to create, and a plan with a materials list to build before I start, Most of the time, I've worked out all the details in my head while fishing, rather than planning in my rod shop.

Where the difficulty lies is building to someone else's vision. Especially when it is a rod to fish in a manner, or for a species, or in a condition that I do not, or when a customer is unsure of, or has trouble articulating what is desired.

Kendal,

You bring up some interesting topics on multiple levels for me when considering a build:

There is no end to my quest for that "better" rod. Not a bad thing. I rather enjoy rabbit holes.

One specific example of matching functionality to specific parameters for me is rather pedestrian at first glance: Bank fishing for bass in heavy cover at a local, highly-pressured, public lake. I needed a short rod to wiggle/crawl through brush and around fallen tree limbs; a powerful rod to handle heavier line and control fish; and a lighter tip to present a 5-inch, weightless senko-type bait at short range.

I built a 6'3" MH casting rod, spiral wrap, with a 9-inch full cork grip. I used #5-ring guides to pass an FG knot. What an improvement over the 7-foot rods I would try to make do! This rig has handled some decent fish for me - and allowed me to fish where the masses fear to tread. However, the hook keeper was in a poor place and would often catch my braid. The FG knot would hang up now and again on subtle casts. Line management could be frustrating with a casting reel.

Lately, I saw a 6-foot, 7-power rod (NFC SJ607 IM) and thought yes! Shorter. A heavier power. Decently small tip. I will build this as a spinning rod, use fluoro line, and eliminate the FG knot altogether. I believe I could get away with #4-ring guides. Probably a full-length CF handle rather than cork. Change the hook keeper or use none at all. The blank is on the way now.

The challenge I enjoy in this situation is ultimately catching some very nice bass in a place where most folks walk right on by them. Granted, it is not fishing with Joe Humphrey on a Pennsylvania, native brook trout stream. However, I would argue that there are also technical aspects to it. If I catch a good fish, it is a perfect build in its own way.

The only physical measurements I can think of which relate to rod function (versus appearance) are length, weight, hoop strength, and casting distance. At least these qualities can actually be measured. Pretty much every other rating of a rod is subjective - matters of intangible feelings rather than objective, measurable results.

Kendal

My difficult assignments are in the restore/repair areas. It can be very difficult to restore and preserve as much of the original components as possible. Trying to match trim bands, colors and replacing grips are the most challenging.

As far as building a rod from scratch my most difficult hurdle is trying to be patient and not rush the process. Its funny one thinks there is never enough time to build but there is always time to do it over or again when there is a problem.

You are right trying to build a rod to someone else's vision is very trying. My approach is asking the user to see their favorite rods and go in that direction.

The most difficult thing to master is stepping back and listening and trying to put myself in the customers shoes to relate to their needs.

The fun part is when I have all the components and start assembling the rod.

I have been working on an all around medium heavy casting rod that can be used off the beach or jetty and light offshore and actually cast. It is a casting meat rod, so it is a bit out of my wheelhouse since I really only build artificial or fly rods. I believe the task gets a bit more complicated when trying new things and expecting them to work within the parameters of your knowledge and experiences. What is different is the handle and grip types, the lengths for them, the guide train and the reel seat. Basically, all the stuff that is the major components of any rod. They are all different than what I have done in the past. I believe I know what will work but component wise, everything is different. I already have $260 in components and blank along with $400 for the Seigler Star Mag reel. I have no choice, it will have to work. Technical; definitely. Difficult; not really, but just a few problems to work out that I think I already have.

I am a hobby builder and a few years back I started with a fluke rod built on a 25$ American Tackle blank.....total build cost about $50. Since then my work has progressed through wire line rods....stand up tuna rods.....Tuna spinning rods on Black Hole blanks....and now I am in the middle of building a set of 130's with Winthrop Adjusta butts($500.00 ea) and Winthrop rollers.....total cost for the components for EACH rod apx $1,300.00. Building for each new application has been a learning experience....and my education continues.

I'm a bass fisherman, and for the most part, I have been able to find blanks from a couple of different manufacturers that have attributes that fit quite nicely, if not perfectly, for the type of rod I was hoping to build. The only two type of rods I am having difficulty finding exactly what I want are a drop shot rod, and a jerkbait rod. Of the two drop shot rods I've built, one is a completely failure because the blank didn't have near the power I was expecting it to have. I like the other one I've built quite a bit, but I am looking for a bit more power out of it.

The jerkbait rod is the one that I may not have hit just right as of yet. I am on my second jerkbait rod. The first one I liked initially, but it proved to be pretty much a failure for jerkbaits. I built a second jerkbait rod late last fall and was only able to get out and cast if off a dock, just to see if it felt right in working a bait. It feels right, but the true test is once I have hooked and fought a few fish on it. If it keeps them buttoned up nicely, then I think it will be a keeper. Only time will tell.

