Hello, guys!

I'm thinking about starting to build my own custum rods (for carp, spinn and fly fishing).

Can you please tell me where and how to start? What is the easiest way? What do I need?

Do I have to start with reading books about building rods? Which books? Magazines? Online courses? Or where to learn from?

I'm from Europe. Where to buy all the gear for building? Where to buy blanks, guides, etc.?

What brands to look and are the best to buy?

What tips do you have for me?

Regards!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/14/2024 12:54PM by Tolo Mentes.

Always start with sources you can trust. The series of videos by FlexCoat are simple, straightforward and have stood the test of time. They won't steer you wrong. Many of the sponsors here also feature videos on their websites or YouTube channels.

Get an idea of what's involved and then come back and ask any questions you have.

.........

Tolo,
As one wise wizard once said,
"Always start at the beginning and continue until you get to the end."

Start with tools.
Progress to purchase.
Continue with build.
Finish up with a limit of fish caugth with this pole.

------------------------------------------
If you purchase a kit, you can build the rod with a cardboard box, with v's cut in each end to support the rod. Turn by hand, using tape to hole the guides in place, and use tape to hold the end of thered in place as you wrap.
Use pre shaped grips with proper fitting reel seats and glue in place with epoxy glue.
Use a scissor and razor blade as needed to cut the thread.
Use thin fishing line like power pro to form pull loops to pull the thread loop out from under the thread and then, while holding the pulled end tight use the razor blade to trim the thread close to the wrap, without nicking the wraps.
Apply finish as needed while rotating the rod and continue to rotate as needed to avoid having the finish run and cause blobs on the finish.




Enjoy.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/25/2023 08:53PM by roger wilson.

Thank you guys for your fast response ... ;)

For the beginning I subscribed to FlexCoat and Mud Hole Youtube channels and in many FB groups where people share their pictures and more.

What about books like Mud Hole: Rod Building 101: The Complete Guide How To Build a Custom Fishing RodI also noticed books: Custom rod Thread Art  and RodMaker Magazine.Are books like this worth it?
What about "Fishing Rod Ergonomics" - how important is it to know things like that?

Roger, thank you for the cardboard box idea. I think that this could be a good start. :)

But, guys - with what blanks and other materials did you start? Did you take some old rods and test the first steps there?
Or did you buy all new stuff and try to build your first rod for real?

Europe - can anyone tell me if in Europe (not UK) is any good store to buy all the things I need?

Thanks a lot and regards!

I did a search on the site using the word "carp" and came up with a link to this thread [www.rodbuilding.org]. It has some links in it that may be of some help as far as blanks, reel seats, and guides.

I've seen some people here at local lakes fishing for carp in the way they do in Europe. Definitely some interesting set ups they're using. And some specialized rods. Here in the states carp aren't as ...... I don't know .... revered? as much as they are in Europe.

Here they're considered to be trash fish.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/26/2023 09:33AM by David Baylor.

One place you might checkout for blanks/supplies, etc is Rodhouse. They are a sponsor of this site and look to have a large selection of supplies, components, and blanks. Located in France but appear to service the European market. [www.rodhouse.fr]

A good source of information also is the Library on this forum. Look up at the top, right side, click on the word "Library."

You can learn all of the basics by watching videos at Mudhole, or FlexCoat. They both have excellent learning videos on their respective websites.

I recommend starting with cosmetic simplicity and focusing on absolutely nailing function. There is a temptation for some new builders do the opposite. I’ve not seen that lead to either nice rods or a long duration hobby. The first skill area is planning, which is basically selecting appropriate components and a starting point for guide placement. Then, it’s reaming and using two-part epoxies followed by finalizing guide placement. Next it’s the thread work and tip installation. Finally, it’s applying the finish and drying. Do your research on these steps as mentioned, and bring any questions to here or the sponsors you choose to patronize.

Ditto on Kendall;s comments.

For a first rod, a black blank, using black guides, and wrapping only with black thread makes a wonderful rod that might even be called a "stealth rod."

Black, on black, on black is straight forward and one of the easiest combinations to have finished with a great look.

Also, black, on black, on black - is the one combination that tends to minimize any miscue or error in a build.


