Rod building?

[ryanh]

Hola mi amigos!

OK so after the advice on my last problem (need a break from the fly vice) I think I want to build a rod.

I live in the south Pgh region. What is my best bet for materials?

 

[JoeE]

I hate to say this but how much do you want to spend $$$??? If you want to finish out a bamboo blank Tim Zietak is probable right around the corner from you. He makes a nice ferruled blank hex or Quad. I bought some agate stripper guides from him and saw a few rods that he made very nice and was nice to deal with. There are others that make blanks for sale that are a little cheaper and just as good IMO. I’ve seen blanks on ebay go for 200.00 ferruled (good deal). As far as circular blanks depending what you’re looking for you can always find some on sale or closeout. I order 90 percent of the materials online and it all depends on what you want. I saw a reel seat go for 500.00 (gold plated). I’ll stick with the 30.00 to 50.00 reel seats. The fly shop near you I think sales Tim’s blanks if I’m not mistaken.



Joe E

 

[Bruno]

hola mi amigo

Family Tyes is offering their class again. http://www.familytyes.com/events.htm

Price is not bad.

 

[MKern]

Although I like to support my local fly shop, Cabela's has some terrific deals on rod blanks and rod building kits. they offer "premium" kits that usually include a woven grafite real seal and titanium components. All of thier kits included enough epoxy and finish for 2 rods and come with brushes to apply that stuff.
If you add up the cost of everything seperately, you save about $40 on a kit.
I bought a G. Loomis GL3 kit, a few months after G. Loomis stopped creating that fly blank, for $140. Which that custom rod retails for just under $400.
I'll take that deal anyday!

 

[Padraic]

Bruno wrote:
hola mi amigo

Family Tyes is offering their class again. http://www.familytyes.com/events.htm

Price is not bad.

This sounds like very good advice to me. Family Tyes is a great organization, and there is a lot to building a rod that might be easier with the help. Not that building rods is so terrible. If you tie your own flies, you can build a rod.... but getting a good result and enjoying the experience may not be so easy on the first time out. After that, you may find you enjoy building rods. And of course that is another issue all together.

 

[beeber2]

Ryan,

I would suggest you start out with a moderately priced graphite rod for your first build. I've gotten my stuff from Hook & Hackle (www.hookhack.com) with good results. Your first rod will come out OK but they will get better with each one you build. All you need is your tying bobbin and a cardboard box with v-notches to start wrapping!

beeber

 

[MattBoyer]

I've learned everything I know about rod building from www.mudhole.com. They have tons of backorder issues, so I'm not necessarily suggesting that you buy from them, but you can learn a lot for free from their site. I'm by no means an expert, but the 25 rods I've built all seem to work fine. I would, however suggest that you start with materials from a closeout sale, as the first few aren't always the prettiest. Also, get a power wrapper to start. A fly tying bobbin can hurt ya, man. My first fly rod had and oversized ferrule. Man that sucked. 3 inches of wrapping by hand is pure torture. The added bonus about a power wrapper is that you can use it to turn your own cork, which is my favorite part of building rods. Hope this helps, and if you ave any questions feel free to PM me.

Boyer

 

[Coughlin]

I'm a big fan of the St. Croix SClll series. Moderate action and grey matte finish blank. I usually buy the parts from Janns Netcraft. Very reliable.
Coughlin

 

[Chaz]

First thing to think about is what kind of rod is it likely to be? Then go to as many shops as you can and start casting the rods available. This way you'll find the type of blank you like and 1 that casts well. I look for a rod that I can cast with 1 back cast into a slot under a tree root with a big fly, and then pick it up quickly and with another cast put it back in the same place. For this you need a stiff rod. If a stiff rod isn't to your liking then find a rod that is, then order the blank, hopefully from 1 of the shops you were checking out the rod at. But maybe buy from the web. I've always test many rods before building 1 and it has worked well for me that way.

 

[MKern]

I agree with Chaz. You have to build a rod you like. I am partial to St. Croix and plan on building one by Xmas. If you know what to like search for a bargain.
Also, I would recomend a rod wrapping machine. I purchased mine from Cabela's. it was $40 and worth every penny. I prefer to turn the rod by hand.Don't forget that with that rod building machine you will need to build /purchase a turner. I bought a motor from my local fly shop for $25 and a power cord from Walmart for $2. I used scrap wood from around the house as a mounting station.

However, I took a class to learn because I am a hands-on learner and struggle comprehending text. But if you are opposite me rod building manules are available.

 

[MKern]

Depending on where you live. Gander Mountain or Cabelas offer classes. My local fly shop has a class that isn't filled yet and startes next week.
www.anglerssupplyhouse.com