Custom rods

Not really sure how to ask this, but what makes a custom rod custom? Like what is the difference between a rod bought at the store or one made by someone building rods? When my fly fishing skills get decently better i was thinking of getting a light rod for wild trout and wasnt sure if i should get it custom or just buy it from a well known company

I will be eventually, i want to improve my fly fishing skills before i spend alot on a new rod, but i was just curious what made the difference between a custom rod and a factory rod

what exactly is the big deal about the guide spacing?

killducksanddeer

why a custom rod?

look here

http://www.rodbuildingforum.com/index.php?showtopic=27845

Wait until you get better and can tell the difference between casting a low and high end rod. High end factory rods can get very pricey too: see Orvis, Scott, Winston, Sage etc... I had Skip build me a couple of rods that IMO performs that compete with rods 2 and 3 times their price from the factory. Custom doesn't mean "bling", it means "exactly what you want in a rod".

And besides, some of us like that "fishing bling." There's so much more to fishing than just catching fish...

And in my experience with both Loomis and Skip, you get a rod better suited to you and the application you want along with a price point that has been better (IMO) than a store bought top end rod...


MO

ORIGINAL: kill3ducks1deer

ya all that seems alot like unnecessary fishing "bling", just would make the cost alot more

Custom doesn't mean "bling", it means "exactly what you want in a rod"

Well said. I've had Skip build me two, and both ended up very low key...which is how I prefer things.

By the time it's all said and done, for me, I get a rod that I'd have liked to own the stock version, but with a bunch of little tweaks and adjustments just for me, at a price that is still very very good.

I wasnt talking about the little tweaks you like, i was talking about all the fancy wraps, and colors on the handle of the rod sudsy posted.

Well for me, that's what custom means, not all that flashy stuff. To me, anything much beyond a little accent wrap is the fishing equivalent of this:



Some people like it, I ain't one of em. I respect the skill that goes into it, but I have no desire to own one. Still, custom rods have a place in the rotation for my fishing. :)

ORIGINAL: kill3ducks1deer

I wasnt talking about the little tweaks you like, i was talking about all the fancy wraps, and colors on the handle of the rod sudsy posted. I guess i understand the tweaks you are talking about because i only like certain rod for my bass fishing, guess its the same for fly rods to you guys

I have an example for you to check out.

Here is one of my fly rods, a factory G-Loomis streamdance. I acquired this rod after I broke an older model and sent it in for replacement, this was after G-loomis was bought by Shimano. This thing retails for $655.00; Fine, I have no problem paying for a quality piece because I do enough fishing. However, when I got this rod and inspected it, I was very displeased at what I saw. If I would have paid retail for this thing I would have sent it back and here is why:

Look at this guide wrap here, you can tell that a worker at the plant mishandled this before the finish was cured and let it either rest against something, or mishandled it, whatever the case my be. Now, this does NOTHING to the functionality of the rod, however, it is very displeasing to someone who noticed knowing it is there, not something you would expect from a rod that costs as much as my Mortgage payment a month. The epoxy should be flat, smooth, level and free of any surface inclusions.



THAT LOOKS AWFUL!

Here is another example of the production mistakes that happen to factory rods. I circled the bubble in the stripping guide tunnel for you to see. When you have a number to meet in order to go home to your family before the night, that appalling bubble there doesn't seem like the worst thing that has ever happened, right? However, not only is that bubble very displeasing to the eye, it is also a hazard for cracking and pre-mature ware, and/or blank failure. Again, there is your money at work....Chances are this wont affect anything, but still it's there and it annoys me to no end.



Now, rod guys make the same mistakes when building rods, however, these can be corrected or reconciled depending on the amount of quality control, pride or whatever the case that one puts into their work. If an accident like that happened, you can ALMOST guarantee that it won't be sent to you like that. The finish work of a custom rod builder should be flat, level smooth and as close to perfect as the individual can provide, but that has it's variance too.  There is simply no excuses for sacrifices of quality, and that is where the reward comes for both the craftsman and the consumer. No matter how fancy or simple a crafted rod is, it should follow the guidelines of quality that are apart of the industry.

Check out the difference in finish here and I think you can see what I mean:










In essence, it is this quality and attention to detail that you are paying for. Pay close attention to the rods that you see in the store and the rods that you own. Take a night and really delve into how they are made, you will start to see more and more mistakes and blemishes that you would have never noticed before.

Good post Loomis.

Loomis, let me know if you can get Century blanks....

Hey Loomis, have you seen or worked with the new blanks from North Fork Composites?

I'd like to build a xen one of these days but they are out of my price range for now.