Fortunately, you can put the perfect fly rod in your hands by building it yourself. By selecting the exact components to the proportions and colors that you prefer the end result will be a fly rod designed and custom built specifically for you.

I know…I know. For those who have never done it, building a custom fishing rod sounds like it is more work than it is really worth. But those immersed in the hobby will tell you that nothing could be further from the truth. With nothing more than a little bit of spare time, a work bench and a few affordable tools, and a bit of patience, building your own custom fly rod or any fishing rod for that matter is really not that difficult. Plus, the rewards are two fold. Not only will you save a pocket full of cash building your own rod versus designing and purchasing a fly rod from a custom rod maker, but you’ll experience a greater level of satisfaction accomplishing your angling dreams on a rod you built yourself. To follow, are a few of the basics to get you started.

The first and most important step in building a fly rod after selecting the proper blank is locating the spine. Think of it as if it were your back bone. You only want to bend in one direction, forward, well so does a rod blank. Every rod blank has a back bone; some are just more defined than others. On two-piece rods, it’s important to locate the spine on both pieces. With three, four and five piece travel rods; you can get away with only finding the spine on the top two sections.

(THE REST OF THE TEXT FOR THE ARTICLE IS LOCATED AFTER ALL OF THE PICTURES, IF YOU HAVE TROUBLE READING THE TEXT IN THE PICTURES THE TEXT IS PRESTENTED AGAIN BELOW THE PICTURES) 

Start by placing a piece of masking tape around the top portion of the rod blank. This is where you will be marking which side of the blank the spine is on. Stand the rod blank vertically on a flat surface, tip side down. Hold the blank in position by lightly pressing down on the butt section with one finger. By applying a slight bit of pressure, the blank will bend in the same direction every time, and will always bounce right back into the original bend. This is how the rod blank wants to bend and this is how the rod should be built. Mark the outside of the curve with a pen on the masking tape. This is where the spine is located. (illustration #1)

On additional rod pieces, again apply a piece of masking tape before placing the butt of the blank on a flat surface. Support the rod near the top with an open palm so that the section of rod blank is resting at about a 30-degree angle. Using your other hand, apply downward pressure to the rod blank as you roll the section along the smooth surface. You will notice that the blank will have a pronounced “jump” at a certain point. This is the spine and should be marked on the masking tape. Of course, it is a good idea to repeat the process to insure you’ve hit your mark. During assembly, the guides will be positioned exactly 180 degrees to the spine. With a fly rod, the spine always faces up when fishing. (illustration #2)

When dealing with a fly rod, putting the handle assembly together is a cinch. This is the portion of the rod that you can customize the most. Start by building arbors which help hold the reel seat in place and center it over the blank. The arbors can be masking tape, drywall mesh tape, graphite arbors or even twine. Just be sure to leave a quarter of an inch of space between each arbor; this is to allow the epoxy to bond directly to the blank. Build the arbors up so that the reel seat slides snuggly over them. Now apply the epoxy glue and slide the reel seat into position. Before doing this, wrap masking tape over the threads on the reel seat to avoid accidentally getting epoxy in the threads.  (illustration #3)

Ream the inside diameter of the cork grip to fit the blank. The best way to accomplish this is with a razor wand or round file. Take your time. Be careful not to ream out too much. Ideally, the cork should fit snuggly over the blank and flush to the reel seat. Once you achieve a snug inside diameter, apply epoxy glue to the rod blank above the reel seat and slide the grip down the blank and into position. Now slide the winding check over the blank and flush to the front of the cork grip. If you are using a nickel winding check, be careful not to scratch the blank. Advanced rod builders customize the cork by building the handle out of different colored cork rings or adding accent rings before shaping the grip to fit the user’s hand. (illustration #4)

