Do-It-Yourself Building your own Fly Rod
Author: Brett Fogle
Every so often somebody handy at creating things wonders “hey can
I build a rod myself?” normal response has been, "Get a bunch of
books." Here are a few additional observations, some gained from
the rich experience that only comes from making mistakes, which
can be far more instructive than doing things right the first
time. Doing something right and you only learn one way to do the
job; do it wrong and you learn two ways AND why the right way is
the right way.
First, like the man said, get some books. One of the best is L.A.
Garcia's Handcrafting a Graphite Fly Rod from Frank Amato
Publications. The photos are excellent. Skip Morris has maybe a
more comprehensive book, The Custom Graphite Fly Rod, which as I
recall from scanning it at the book store, covers repairs as well
as the essentials. Dale Clemens's excellent volumes are
encyclopedic-probably more than you want or need to know about
all kinds of rods.
Then get some tools: a wrapping stand (about $30-50), a slow
motor to rotate the rod on the stand while the epoxy dries (shop
for a cheap one and fit it on the wrapping rig however you can),
a small file, and an X-acto knife.
Materials you'll need are two kinds of epoxy, one for rod
wrapping and another for making the grip and attaching the reel
seat, and some masking tape. Something called a "bubble buster"
is fun. It's an alcohol torch for popping little bubbles before
they dry in the epoxy on your wrappings. It takes a light touch,
though, because it makes your epoxy runny and it can fry the
nylon thread wrappings underneath.
If you can hack the $140 or so for a Flex Coat cork lathe powered
by a hand drill, do it. Shaping the handle on the blank is a lot
easier than the jury-rigged methods I've tried for making grips
off the blank then boring them out to fit the blank. The lathe
lets you bore and fit the cork rings one at a time, giving a
perfect, on-center bond of cork to blank. Shaping grips off the
blank too easily leads to the embarrassment, aggravation, and
expense of making a new grip when you ream out too much of the
core or get it off center. If you get the lathe now, maybe
getting a friend to share the cost, you can amortize the cost
over all the rods you build.
One advantage to the lathe is that you can make your grips fat,
which some find makes them more comfortable than those on
off-the-rack rods. If you want to slim it down later, just tape
on a guide(s) to counterbalance the stripping guide(s) on the
lower section, put it back in the lathe, and sand away. (Skip
Morris does rough shaping on a lathe using a high-speed Dremel
tool, which invites disaster if you slip and it digs into the
cork. You get more control and less risk using 40 or 60 grit
sandpaper for that chore.)
Now for the rod itself. I suggest making a spinning rod first
because your mistakes will be a lot easier to live with. When
you're done, you can afford to keep it or give it away, unless
you're too embarrassed by the outcome. The important thing is
that your brain, eyes, and hands will have learned the basics of
epoxy flow, wrapping, guide alignment, and grip shaping in the
process. Even if you can afford to do a clumsy first job on a
$200 blank, why make something you don't want to fish with?
Before moving on to a top-of-the-line fly rod blank, you might
make one with an inexpensive blank for some kind of fishing you
don't do often enough to invest much money in-maybe a short,
light rod for very small waters. Think of it as low-risk skill
enhancement. Besides, you get another rod.
When you're ready for the big time, don't expect to save a lot of
money on your dream rod. First, top brand blanks are expensive.
Second, you'll probably invest what you might have saved in
special hard-finish guides and a better-than-stock reel seat. Add
the cost of a bag and tube and you're going to be closing in on
retail, though you'll have made a higher-quality rod than you can
buy. If you have to buy a new reel because you don't have one the
right size for the new rod, well now you've gone and done it,
haven't you?
When choosing guides, there are a lot of options in finish and
configuration. One of the advantages of building your own is that
you can use larger stripping guides, for less friction and better
shooting. There are all sorts of recommendations and formulas for
guide spacing, but the best bet is to get the blank
manufacturer's recommendations. Apparently stresses at the
ferrule(s) require some accommodation that are not provided by
formulas that give you an orderly mathematical progression of
guide spacing from top to bottom.
When shopping for blanks, guides, seats, and miscellaneous parts,
there is much to be said for buying and building relationships at
local shops. But in Houston at least, the local inventory seems
somewhat limited, though perhaps your favorite shop can special
order your blank.
If you want enough information to get oriented-and enough choices
to get good and confused-get a catalog from Angler's Workshop in
Woodland, WA (www.anglersworkshop.com). They have top and
not-so-top brand blanks as well as their own label. They also
have a great variety of reel seat and guide options. Best of all,
they know their stuff and they'll make an extra effort to help
you out. Even if you buy locally, their catalog is a great
reference and will give you additional options.
Anyhow, if you want to give it a try, have fun. Go slow. And stop
what you're doing and back off as soon as something doesn't feel
just right. If you make a mistake, short of snapping the blank,
odds are you can undo it. I've been able to shave off and redo
epoxy-coated wrappings that turned inexplicably lumpy on the last
coating without damaging the blank. One more caution. Once you
take rod building into your own hands, there's no telling where
it will lead. One day you'll see a book on making bamboo rods and
think, "Say, this doesn't look all that hard." Or you'll decide
to build your own kayak. Even the folks at Betty Ford won't be
able to help once you head down that path.
