Custom Fishing Rods: A Functional Work of Art
by Lee Parsons

For an angler, nothing can compare to fishing with a rod that was custom built especially for you. A rod finely tuned for optimum performance from select components, designed and assembled to your specification. A custom fishing rod will heighten the enjoyment of your time fishing.

The high quality components, careful attention to detail and design based upon your specifications gives a sense of pride and confidence that will make you the envy of your fishing friends.

I have built many rods and each has its own personality, a distinct feel and look. The feel of a custom rod is like nothing available at the local tackle shop. A custom rod has been painstakingly built by someone who truly enjoys what he or she is doing. No machine or assembly line can produce the type of rod you get from a custom builder. A custom builder has the time needed to fine-tune each component. To test and retest the placement of guides and reel seats. He or she can take the extra time needed to insure the grip fits just right and has that special feel. A custom built fishing rod is a work of art, from the simplest to the most elaborate.

The process of building a custom fishing rod is not all that difficult, it is however time consuming and requires a great deal of patience. Here is a brief outline of the rod building process. This is not the only method of building a rod but is the basic steps I use in building mine. I don’t consider myself and expert on the subject, I learn something new from every rod builder I talk to or correspond with, and hope they learn a bit from me as well. In the not too distant future, I will be submitting more detailed articles on the different steps of rod building. Since I am always learning and trying new things, some of the information here may be different from what I will write in the future.

Blanks

There are many steps involved in building a custom rod. One of the most important is the selection of the blank. The blank is the heart of your rod and consideration must be given to the sort of fishing you intend for your rod. You will need to take into account the weight of line and lures you will be using. You will need to decide if you want a light, medium, medium/heavy or heavy power rod. Do you want the action to be fast, medium or slow? Do you want a graphite rod or a fiberglass? All these must be decided to fit the rod to you fishing preference and the type of fishing you will be using your rod for.

With a good quality blank selected, the next step is to prepare the blank. While most blanks are pretty much ready to assemble when they arrive, there are a few things that need to be done before you start putting on grips, guides and reel seats. The first thing you will need to do is clean the blank by wiping it down with a clean rag soaked with alcohol or acetone to remove any oils. The butt-end of the blank will most likely need to be trimmed to remove rough edges from the manufacturing process. Once your blank is clean and you have a straight even butt-end, you are ready to locate the spine or backbone of the blank. This is an important step and is necessary for proper guide and reel seat placement. All tubular blanks have a spine or backbone to some degree. If the guides and reel seat are not placed along the spine or directly opposite the spine, the rod will have a tendency to torque or twist to one side or the other when loaded, such as when fighting a fish. Also, the placement of guides on or opposite the spine affects the casting performance of the rod.

The most common method of locating the spine is to put a piece of masking tape around the blank midway up for marking the spine. Place the butt of the blank on a hard smooth surface; hold the blank with one hand at a 45-degree angle near the tip. With the other hand, apply pressure on the middle of the blank to create an arch. By rolling the blank, you will feel it jump or bounce. This is caused by the spine being stiffer than the rest of the blank giving it a tendency to form an arch along the spine. Mark the tape with a pencil or pen, this is the inside of the arch and is opposite the spine. Perform the test a couple more times to insure you have properly located the spine.

Another method used is to hold the blank by the tip in one hand and with the blank resting on the top edge of the other hand, rotate the blank. By watching the butt end you will notice it has a tendency to rise as you rotate the blank. This is the spine of the blank. Mark your tape along the top of the blank, remembering that this mark is on the outside of the arch, or on the spine.

The third method is to use a spine finder. This is a device made of a tube or bar with roller bearings attached to the ends and mounted to the work bench at a 45-degree angle. The blank is placed through the bearings and weight is applied to the tip. The blank will have a tendency to rotate into an arch when the weight is applied. I personally prefer the first method of rolling the blank on a hard surface. I feel the spine can be more accurately located by the feel of the blank's movement than by visually watching the tip move up or down, but this is my personal preference and is not based on any testing.

Grip

With the spine located you are ready to start working on the grip. The majority of the rods I build have cork grips, but there are other materials available which work quite well. Since the majority of my experience is with cork, that’s what I will talk about here.

The first thing I do is layout my blank on the bench, place the grip alongside with the butt of the blank even with the butt of the grip. I mark the blank at the top end of the grip, where the reel seat will attach. This gives me a reference point on the blank when I score the blank and apply epoxy. Using a micrometer (I have one so I use it) I measure the diameter of the blank at the butt and at the mark I have just made. I will use these measurements when reaming the cork so I don’t make too large of a hole.

