Mud Hole Rods

[Mace]

anyone try to build there own rods? Mud hole has kits to build your own custom rods, sounds kinda neat but I don't know just how hard it will be and how much it will cost in the end. Just wondering if anyone has done this and if they are happy with the kits? Are you happy with what you built? What brand of rods do you like the best? Or do you use one brand for a worm rod and another for crank baits, and another for spinner baits? I have All Star, Abu, BP for bait casting and a couple of Gander Mountain rods for spinning rods.

[North Ga Hillbilly]

might want to search through the tackle making forum, several rod making threads on there

NGaHB

[Hi Salenity]

They sell lower priced kits you can buy and learn with...

The MHX blanks are great and a custom built rod can be nicer than any off the shelf rod

[Delaware Valley Tackle]

Custom rod building is fun and rewarding if you do it for the right reasons. Saving money isn't one of them as a rule. There is a learning curve. How steep the curve is depends on the individual. Your first rod will likely be functional and something to be proud of but the detail will improve with practice. Kits are fine to learn on but on some level defeat the purpose a custom rod in that the components are somewhat generic. Muhole is a good supplier. I've had good luck with the MHX blanks but some are turned off by them being imports. Do some research here and on rod building forums and you'll get a feel for what to expect.

[.RM.]

Custom rod building is fun and rewarding if you do it for the right reasons. Saving money isn't one of them as a rule. There is a learning curve. How steep the curve is depends on the individual. Your first rod will likely be functional and something to be proud of but the detail will improve with practice. Kits are fine to learn on but on some level defeat the purpose a custom rod in that the components are somewhat generic. Muhole is a good supplier. I've had good luck with the MHX blanks but some are turned off by them being imports. Do some research here and on rod building forums and you'll get a feel for what to expect.

X2..

[Mace]

oops sorry people I haven't been coming here long and didn't realize there was a tackle making forum, should I post my question over there or just let be? I do want to thank you all for answering my question about rod building. What brand of bait casting rod dose everyone like the best?

[Delaware Valley Tackle]

As far as over the counter rods go, St Croix has one of the widest selections and very good quality especially in the Avid and up.

[papajoe222]

I just finished my first rod build and I can tell you that although it may not be the best rod in my collection, it's the one I'm most proud of. I started out adding custom wraps to a few of my rods and jumped in and got one of their kits. It's a great way to start out, but be forewarned, it's addictive. I just ordered a couple of rod blanks, guide sets, etc. to keep myself busy over the off season. The wife and daughter will be getting one of a kind rods for Christmas this year

[M-D]

I just finished my first build. It may not be the prettiest rod out there but it is perfectly functional and IMO,the appearance factor of my builds will only improve with practice. I considered buying one of the cheap kits to start out on but I knew that I would end up unhappy with the final product performance wise so I bought a St Croix SC5 blank to build on. If you are good at crafting / working with your hands you should be fine, if you are not mechanically inclined, have no patience or just not sure if this is for you then a cheap kit to practice with may be your best route. Take your time, soak up all you can on the rod building boards and go build one!

[Bassin_0502]

Visit mudhole.com They have tons of videos that will give you a good idea of the build techniques. They are great people to work with, very helpful. They also offer 2 day classes on rodbuilding in different cities around the country. For about $150, you get all you need to start building and you come away from the class with a 6'6" spinning rod that you built yourself. Lots of fun!