There’s one more very important step before you begin wrapping the guides. It is called “guide prep.” We need to file down the feet of the guides so our thread smoothly transitions from the blank to the guide. Use a small file and work the end of the guide foot so that it comes to a point. Afterwards, take a piece of light sand paper and buff the underside of the guide feet. This helps remove bits or burs in the metal that could scratch the blank and cause catastrophic rod failure. (illustration #5)

Place the first guide in the proper position on the rod blank 180 degrees opposite the spine (manufacturers typically supply guide placement for particular blanks). Tape the forward foot of the first guide in place. Advanced rod builders thread a base color which the guide sits on. (illustration #6)

Starting one eighth of an inch from the guide, begin wrapping. You’ll be wrapping from left to right. To get started, wrap once around the blank. Place your finger on the blank where the two threads meet and slowly rotate the rod while simultaneously crossing the running thread over the tag end. In essence, you are creating an X pattern which locks the thread in place. (illustration #7).

After approximately ten wraps, stop and trim the remaining length of the tag end off as close to the wraps as possible. Continue wrapping while constantly monitoring that each wrap is tightly seated next to the previous wrap. (Illustration #8)

Be careful when making the transition from rod blank to guide foot. This is where it is easy to make the mistake of allowing the threads to sit on top of one another rather than next to each other. When you get about 1/8” from the end, take a small piece of thread (no more than six-inches) and fold it over into a simple loop. Slide the loop under the running thread, making sure is to the right of your wrap. Complete your wrap over the loop, about eight to ten turns. (Illustration #9)

With one finger on the top of the wrap, with your other hand cut the running thread from the spool. (If you do not have your finger on the wrap, all that work you just did will be in vain. After this happens a couple of times, you’ll know exactly what I mean). Grab the tag end you just created and slip it through the loop. (illustration #10)

Gently pull the loop back through the wraps until both the loop and the tag end of your thread come through. (illustration #11)

Cut the tag end as closely as possible to the wrap before tucking the remainder under the wrap with the tip of a razor knife. Repeat the process for both feet of each guide, making sure that each guide is aligned and spaced properly. (illustration #12)

The next step in rod building process is to grab a tooth pick and drop a few drops of epoxy glue inside the tip before sliding the guide into position on the tip of the blank. Make one full rotation of the tip guide to ensure a secure bond. For a custom look, advanced rod builders apply a short wrap in front of the tip.

Now that all of the guides have been wrapped and are in place, it is time to epoxy. Make sure to thoroughly mix the epoxy according to the manufactures exact specifications. Most blends are 50/50 and if you are not extremely accurate, the epoxy will never dry. With your rod in the drier rotate 12 to 15 times per minute, use a disposable brush and lightly apply epoxy to the threads. Ideally, the epoxy should run no more than one quarter inch past each wrap and onto the blank. This is to prevent moisture from seeping under the wraps and rusting the guide feet. Once you have applied epoxy to all of the wraps, use the heat from an alcohol burner or Bic lighter and run it under the wraps to eliminate any bubbles. Do not apply flame as too much heat at one time can have the detrimental effect of loosening the epoxy and causing it to sag.

If at all possible, it is best to apply epoxy during the evening and leave the rod turning overnight (less chance of dust or airborne particles contaminating the epoxy). Once the rod is dry, set it aside for 24 hours to allow it to properly cure.

So there it is. Building a fly rod, or any custom rod for that matter, really isn’t that difficult. Sure, like with fishing, there is no substitute for experience, and, of course, your rod building skills will get better over time with each new project. But rest assured that the rewards that come along with landing trophy fish on a fishing rod you built yourself easily outweigh the meager investment. Good luck and good fishing!

Do you have any questions or need help selecting components, tools, or thread for your next rod building project, if so, feel free to contact me by calling 866-790-RODS or by visiting us on the web at Mudhole.com. And if you happen to be in the Orlando area, check out Mudhole Custom Tackle’s 2nd Annual Open House on October 6, 2007 in Oviedo, FL. Free rod building demonstrations. Numerous displays from leading component manufacturers and FREE FOOD!