Author: Brett Fogle
Every so often somebody handy at creating things wonders “hey can
I build a rod myself?” normal response has been, "Get a bunch of
books." Here are a few additional observations, some gained from
the rich experience that only comes from making mistakes, which
can be far more instructive than doing things right the first
time. Doing something right and you only learn one way to do the
job; do it wrong and you learn two ways AND why the right way is
the right way.
First, like the man said, get some books. One of the best is L.A.
Garcia's Handcrafting a Graphite Fly Rod from Frank Amato
Publications. The photos are excellent. Skip Morris has maybe a
more comprehensive book, The Custom Graphite Fly Rod, which as I
recall from scanning it at the book store, covers repairs as well
as the essentials. Dale Clemens's excellent volumes are
encyclopedic-probably more than you want or need to know about
all kinds of rods.
Then get some tools: a wrapping stand (about $30-50), a slow
motor to rotate the rod on the stand while the epoxy dries (shop
for a cheap one and fit it on the wrapping rig however you can),
a small file, and an X-acto knife.
Materials you'll need are two kinds of epoxy, one for rod
wrapping and another for making the grip and attaching the reel
seat, and some masking tape. Something called a "bubble buster"
is fun. It's an alcohol torch for popping little bubbles before
they dry in the epoxy on your wrappings. It takes a light touch,
though, because it makes your epoxy runny and it can fry the
nylon thread wrappings underneath.
If you can hack the $140 or so for a Flex Coat cork lathe powered
by a hand drill, do it. Shaping the handle on the blank is a lot
easier than the jury-rigged methods I've tried for making grips
off the blank then boring them out to fit the blank. The lathe
lets you bore and fit the cork rings one at a time, giving a
perfect, on-center bond of cork to blank. Shaping grips off the
blank too easily leads to the embarrassment, aggravation, and
expense of making a new grip when you ream out too much of the
core or get it off center. If you get the lathe now, maybe
getting a friend to share the cost, you can amortize the cost
over all the rods you build.
One advantage to the lathe is that you can make your grips fat,
which some find makes them more comfortable than those on
off-the-rack rods. If you want to slim it down later, just tape
on a guide(s) to counterbalance the stripping guide(s) on the
lower section, put it back in the lathe, and sand away. (Skip
Morris does rough shaping on a lathe using a high-speed Dremel
tool, which invites disaster if you slip and it digs into the
cork. You get more control and less risk using 40 or 60 grit
sandpaper for that chore.)
Now for the rod itself. I suggest making a spinning rod first
because your mistakes will be a lot easier to live with. When
you're done, you can afford to keep it or give it away, unless
you're too embarrassed by the outcome. The important thing is
that your brain, eyes, and hands will have learned the basics of
epoxy flow, wrapping, guide alignment, and grip shaping in the
process. Even if you can afford to do a clumsy first job on a
$200 blank, why make something you don't want to fish with?
Before moving on to a top-of-the-line fly rod blank, you might
make one with an inexpensive blank for some kind of fishing you
don't do often enough to invest much money in-maybe a short,
light rod for very small waters. Think of it as low-risk skill
enhancement. Besides, you get another rod.
When you're ready for the big time, don't expect to save a lot of
money on your dream rod. First, top brand blanks are expensive.
Second, you'll probably invest what you might have saved in
special hard-finish guides and a better-than-stock reel seat. Add
the cost of a bag and tube and you're going to be closing in on
retail, though you'll have made a higher-quality rod than you can
buy. If you have to buy a new reel because you don't have one the
right size for the new rod, well now you've gone and done it,
haven't you?
When choosing guides, there are a lot of options in finish and
configuration. One of the advantages of building your own is that
you can use larger stripping guides, for less friction and better
shooting. There are all sorts of recommendations and formulas for
guide spacing, but the best bet is to get the blank
manufacturer's recommendations. Apparently stresses at the
ferrule(s) require some accommodation that are not provided by
formulas that give you an orderly mathematical progression of
guide spacing from top to bottom.
When shopping for blanks, guides, seats, and miscellaneous parts,
there is much to be said for buying and building relationships at
local shops. But in Houston at least, the local inventory seems
somewhat limited, though perhaps your favorite shop can special
order your blank.
If you want enough information to get oriented-and enough choices
to get good and confused-get a catalog from Angler's Workshop in
Woodland, WA (www.anglersworkshop.com). They have top and
not-so-top brand blanks as well as their own label. They also
have a great variety of reel seat and guide options. Best of all,
they know their stuff and they'll make an extra effort to help
you out. Even if you buy locally, their catalog is a great
reference and will give you additional options.
Anyhow, if you want to give it a try, have fun. Go slow. And stop
what you're doing and back off as soon as something doesn't feel
just right. If you make a mistake, short of snapping the blank,
odds are you can undo it. I've been able to shave off and redo
epoxy-coated wrappings that turned inexplicably lumpy on the last
coating without damaging the blank. One more caution. Once you
take rod building into your own hands, there's no telling where
it will lead. One day you'll see a book on making bamboo rods and
think, "Say, this doesn't look all that hard." Or you'll decide
to build your own kayak. Even the folks at Betty Ford won't be
able to help once you head down that path.
About the Author
_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/
Who else wants to pull in a bounty of big fish - Every time!
Here's how to AMAZE your friends (and maybe even make them
a little bit jealous) In 'Fly Fishing Secrets' we show you how.
To get your hands on these amazing insider secrets, Click Here:
http://www.fly-fishing-scerets.com