Even later on, black, on black, with one or two different colored trim bands is a great combination that always works very well.

When one is fishing - there is lots of "stuff" that gets on a persons hands, and then gets transferred to their gear - that includes rods and reels. Again, black, on black, on black, tends to minimize any appearance defects, if this "gunk" gets transferred to the rod - as it certainly will over time and use.

Note:
For one not used to washing or cleaning rods and reels, the cleaning solution called "Simple green" and a common tooth brush does quick work on keeping the rods, reels, grips and everything else clean and nice looking.

[www.walmart.com]

This "hand brush" when used with good cleaner is an excellent combination for cleaning.

Thank you so much for all your help!

At this moment I have stopped on the first step and that's how to buy all the tools to start in Europe!
I'm looking at the Mud Hole and Flex Coat page, but in Europe a lot of their Starting KIT's are not available. Sad! :(

I checked Roadhouse's page (France), but if I put one by one product in my checkout (wrapper, epoxy, finisher, etc.), the price is one time bigger (400€ (in Europe) vs 200$ in USA) than this KIT. :(

LINK: [mudhole.com]

Anyone from Europe here and can tell me where to buy all that stuff to start with rod building?

Thank you and regards!

RodHouse France

-Listed in the sponsors

Hello, guys (again)! :)

I ordered all the products I need for rod building - some of them from MudHole, and others from RodHouse.

While I was waiting for the shipment to arrive, I watched a lot of videos, followed some FB groups and read one "rod building book" ...

Now it's time to try my first wrap, epoxy and ...

What do you suggest to me now - how to start?

On my old rods to change some guides? To buy a new KIT from RodHouse and try to build my first rod? Or do you have any other suggestions for me?

Thanks and regards!
Tolo

Lots of really good advice already, so let me echo a lot of them. I have been building rods since 1976 teaching rod building for about 3 years now. And here's what I tell my students.

1 - Design the rod. First, before you can even start to purchase anything you need to think about what you want to fish for and how you want to fish for them. It makes a difference as you probably know. Second what type of fishing do you want to do? Spin fishing, fly fishing, deep sea fishing, I think you get the idea. Once you know all that you can decide on a rod to build. For fly rods, which I build and teach, choose a weight and length that is suitable for the type of fish that is the predominant fish this rod will be used for. If you are an experienced fly fisherman you will know what rod you want to build, if not, ask some friends who fly fish or post the question on this forum we will be glad to offer advice. If spin or spin cast or bait cast, I suspect you apply the same principles but now I believe you need to decide on the lure weight the rod needs to be able to handle. Again ask some friends or post to this forum.

2 - With the type rod selected the next step is to choose to either purchase separate components or a kit. For your first rod, as others have recommended I highly recommend a complete kit. The ones I have seen from reputable dealers are very good and will result in a fine rod unique to you and one you will fish and love for years.

3 - OK, now it's time to learn the basics. Mudhole has a plethora of Videos on how to build. They are all excellent and very easy to watch and learn plus they respond to your questions very quickly a definite plus. They also offer classes around the country that you can attend if they have one close. YouTube also has a ton of videos on how to build and I am sure although I haven't checked, other companies may offer videos on rod building. "Google is your friend" here. Spend some time researching rod building. The time spent will reap huge rewards for you as you learn the methods and procedures of building your first rod.

4 - So now you have selected the rod, watched a bunch of videos, and have a pretty good idea about what to build. Now I would suggest you buy a book. It's old and in some respects out of date, but I use it in all my classes. It's Dale Clemen's first book on Rod Building, "Fibreglass Rod Building". Back in the day there was no internet and books were my only source of information, so this book was my "Bible" if you will. I use this, as I said, in all my classes. There is something about reading a real book that I enjoy.

5 - Hardware, you don't need to buy any tools for your first build. I built several rods using a cardboard box, a book for tension, and a coffee cut to hold my thread. Was it as easy as using a wrapper, nope and it might be worth the money to buy a rod wrapping matching. Again Mudhole has several starter machines that are perfect for the beginner, we use them in our beginner and advanced classes. Who knows, after you have built a few rods you might even decide to build a power wrapper like many of us have done and documented here.

