Rod building opinions

[carolina-rig-01]

I am thinking about trying my hand at rod building. I just think I would enjoy building a few rods now and then, plus maybe I could fit in with the cool kids in the chat room lol. I really have no idea what I am doing but it seems like the kind of thing that once I get one or two under my belt it will all start making more sense, or at least I am hoping. For the most part I want my rods to look good but the main thing I am after is light weight rods that are balanced well and have great sensitivity. So the decorative wraps aren't something I am interested in trying right now because although they look cool, they really don't offer any benefits to what I am after because of the added weight. That's not to say that I won't want to try them down the road though. I plan on ordering the stuff to get started on my first rod here in a few weeks. For now I am looking for opinions on what I should get to build a sharp looking, light weight, and balanced rod that won't break the bank. I don't mind putting a little money into the rod but I don't want to end up with a $400 rod either. I will probably avoid micros on the first few rods because I hear they can be a bear to work with. So my question is. If you were to build a rod based on the criteria I mentioned, what blank, guides, reel seat, ect. would you guys order?

Also for the sake of a simple start up I am thinking I will just order this kit. http://www.mudhole.com/Shop-Our-Cata...s-Start-Up-Kit I am sure there are some must have items that are not included in this kit so what am I missing, or would I be better off buying all the stuff seperate rather than the kit? Complete novice here fellas so any and all opinions appreciated.

[MO3N]

There are a lot of options and I am by no means an expert. But I am thinking of getting into rod building too. The blanks on mudhole.com the MHX blanks are really nice. I have a Nelson rod with one of these and love it. They are good for the price. Another good option is the St croix rods because on there website it shows what size guide to use for a rod and where to place them. Makes it a little easier for a first time person. This is the link scroll down to the bottom to see the guide size and placing (pg 15). The nice thing about St Croix is you can match it to some of the rods the manufacture if you are looking to build one for a given technique.

The guide placement given by St Croix is a good starting place but its best if you static test it as well. from what I have read.

From what people have told me start with a cheapish rod to begin with in case you mess up.

Hopefully some more experienced people will chime in but thats just what I have gathered while researching.

[carolina-rig-01]

Originally Posted by MO3N

There are a lot of options and I am by no means an expert. But I am thinking of getting into rod building too. The blanks on mudhole.com the MHX blanks are really nice. I have a Nelson rod with one of these and love it. They are good for the price. Another good option is the St croix rods because on there website it shows what size guide to use for a rod and where to place them. Makes it a little easier for a first time person. This is the link scroll down to the bottom to see the guide size and placing (pg 15). The nice thing about St Croix is you can match it to some of the rods the manufacture if you are looking to build one for a given technique.

The guide placement given by St Croix is a good starting place but its best if you static test it as well. from what I have read.

From what people have told me start with a cheapish rod to begin with in case you mess up.

Hopefully some more experienced people will chime in but thats just what I have gathered while researching.

Honestly I was considering the MHX blanks as well as St. Croix blanks. I am glad to hear that you like the MHX blanks. I like how St. Croix as well as a few other companies tell you how much their blanks weigh and I wish MHX would do the same because I am curious about how heavy they are. Anyways I appreciate your help and the link you gave me is going to be pretty useful as well.

Thx

[Bubba_Bruiser]

There is also a ton of different grade blanks from Batson. And a recipe page for most of there blanks. And if it is there (Recipes). A quick email or post on the forum will give you good guidelines for a starting point for static testing on conventional guides. It is definitely a good past time, especially on those long winter days y'all get. But the "Cool Guys" are always just a phone call away. Believe me, I have called several times hahahaha.

[66KingFisher]

Kory, I plan on building my own rod wrapper...those things are just too simple to pay what they want for them....buy a motor for turning the rod during drying, but you can DIY everything else with local materials. Spend all the money you saved on supplies and rod blanks...lol.

PS....I hear good things about the Rainshadow blanks.

[M_A_C_K]

Carolina-rig-01 I ordered this catalog that is a company that sells EVERYTHING rod building and they give you free catalogs coinciding with your skill... Go to this site and order this catalog "for beginners". And The catalog also has how to sections on how to build everything!!! Order this free catalog you WILL NOT be disappointed!!! Here is the link http://www.mudhole.com/Get-a-Free-Catalog

[VadneyCustomRods]

Batson (Rainshadow) blanks are awesome for the money.

[Jrob78]

My advice would be to build your own wrapper. The prices they charge for wrappers of decent size is too much, the cheaper wrappers are too small. This website has tons of pics of rod building stuff, including equipment.
http://www.fishingphotos.net/photopo...ry.php/cat/507

I would be happy to send you, or anyone else pics of my wrapper, they are pretty easy to build and work really well. I built one and then built another with some upgrades a year or so later. The wrapper will double as the dryer, you can buy a cheap motor set up for rod building on Ebay. This is all you need.
http://cgi.ebay.com/6-RPM-DRYING-DRY...item53e74d5129

I would decide what kind of rod you want to build before you start thinking about blanks. If you want to make your first build cheaper I would recommend building a cranking stick. Mod and mod fast graphite blanks are built using a lower modulus blend of graphite, they are considerably cheaper but less sensitive than a "mag bass" blank.

Mag bass blanks are your standard fast action, jig and worm type blanks. I would recommend not going cheap on a blank for these techniques. This is where sensitivity, weight and price come into play.

For me, picking out the components is one of the most fun aspects of rod building. I believe a custom rod should be truly that, completely custom, not a pre-packaged deal. I would also not let something being a little harder discourage me from building the best performing rod I could. Micro guides offer the best performance and lightest weight. They really aren't any harder at all to wrap once you get them secured to the blank. The feet are smaller so they require less wraps and they are easier to wrap up onto. Dental rubber bands work great for securing them to the blank before you wrap.

[Tall]

I chose the MHX rod over the feel of the ST Croix rod with both rods side by side. Both with micro guides. I could not tell a differance in feel and the MXH rod was $50-75 less and felt very light (to me). I need to go to the mud hole and reg. my rod with them that my buddy built come to think of it.

I just had him reguide my Batson rod with micro guides and really like the setup.

I know he uses the mudhole because I need to reg. my serial number for the life time warrenty on the MHX rod I just purchased from my buddy.