By placing the micrometer over the hole in the cork and visually centering the hole between the jaws, I make a mark on the cork. I do this on each end using the measurements of the blank for each position. With a round rasp I enlarge the hole in the cork, almost to the size I have marked on each end. Remember, this is a tapered blank so the hole in the cork will also need to be tapered. Once the hole in the grip is close to the size needed, I change the rasp for a round file and continue working on the hole, periodically test fitting the grip to the blank.

When my grip is reamed to the proper size the blank will be scored to allow the epoxy to adhere better. I’ll apply the epoxy and slide the grip into place. Once the grip is in place I will mount the reel seat, using arbors or tape bushings to fill the space between the inside diameter of the reel seat and the outside diameter of the blank. I apply plenty of epoxy for the reel seat. Following the same process as for the rear grip, I will ream and mount the fore grip. Set the whole affair aside for about 24 hours so the epoxy can setup.

Guides

While the epoxy is curing on the grip it's time to dress the guides. Dressing the guides is a process of filing and smoothing the guide foot for a smooth perfect fit to the blank. Rough edges on the guide foot can eventually cut the guide wrap threads or damage the blank. For this reason I file the guide feet to a silky smooth finish. I adjust the guide feet to rest flatly on the blank and to insure the blank is not gouged and for the wrap thread to flow smoothly up over the foot.

With the guides dressed and the grip and reel seat epoxy cured, it is time to position the guides. There are a number of charts and formulas for determining the position of the guides along the blank. These are only starting points; the proper positioning can only be determined by static tests. With the guides temporarily secured to the blank with guide foot adhesive, strip of masking tape, rubber bands or some other means of affixing them temporarily, a reel, spooled with line, is attached to the reel seat and the line threaded through the guides. This is a good time to examine the path the line takes through the butt guide. This is the guide closest to the reel and you want to insure the line flows through the guide straight, without binding on the sides of the guide ring. If the line binds (has any bend at the guide) you will need to use a larger guide or move the guide farther from the reel seat. Next the line is secured to a fixed object and the rod flexed as if fighting a fish. With the rod bent in an arch examine the line's path through the guides. You want the line to follow the curve of the rod as closely as possible with no sharp angles. You also want to insure the line does not touch the blank. If there are sharp bends or the line touches the blank, you will need to reposition one of more guides and in some instances add more guides. After I am satisfied with the placement of the guides and with the reel and line still on the rod, I perform a test cast.

Satisfied that the guides are placed properly and the rod casts as expected, it is time to start wrapping the guides. For the wrapping you will need some method of holding tension on the thread as you wrap the guides. This can be done with a wrapping device purchased from a supplier or one of your own designs. The important thing is that consistent tension is held on the thread while wrapping. A large book and a cup can be used as a tension device. Place the spool of thread in a cup at the back of your bench or table. Place the book between the cup and where you will be wrapping the rod. Run the thread through the pages of the book and place weight on the book to maintain the desired thread tension. Start your wrap by looping the tag end of the thread around the blank and rotate the blank so the thread lays over itself to lock the tag end in place. Once you have made 5 or 6 wraps, cut the tag end of the thread and continue wrapping to about one quarter inch of where the wrap will end. Place a loop of thread against the blank and continue wrapping over the loop to the end of the wrap. Holding the thread and blank between your thumb and finger, cut the thread about 3 or 4 inches from the wrap and slip the end through the loop. Holding the end of the thread tight, pull the tag ends of the loop so the end of the thread is pulled under the final wraps and with a razor cut the tag end of the thread. Repeat this process for each guide foot.

Finishing Touches

With all the guides wrapped you are ready to place your decorative wrap. This is where you can get creative. One of the best things about building your own rod is that you are free to experiment with design and the only one you really need to please is yourself. If it’s your rod and you like the design, then it really doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks. I have seen rods with no decorative wrap at all, the builder or customer was only interested in the performance of the rod not its’ looks.

With all the wrapping done you will need to apply a finish to the rod to secure the threads and seal them from the elements. There are several products available for this; my personal preference is Flex Coat, a two-part epoxy finish. You will need some method of supporting and turning the rod. A drying motor is a good idea to rotate the rod while the finish dries but you can do it without one. You will need to rotate the rod about 45 degrees ever half-hour or so for the first two or three hours. Rotating the rod allows the finish to level out around the rod and produce an even finish around the blank. The epoxy finish will dry within about 24 hours. To insure complete curing I place my finished rods in a warm area for four or five days before using them.

As I said earlier, this is a brief outline of the rod building process. There is a wealth of information available on the subject online and from books on the subject. Many of the books and online sites give step-by-step instruction.

Please visit Lee's web site for further information if you're interested in his custom rods.