Rod making

[BradleyC]

Hey all, im curious to know a bit more about Rod building.  Is it worth more to build them than to go buy from a brand?  Many brands i like / want to buy from are always ridiculous in prices.  So was thinking about getting into Rod building so I can get more of what I like and want in a Rod? Any info from the experts would be greatly appreciated!! 

[Chris Catignani]

For shure...I think on average you can save about half the cost...or more.

[casts_by_fly]

You'll have up front costs to factor in.  At a minimum, a rod dryer and a thread wrapper, various tools, finishes and threads, etc that are all used for more than just one rod.  So the first rod probably isn't going to be cheaper.  Also, on lower end rods the savings isn't worth the time unless you just can't get what you want in a commercial rod.  As a hobby?  Its great fun like tying your own flies, building your own lures, etc.  Its always good to be self sufficient at the things you enjoy doing.  Higher end rods are a different story.  You can go really high end in a custom rod that you build yourself and be around half or less for a comparable factory rod.  

[KCFinesse]

For a while it seemed like mid level $100 - $150 rods had really good lifetime warrantees such that building rods for that cost didn't make as much sense. The trend seems to be moving away from that these days and is making building rods a little more favorable than it use to be. IMO

 

-Jared

 

[Delaware Valley Tackle]

Saving money is the absolute worst reason to get into rod building. The higher end you go the better the chance of saving a little. The satisfaction and enjoyment of the craft is the only motivation that won’t likely disappoint you. 

[MickD]

I build for a lot of reasons, I love the feeling when I finish the rod, admiring its beauty, looking forward to fishing it.  Also very important to me is that I can fish the best rods in the world for about half the cost of what it would cost to buy the name brand hi mod rod.  But I agree with DVT, if saving $$ is your ONLY reason to get into building, it's not a good idea.

 

I think I keep building spin rods, even when I don't need another, is that I have developed a "signature" design that really works, and no factory company offers anything close to it.  

 

I also have built a bunch of rods for an educational foundation auction.  Nice to support local education with my skills, and neat to see what others will pay for one of my rods.  Many builders are building rods for kids and rods for vets, both admirable endeavors. 

 

I built my first rod when I was a teen, parts from Herters, "Finest Procurable Quality," built a fly rod during college finals week one year when I was well scholastically prepared, fished it before taking my last final.  I have many fine memories from rod building.  It is a neat hobby, even if you don't get into selling.  Especially if you don't get into selling (warranty issues, broken rods, "that's not what I meant by MH") My family and a few close friends value their rods from "Custom Fishing Rods - MJ Danek"  That's what the label says. 

[S Hovanec]

I don't think you save any money, but you do get a better rod for what you spend.

 

It also gives you a reason to buy lots of cool tools.

[Alex from GA]

I build for a specific purpose, to have the most sensitive rod I can get.  I doesn't hurt if it's the lightest also.  As for infrastructure all I have is a dryer that I made from a BBQ spit motor 40 years ago.