Basic Fishing Rod Building - An Introduction
The First Step
Fishing Rod Building: The first step in fishing rod building is choosing the rod components that will suit your style of fishing and the species you're after. Here are a few things to consider when selecting fishing rod parts.
Rod Blank Selection
Here are a few things to consider when choosing a fishing rod blank.
Baitcasting, spinning, fly, other? What species do I fish for?
What lures will I use? What # test line will I use?
Where do I fish? One piece, two piece, travel?
Graphite, Fiberglass, or Composite?

 

Handle Selection
Handle style, material, and length will depend on the fishing rod blank you choose, the manner in which the rod is to be used as well as personal preference. Grips are typically made of cork or foam. Cork grips have a high performance look and feel unmatched by other materials. Foam grips will absorb more punishment than cork. They are perfect for rods being used in rod holders or rods with large butt diameters.

Cork grips usually have small inside diameters so they can be used on a variety of different blanks. Most cork grips will require enlarging the inside diameter to custom fit the blank. This can be done with a cork reamer or rat tail file.

Foam grips are available with many different inside diameters requiring no enlarging. This really speeds up the installation process.
Handle Kits
We have a variety of handle kits that are matched to our fishing rod blanks. They are sized to fit the blank and to build a great performing fishing rod. Our handle kits include all the parts needed plus complete instructions.  Handle kit suggestion are listed with our fishing rod blanks in our catalog and on our website.

 

Guide Selection
There are many styles of guides to choose from when building a custom rod. Couple that with five or six different ring materials and then throw in different color frames and you might just be asking yourself what guides should I put on my custom rod?

Keep it simple! First, pick a frame style. Double foot guides are chosen for extra strength. Single foot guides are chosen for light weight and performance. Choose a ring material. Hardloy Alconite and Hialoy are the most commonly used ring materials. All provide a smooth, long lasting surface. The other ring materials we offer provide premium performance and appearance at increased cost. Consider using silicone carbide or titanium carbide ringed guides if you use abrasive lines (Spectra, Dacron) or if you're fishing for species that make long, fast runs. Wire guides are very lightweight but tend to wear more than ringed guides. Cosmetics are important to most custom rod builders. The guide frame color usually matches the reel seat hardware.

A good starting rule to remember when choosing the number of guides for your rod is to use one guide for every twelve inches of rod blank. That number should be based on the total length of the rod. For example, a six-foot rod should have a minimum of six guides plus a tip top.

 

Fishing Rod Wrapping Thread
One of the most commonly asked questions about rod wrapping is, "What thread should I use?". Nylon thread is used in most fishing rod building applications. Size of the thread will depend on what type of rod you are building. Here are some guidelines when choosing a rod wrapping thread: 
Size A - Freshwater spinning, casting, and fly rods. Light saltwater rods.
Size D - Heavy freshwater, most saltwater spinning, casting, and fly rods.
Size E - Heavy saltwater.

Metallic thread is most commonly used as a trim wrap or accent color. Metallic thread can be used to wrap an entire guide, although we do not recommend it. NCP and Stay True thread require no color preserver.

 
Fishing Rod Wrapping Finish
There are many high-quality one- and two-part fishing rod wrapping finishes available to the custom fishing rod builder. Most rod builders use two-part rod finishes. Some use a high build formula which only requires one coat application while others choose a light formula that requires multiple thin coats. Whether you choose high build or light formula, remember the most important part of using a two-part rod finish is mixing the finish correctly. Use the mixing syringes supplied with the rod finish to accurately measure equal parts of the resin and hardener. Rod finishes mixed incorrectly will never cure and remain tacky to the touch. Improperly cured finish will cause you to apply another coat of finish or cut off the guide wraps and start over. One part rod finishes are chosen by rod builders for their ease of use and thin build-up. They are most often used in fishing rod repair and rod renovation.
All fishing rod finishes are self-leveling and require turning while being applied and drying for best results. We recommend turning the rod with a drying motor. It provides a constant, slow rotation which is perfect for rod finishes (6-18 rpm). If a drying motor is unavailable, you must rotate the rod often and long enough to prevent the finish from sagging. Drying time will vary depending upon the weather. High humidity and cold temperatures will prolong drying time. In perfect conditions it should take about 4 hours to dry a rod.
When choosing a glue to bond cork rings, reel seats, grips, butt caps etc., consider shrinkage, strength and dry time. Generally, the longer the dry time, the stronger the bond. Our 2 part epoxy glues exhibit minimal shrinkage and are very strong. Contact cement like Pliobond remains flexible and is a good choice for cork rings.

 
Books and Videos
Consider purchasing a book or video on how to build fishing rods. These tools are full of helpful information that will improve your rod building experience.

 

Guide Sizing, Spacing and Positioning
Listed below are some starting points for guide placement. After the guides have been taped on the rod and line is used to check for line-blank contact and a smooth arc, guides can be moved, added, or deleted for best performance. Distances are measured in inches from the tip of the rod blank.
Casting Rod Guide Sizing, Spacing and Positioning
Guide Size 8 8 8 10 10 12    
Length 5'6" 4 1/4 9 14 1/2 21 1/2 29 1/2 37 3/4    
Guide Size 8 8 8 10 10 12    
Length 6'0" 4 1/2 9 1/4 14 3/4 21 1/4 29 1/4 38 1/4    
Guide Size 8 8 8 8 10 10 12  
Length 6'6" 4 1/4 9 14 1/4 20 1/4 27 34 1/2 44  
Guide Size 8 8 8 8 10 10 10 12
Length 7'0" 4 8 1/2 13 1/2 19 25 32 40 49
Guide Size 8 8 8 8 10 10 10 12
Length 7'6" 4 8 1/2 13 1/2 19 25 32 40 49
Spinning Rod Guide Sizing, Spacing and Positioning
Guide Size 8 10 12 16 25    
Length 5'0" 5 1/2 11 1/2 19 27 37    
Guide Size 8 10 12 16 25    
Length 5'6" 5 1/2 11 1/2 20 1/4 29 3/4 40    
Guide Size 8 10 12 16 20 30  
Length 6'0" 4 9 15 22 1/2 32 1/2 42  
Guide Size 8 10 12 16 20 30  
Length 6'6" 4 1/2 10 1/2 17 1/2 26 36 1/2 48 1/2  
Guide Size 8 10 12 16 20 25 30
Length 7'0" 4 9 16 23 1/2 31 1/2 40 50 1/2
Fly Rod Guide Sizing, Spacing and Positioning
Sizes 1,2,3 4 are snake guides. Sizes 10 and 12 are stripper guides.
Guide Size 1 1 1 1 1 2 3 10      
Length 7'6" 4 9 15 21 3/4 29 1/4 37 3/4 47 1/4 58 3/4      
Guide Size 1 1 1 1 1 2 3 10 12    
Length 8'0" 4 9 15 22 29 1/2 38 46 3/4 56 1/4 67    
Guide Size 2 2 2 2 3 3 3 4 10 12  
Length 8'6" 4 9 15 22 29 1/2 37 1/4 45 1/4 54 1/4 63 1/4 72 3/4  
Guide Size 2 2 2 2 3 3 3 4 10 12  
Length 9'0" 4 9 15 22 29 1/2 37 1/2 46 1/2 56 1/2 66 1/2 76 3/4  
Guide Size 2 2 2 2 3 3 3 3 4 10 12
Length 9'6" 4 9 15 22 29 1/4 37 45 53 1/4 62 1/4 72 3/4 84