David,
You said it for me. With hard jerkbaits I classify mine into three classes; full size (110s/RipStop/Stunna...), mid size (110 jr and alike), and finesse which is like small Raps and X-80 or X-75s. I have not found a perfect rod for each application because there is always one thing they just aren't perfect at.

I was tasked with producing a more powerful drop shot rod and started that journey. I need to fish it through this summer before I share publicly though. You can email if you are interested in it. It is not fully proven out yet so I don't want to jump the gun and potentially steer anyone wrong. So far it is a performer though. I sponsor a local HS team and put a few in their hands and the feedback has been positive so far.

A.P.

Aaron, sounds great. And thank you for the offer or letting me e mail you. I appreciate it and I will probably be e mailing you very soon concerning that drop shot rod you're liking.

As far as my jerkbait rod. I went out for a few hours this past Saturday and gave it a little work out. The water was 45 degrees when I put in. 46.7 on the main lake. And while I really wasn't expecting to catch a fish. I figured either dragging a jig, or fishing a suspending jerkbait were going to be my best bets. Well .... I met my expectations by getting skunked. lol But I was able to get a better feel for the new jerkbait rod than just casting it from the dock. Like you, I need to really test it out before I start suggesting the combination if someone is looking for suggestions for a jerkbait rod.

I am quite certain it will do the job of keeping lethargic colder water fish hooked up. It's going to be those summertime smallmouth that are the true test. If it will keep those buttoned up. It's going to be a keeper. I will say this. If anyone is looking for a fairly inexpensive casting reel that will throw lighter baits very well. I have one of the newer Shimano SLX MGL 70s on my jerkbait rod. I have it filled with 10# Tatsu and It casts the little 90 size jerkbaits pretty dang far.

Sweet little reel.

Oh and I got to try out the spinning rod I built on the NFC SJ704 IM blank. Sensitivity is as good or better than I expected. It was also the maiden voyage for the Shimano 2500 Vanford I bought around Christmas time. Now that is one SWEET reel. Cold weather and handled the 8# test Tatsu I had on it like a dream.

Aaron and David, It sounds like I do a lot of fishing similar to you and would be interested in hearing some more on your drop shot and jerkbait rod experiences. I built a drop shot rod on an NFC 6107, and while it's a very good drop-shot rod, it's a little less powerful than I'd like. I've landed some 3-4 lb smallmouth on it, but I think I'd get bullied by anything much larger than that.

My fishing buddy and I pretty much always have a rod rigged up for a jerkbait, and I'd like to build for that application, but it's a tough cookie to crack. You need that active tip to get the bait moving, but want a deep flex to keep the treble hooks in. I'd be interested to hear some more feedback from you David once you've had a chance to land some fish on your new build.

Nick, the drop shot rod that I mentioned liking quite a bit but wanting something with more power, is built on the same blank you mentioned. The DS 6107 IM. If I never went up to Lake Erie, I would be completely happy with it. It's a great little rod. It's going up to Erie that has me wishing for a bit more power. And it's not so much the size of the fish, it's the depth of water and the length casts I make when up there. As you know, even though you're sweep setting with a drop shot. it doesn't have a lot of power when it comes to setting the hook at distance. If I went to braid on it, I am sure it would do better, but I am not much of a fan of braid on spinning gear.

As far as what you said about jerkbait rods. I am in total agreement with you when you say it is a tough nut to crack, for the very reasons you listed.

Just a little history as far as how I approached the jerkbait rods I've built, is concerned. Part of my problem with finding a proper blank, is the length rod I like for fishing jerkbaits. I like a 6' rod, and probably wouldn't want to go anything over say 6' 3". I don't want to slap the water with the rod tip, and I don't want to slap the gunwales of my boat with the rod. Hence the 6' length. The way I approached both of my jerkbait rod builds is to use blanks that were longer than what I want the finished length of the rod to be, and then trimming length off the butt to move the reel seat closer to the tip, thereby moving it closer to where the majority of blank flex is.

My first blank choice was over powered. I wanted to be sure to have a decently stout tip to really make the bait jump when needed, but I didn't start with a long enough blank. I took 6" off the butt and it reduced the over all power and slowed the action, but it ultimately just didn't have the flex into the mid section of the rod I was hoping for. I built a rod for squarebills following the same formula I used for my jerkbait rod. I started using it for jerkbaits and while it worked the baits ok, I wasn't completely happy with it in that respect. But it kept fish buttoned really well. It is built on a crankbait blank with a moderate fast action.

Since it did well in keeping fish buttoned up, I used its' deflection profile as a pattern for what I was shooting for in a blank. I used the same formula of using a longer blank and trimming from the butt, but this time I went with a longer and lighter powered blank. And wanting to be able to actually look at the deflection profile under load, I went to one of this boards sponsors, Jann's Netcraft, to actually handle a couple of blanks I was considering. With the proper trim off the butt, one of the blanks I looked at would have the same deflection profile under an equal load as my squarebill rod. So I bought it. I ended up trimming 7" off the butt to get it to match the squarebill rods' bend under the same load.

