Noob question

[drnihili]

So, assuming that I am reasonably handy, how long would it take to build a rod if I started with a kit from Cabela's or the like? I mean both in terms of hours of work and also in minimum time from delivery of the kit to first cast assuming I have plenty of free time to do the building. Aside from issues of pride and enjoying fishing with something I've made, how will the finished product fish when compared with a commercial rod based on the same blank?

I really shouldn't be thinking about building a rod, but I have to admit that you guys are tempting me.....

 

[Rip Tide]

As I remember, I worked on the first rod that I built for parts of 3 days.
The latest one was completed on the day that it came in the mail and used the next..... and I don't do it often enough to be good at it.
Assuming that no major mistakes will be made, you can build a better rod than you can buy

 

[pegboy1]

You're gonna have about 10 to 14 hours involved (not including drying time) on you're first build. Should fish every bit as well as factory, maybe better.

 

[Ard]

My best advice is to make very sure that you have the windings packed very tight (no gaps in the thread winds) even the smallest gap in the thread will show up when you flex coat or varnish the wraps. Other considerations should be well defined in any instructions that come with the kit.

Time-wise the other guys have covered that.

Ard

 

[Auntie Em]

My best recommendation is; DON'T put a time line on it!! It'll take as long as it takes, and maybe a bit more! The whole idea of building a rod your self is for the enjoyment of it! HAVE FUN with it! Put on wraps, then take them off again! Do it till it feels natural. When/if it becomes a frustration or looses its fun ... put it down, and come back to it later. Don't push it. :thumbsup:
Regardless of how it turns out, that will be your first rod! You did it! Fish it with pride!!

 

[mojo]

My best recommendation is; DON'T put a time line on it!! It'll take as long as it takes, and maybe a bit more! The whole idea of building a rod your self is for the enjoyment of it! HAVE FUN with it! Put on wraps, then take them off again! Do it till it feels natural. When/if it becomes a frustration or looses its fun ... put it down, and come back to it later. Don't push it. :thumbsup:
Regardless of how it turns out, that will be your first rod! You did it! Fish it with pride!!

To quote Meat Loaf- You Took the Words Right Out of My Mouth

 

[drnihili]

My best recommendation is; DON'T put a time line on it!! It'll take as long as it takes, and maybe a bit more! The whole idea of building a rod your self is for the enjoyment of it! HAVE FUN with it! Put on wraps, then take them off again! Do it till it feels natural. When/if it becomes a frustration or looses its fun ... put it down, and come back to it later. Don't push it. :thumbsup:
Regardless of how it turns out, that will be your first rod! You did it! Fish it with pride!!

Understood. My question was motivated by wondering whether it could be accomplished in a sufficiently timely fashion to give me a rod to fish with if I didn't have any other. Since I've arranged to trade my current rod rather than sell it, this is no longer an issue. But it also means I probably wouldn't start on one until June or so. I've got a couple in mind - a 7'6" 3wt for small stream, and then a spin/fly with reversible handle for my wife. She really only fishes spin, but wants the possibility of doing fly with the same rod. Her current rod has a Tennessee handle that really doesn't hold the reel well. I was hoping I could just put a new handle on hers, but apparently that's not as workable as making a new rod. There are also a couple of extended family members I wouldn't mind make spin rods for, they have zero interest in fly fishing.

 

[Ard]

Now that you will not be in a hurry here are a couple more things to consider. You are going to need a rod winding rack and a drying motor also. I did my first dressing job using a book for thread tension and turned the sections by hand to dry the varnish. I would not recommend this for everyone but it worked for me.

 

[drnihili]

I'm guessing that there's not a lot of difference between building a spin rod and a fly rod, except for selection of materials. Is that right? If so, I wonder if I might not be better off building a spin rod as they seem to be a bit less picky. Thoughts?

 

[Auntie Em]

Wish I could help you, but I've never built a spinning rod. Can't think it'd be too much different, other than some of the wraps positioned around the guides.

 

[devildog83]

I just got through building my fly rod in an unconventional manner using spinning guides instead of fly guides and it casts both exceptionally well.

 

[arkman]

I don't think there is really any difference between spinning a fly rods. Head over to rodbuildingforum.com. There is tons of good info on there.

I'd agree, don't put a timeline on it. With that said the time really varies. The first rod I did took me an entire weekend to wrap the guides. I did some really crazy wraps for a first rod. The second two rods went much faster, the wraps were really simple. If you are buying a pre-made handle the assembly is fairly easy. If you are buying rings of cork to make a handle it will take a while longer. In my opinion one of the biggest time part is just waiting. Put epoxy on in 30 min and then wait 12 hours.

Its a lot of fun building a rod. To me the biggest differences between a factory rod and a custom rod is craftsmanship and customization. Mainly the customization. You can only buy a factory rod with the handle they make and the guides they pick and things like that. If you build you have tons and tons options from handle shape to thread color.

Also you can save some money with some research. An example: I just started building a TFO Pro Series rod for about the same cost that you could buy it. But I could have found a blank that performs just as good for half the price or less. You can't buy a pre-made rod on some of those blanks.

I fly tie not to save money but because I enjoy the craftsmanship and catching fish on something I made. The same holds true for rod building. If you are like me you will enjoy rod building.

 

[williamhj]

I say do it. Do it and don't stress about the time. It will be worth it.

I built my first (an 8wt) last November and really enjoyed fishing it for steelhead. I built 2 more in December - a 5wt and 3wt both of which were a great to build and great to fish with. I broke the tip off my 5wt picking ice off it. As we speak the last coat of epoxy is drying on its replacement. I have a 6wt blank and two bamboo blanks waiting in the wings.

Needless to say I really enjoyed the building process. Take your time, pack your wraps tightly, don't be afraid to cut them off and start again.

Don't underestimate the value of building it yourself. It will add a lot to your fishing, as you may already know if you tie your own flies. I fished my 5 and 3wts in Colorado for a day while visiting my brother in January and, even though I didn't catch anything, I enjoyed fishing the rods I'd built. A lot more satisfaction than fishing one I bought. That said, I look forward to seeing how they look with a nice bend in them.