6 - Lastly, build your rod and have a wonderful time. You are starting a journey that will take you into realms of technical engineering and art you may not be aware of, but I guarantee you will enjoy every minute of your journey.

Hope that helps a little.

If you haven't done any epoxy work on thread wraps a good start would be to practice on some wooden dowels of different sizes (or something similar)

I say that because a lot of questions on here are about epoxy. Also there are different ways of doing almost anything. Doing some practice before just jumping in on the first rod will let you see what works best for you and make it easier for your first rod.

Some of the things you can do with a practice piece are:
Paint the dowel a different color than your thread. A neon green paint with black thread will let you see how the thread is packing.
You can try different brushes to see what works best for you. Some people use a spatula instead of a brush.
Practice how to apply epoxy over the longer area such as where the rod information decal is.
You can also try different methods of applying your epoxy. Some people can do it in one coat. Others use different amounts in two coats.
Also you can even do "mistakes" on purpose to see how to correct them. Such as leaving a little of the tag end exposed which you can fix
before the second coat. Or apply too much epoxy so that you can see how to remove sagging epoxy.
By practicing it will make it easier to finish your first rod before the epoxy sets up too much.

As far as replacing guides on your rods or buying a kit that's another choice that you can best answer.

Using new components lets you start without having to clean up the epoxy from a rod.

Personally, I would start with something you want to fish with rather than a cheap kit that might not be used much. With some practice your first rod may not be that "award winning perfect finish" rod. But it will work and by fishing it regularly you may get ideas on what you want to change on subsequent builds.

This forum will be one of your best resources for info. Aside from that, I'd encourage you to spend a little bit of time watching Matt Proof's tutorials: [www.proofflyfishing.com]. They're fly rod centric but many of the skill he demonstrates are transferrible to any rod you want to start with. There's tons of info on youtube and other sources once you know what you don't know but Proof is a great place to start.

Tolo,
Let your first project be the following:

Go to Good Will or salvation army and pick up a fishing rod for a few $$.

Then, strip the guides off of the rod. Scrape the finish off the rod blank and sand it smooth.

Then,after stripping all of the thread and finish off the guides, wrap the guides back onto the rods and apply finish.

The $10 or less cost of the rod will be your major expense. You will learn about stripping a rod. You will learn about sanding down a blank. You will learn about cleaning up used guides. You can practice over and over again on getting a perfect wrap on a guide. You can practice over and over again about applying trim bands to the rod. You can try adding balance to the butt cap to learn about balancing the rod.

Finally, when you have it rebuilt and finish applied you can use it to go fishing. Your total expense for everything will be less than $100.

Best wishes.

I started by replacing the guides on a couple of my old factory rods. While it's not a bad idea to get familiar to with the process of starting a thread wrap on a dowel or an old piece of rod blank, you definitely want to get experience actually wrapping a guide onto a blank. Doing so will give you experience with finding a good thread tension to work with. You'll get experience with getting the thread to climb the tip of the guide foot. You'll discover if you might need to do some guide foot prep before placing the guides. From what I've read on this forum, some members don't find any guide foot prep necessary, while others like myself, always do some guide foot prep on at least the guides with a thicker foot.

As was said you'll get a feel for packing the thread as you wrap. and it will help you get familiar with when you need to insert your pull through loop as you go to finish a wrap.

YouTube and other such videos are great, as it really helps seeing someone actually do it. Don't get discouraged if you can't do it like someone in a video, though. It takes time to get proficient at certain aspects of rod building. Some are faster learners than others.

The biggest advice I could offer to someone just starting out, is to not put a time frame on building your rod or doing wraps. Rushing because you think you are taking too long only leads to frustration, and takes the fun out of rod building. And a lot of times rushing leads to less than desirable results. Your first few builds may not be perfect, but that's just part of the growing process.

I gave the first rod I ever built to a friend at work. And while I could see it's deficiencies compared to my builds now, my friend and others can't see a thing wrong with it. You can build a nice rod on your first try. Just don't be in a hurry to do so.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/21/2024 05:54AM by David Baylor.