Why Build Your Own Fly Rod?

Ever thought of building your own Fly rod? This could be just one of the hobbies that sprout out of the wonderful sport of Fly Fishing, your own customized rods. Difficult option I hear you say, but with a little research, practice and a good amount of patience, you will be able to build a rod that can be the envy of your friends.

There are also a lot of benefits to building and designing your own rod. First and foremost it can save you a lot of money, as it is often cheaper to build a rod according to your own specifications. This includes the color of the wrapping, the casting action, length and the various components to add to the finished product. Secondly you will find it very rewarding when you start catching your first fish with the fly rod you have designed and built by yourself.

Prior to buying your rod blank, you have to research what blank you want to use for the new rod. You got to look at the various characteristics of each blank like the rod action which comes in slow, intermediate or fast, this naturally will all depend on your casting style.

Then you must choose what rod components you want. Depending on the size of your hand, you got to look at the various custom cork grips available on the market today. You can buy the raw grip and shape it yourself, or just order the finished product that comes in different shapes like full wells, reverse-half wells, cigar and super fine.

Now we got to look at the reel seat to complete the grip arrangement. Again there are countless options available to pick from. These reel seats are manufactured from different exotic woods, metals and other synthetic materials. They come in configurations like down-locking, up-locking and also sliding rings for the very light rods.

This is followed by the stripping guide, a set of guides (where the fly line winds through) and a correctly sized tip top to fit the rod tip thickness. You can choose between single foot or snake guides depending if you going to fish for light or heavy fish. The guides come in light wire, ceramic or titanium coated versions. The light wire snake guides are the best option for your very light rods. You can also opt for a hook keeper to keep the fly in place when not casting.

To complete and fit all the components to your new customized rod you will need wrapping thread in the color of your choice and rod wrapping finish to coat the thread. Look for good rod builders' epoxy to assemble the rod seat and bonding the reel seat and cork grip to the rod blank. Optionally you can also buy some color preserver to preserve the look of your wrapping tread and cork seal that strengthens the grip and preventing it from deteriorating from continues use over time.

Building your own Fly rod is an excellent idea to pass time on weekends, especially in the winter when the fish is scarce. You can also turn this hobby into a profitable venture by building and selling customized rods to other fly fisherman.

For more Fly Fishing Info and to get more expert advice and tips on what you will need to start fishing on the fly. Visit us at http://www.flyfishinginformation.net We provide you with the latest fishing news, books on how to Flyfish and articles about catching your first fish on your fly rod.

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