When I went out Saturday, one thing I did was to put on a 4" Red Fin. It's a very buoyant bait and allowed me to see how the bait reacted to various rod movements. And while this most recent build won't make it jump as much as my prior build. I was happy with the way it made that bait jump. The blank I used on this most recent build is a Rainshadow Revelation REVS 68 ML. I really think it is going to work very well. But as I said earlier ... until I hook and fight a couple nice warmer water smallmouth, I can't honestly say.

Aaron Petersen Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> David,
> You said it for me. With hard jerkbaits I classify
> mine into three classes; full size
> (110s/RipStop/Stunna...), mid size (110 jr and
> alike), and finesse which is like small Raps and
> X-80 or X-75s. I have not found a perfect rod for
> each application because there is always one thing
> they just aren't perfect at.


I built for the light to medium end of the jerkbait spectrum on a SCV70MF, with three inches removed from the butt. It will cast the 110’s without being overloaded, but it’s too light to work them well and comfortably for very long. The X-75 Nanahan+1 series is wonderful with it, as well as the McRips and other 75-95mm jerkbaits. The 78-100mm DD Pointers seem great with it. I find it works the deeper baits at its upper end better than the shallow ones, which probably isn’t surprising. I need more fishing time to really evaluate the rod, but I haven’t had problems with losing fish, yet.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/06/2022 12:21AM by Kendall Cikanek.

Joseph Willsen Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I am a hobby builder and a few years back I
> started with a fluke rod built on a 25$ American
> Tackle blank.....total build cost about $50. Since
> then my work has progressed through wire line
> rods....stand up tuna rods.....Tuna spinning rods
> on Black Hole blanks....and now I am in the middle
> of building a set of 130's with Winthrop Adjusta
> butts($500.00 ea) and Winthrop rollers.....total
> cost for the components for EACH rod apx
> $1,300.00. Building for each new application has
> been a learning experience....and my education
> continues.

This is a lot of what I was trying to get at with starting this post. I find learning to build towards new and different functional parameters to be very interesting. It’s what’’s kept me interested in the hobby. I want to do a popping rod for roosterfish a few builds in the future.

David,

I'm with you 100% on the drop shot rod. I grew up on the great lakes and most of my drop shot fishing these days is for smallmouth in Erie, Ontario, and the St. Lawrence, and as you know there are some absolute bruisers in those lakes, hence why I'm looking for a little more power too. Keep us all posted on how that jerkbait rod works out. I'm in the same boat as you as I'm not super tall so I prefer a shorter rod for fishing tip down applications.

Kendall Cikanek Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Joseph Willsen Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > I am a hobby builder and a few years back I
> > started with a fluke rod built on a 25$
> American
> > Tackle blank.....total build cost about $50.
> Since
> > then my work has progressed through wire line
> > rods....stand up tuna rods.....Tuna spinning
> rods
> > on Black Hole blanks....and now I am in the
> middle
> > of building a set of 130's with Winthrop
> Adjusta
> > butts($500.00 ea) and Winthrop
> rollers.....total
> > cost for the components for EACH rod apx
> > $1,300.00. Building for each new application
> has
> > been a learning experience....and my education
> > continues.
>
> This is a lot of what I was trying to get at with
> starting this post. I find learning to build
> towards new and different functional parameters to
> be very interesting. It’s what’’s kept me
> interested in the hobby. I want to do a popping
> rod for roosterfish a few builds in the future.

Exactly what keeps me coming back.....I don't like to go back and do the same thing over and over....Learning something new and then executing it is the payoff for me.

I startedfishing for stripers in the NY Bight with my Dad when I was 10 or 12 years old....I thought I knew a lot about fishing and fishing rods....I found out I knew very little when I started building rods.

David/Nick

My smaller finesse jerkbaits I fish on a x-ray SJ703 spinning paired with 8lb or 6lb straight flc. I am tall enough a 7' rod doesn't slap the water when I work it. Plus the smaller jerkbaits don't require the big yank a larger full size bait does. PB on it is a 3.5lb Alabama spotted bass. It keeps bass pinned well. Even the feisty spots.

My favorite jerk bait rod is the Point Blank PB691MLXF. Quite powerful in the butt section with an extra fast tip, it is more powerful than its ML rating. Will cast a wide range of lure weights. Really like it for working unweighted soft plastic jerk bail like Zman streak Z, which is much more durable than any other soft bodied jerk bait I have ever used. I have caught redfish over 12 pounds and large mouth up to 7 pounds on it. Also use it for hard bodied suspending jerk baits. This blank works great as both a spinning or casting rod. Since the butt section is equiradius you should be able to shorten it a little without affecting power or action very much.
Norm