PainInTheBass

I have gotten into building rods, and from what I understand, that has to do with a combination of the size of the guides, and positioning along the rod. The rod could likely better contain the line with another guide, with the choker guides closer to the face of the reel. Tthis will have some impact on your casting distance, but will not have too large an effect on your fish fighting ability.

As far as line ratings go, they are all only recommendatins by the manufacturer in relation to how they are positioning the rod in the line up, and for the intended uses. A rod manufacturer may recommend very light line for ultralight techniques because the two go together, but that does not mean you cannot use a 10 lb braid instead. Another example: how many people use 50 lb test braid with rods rated for 10-17lb test line? It is all a recommendation to help direct potential buyers into selecting components that should work well together. More important with line selection is the desired technique, target species, and lure size.

My grandfather has an old Hawk Grip (HawkGrip) Graphite Medium Action Egg Rod 9.5' 2-piece Salmon Trout... well that's what it says on the rod! Oh, and Model SP1741-96

Now I can't wait to use a nice long rod... but it's broken clean apart 71cm from the tip... almost exactly 1/4 down the rod. I suspect this is a region that sees a lot of flex, so the repair might be a bit daunting.

I need advise from a seasoned rod craftsman about what to do with this rod.

Here are pictures of the damage (yes, on a crappy camera but it's what I had at the time )



One end:



The other end:





Tip was also damaged, but my grandfather improperly repaired it years ago, he didn't know any better unfortunately .

let me preface this by saying I build rods, but have never done any repairs. From what I have read, you want to get a piece of blank to fit as an outer sleeve over the break. This section of blank must fit very very tightly with the existing rod, and ideally has the same flex characteristics as the rod at that point. I do not recall theexact equation but you want the sleeve to extend past any splintering of graphite in the original rod, and should extend sufficiently past the joint (couple of inches in my admittedly amateur opinion at that point). This oversleeve can be fibreglass or graphite, so long as it has the same flex.

You would then epoxy the sections and sleeve together using a flexible epoxy, preferably a rod building epoxy. I would then wrap the sleeve and ends with thread and finish. Then enjoy your repaired rod.

I hope that helps.

I prefer 3/8 oz, double willow leaf style blades based on the waters I tend to fish. Because they tend to be weedy, I usually retrieve the spinnerbaits, burning it just over the weeds, ticking the weed tops preferably. I am not fussy about the type of swivel, nor the material of the frame, provided it is not garbage and deforms too easily. Hook brand is also one of those things where I don't care if it is any particular brand, so long as it is a quality hook. As for colours, while I used to use a lot of chartreuse, my mainstay now are white base colours with silver blades. I always throw on a Yum twin tail trailer to add extra action if the skirt does not have one built in, and always add a trailer hook in the face up position for those short strikes.

I hope this helps.

Beauty pike! Almost makes me wanna brave the cold! Almost.

Custom rods are for people who know what they're looking for in a rod, mainly because they have noticed some important qualities that are missing in their off the shelf rods. Factory rods are built for the masses, the components used are not of the best quality, and they are not built with the care that a custom rod is built with. Having the ability to change guides and guide spacing makes a huge factor on the action of the blank and weight of the total build. Then theres the fact that certain blanks can only be bought as blanks, so in order to fish one you'd have to get it built. Theres also reel seat position, handle length, balancing the rod with a specific reel. Many, many, many factors. You build the rod to your specifications and end up with something that is truly unique just for yourself. You mentioned that theyre quite expensive, which is true, but they will likely last you a life time and since a rod that was built just for you you would never need to upgrade, plus they keep theryre value a lot better then factory rods when it comes to selling. In my eyes they actually end up being cheaper, epecially if you tie your own. For example a 13' raven im8 with a reelseat goes for about $250, i can build up that same blank with MUCH better components for the same price if not less.

Dimitri

To expand on Dimitri's point, a good rod builder will know how to maximize the potential of the rod components they are building with. Aside from the varying grade of components, some components, such as the blanks, will each be unique. Even amongst other blanks of the exact same model; no 2 blanks are identical. They each have a definite curvature, spine, power, action. Based on the characteristics of the blank, the rod builder will place the components in a way that the purchaser wants, and to maximize the unique qualities of the blank.

Beyond that, custom really does mean custom. You can have the rod's aesthetics personalized from blank colour, guide wraps, handle material and design. You can pick higher or lower grade components based on your budget. You can really dictate and get the rod of your dreams with a custom.

But, as Dimitri stated, you have to know what you want in a rod for it to be worth it. I knew what I wanted, and built an ultralight baitcasting rod to pair with a Daiwa Sol, and it is my favourite combo to use. The rod cost me less to make than it cost me to purchase my most expensive rod (Okuma C3), but is by far a better rod imo. I have built rods for other people with equivalent specs to my C3, at a fraction of the cost, which are also better imo. I do feel that you can get more for your money with custom.