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Hello, my name is Chris and I am going to be showing you how to make fishing rods. First I will give you a quick overview of what is included in building a fishing rod. First you must choose a blank; they come in different weights from ultra light to extra heavy. Depending on how large the fish you want to catch is depends on the weight blank you want. I will be building medium heavy rods that are intended for light saltwater use for species like Fluke, and Stripped bass. The weight blank you want to use depends on the species that you are fishing for. I made to show the general uses of rod weight. In addition to the weights of the rods, there is also rod action. This determines where the rod bends. Rods that are Fast action bend in the first quarter, the tip. Medium action rods bend in the middle of the rod. Slow action rods bend throughout the entire rod. One important difference in mass produced rods and custom rods is that custom rods are wrapped on the spine of the rod. Because of the way blanks are made one side of it is almost always stronger then the other.

Finding the spine: When you place one end on the ground and the tip in your hand and put pressure in the middle the rod should jump when you roll it around. Place a piece of masking tape on the rod and mark the spine of the rod. If building a conventional rod you want to wrap on the downside of the blank (the part that is closer to the ground when the spine is found). For spinning you would wrap on the other side. The purpose of this is so that the rod is set in one place when you are fighting a fish and does not wobble in your hands.

Building a Cork Handle: There are several ways to make handles, as seen here each individual cork ring is being reamed so that it fits snugly on the blank. Once the size handle desired is met then the cork rings can be glued together. When glued they are placed in a vice that holds the end of the rod in place and applies pressure to the handle so that it fits together tight. After that the rod is placed onto a lathe and shaped using sandpaper. First rough sandpaper is used, and then to get a nice finish fine grit sandpaper should be used.

Building a Foam Handle: Working with EVA foam is much quicker and easier then cork, all you need to do to put that on is find a piece of foam that almost fits on the rod. Then you boil water and soak the foam in the hot water for a few minutes, and then put epoxy on the rod blank and the handle should just slide right into place. The problem with this method is speed. You have to get the foam on the rod wile it is still hot enough that it will stretch to fit the blank. When it cools the foam is snug around the blank and held into place by epoxy.

Fitting the Reel Seat: To get a reel seat to fit you have to make a bushing out of masking tape. Wrap tape around the blank until the reel seat fits snugly, once it does it can be glued into place.

Butt wrap- The one part of the rod which is useless other then for ascetics. For the butt wrap of the rod you can mark out the size diamonds you want by how much space is in between each one. With a close interval then diamonds will be wide. If there is a large interval then the diamonds will be long. If the wraps are spaced as far apart as the blank is thick they will be relatively even. When doing a butt wrap I like to use double sided tape to keep the threads in place. The first threads are very important; they must be secure and straight. I prefer to use double sided tape at both ends of the butt wrap to hold the threads in place. Once the first threads are laid then all you have to do is put threads on the outside of them. The more threads you add the larger the design will be. To make a diamond threads must be added in even ordered sets of 4. If you want the wrap to be made in one direction then it may be added just to that side. Chevrons are pretty much one sided diamonds, They are made by only adding to the top or the bottom of the pattern.

Guide wraps- First you must wrap a section of thread larger then the guide on the blank, this is known as the under wrap. To start the under wrap you put the thread around the rod with about 6 inches of extra thread. Wrap the thread around the blank in the opposite direction that you want to wrap the under wrap. Then after about 3-5 turns on the blank you bring the end of the thread under the taught part using a half hitch. This keeps the end of the thread in place and then the wrap can be continued in the opposite direction. Make the under wrap about a half inch longer the then guide is so that you have some extra room to work with. Under wraps protect the blank from the guide rubbing on it which over time can wear a weak spot in the blank. It also looks nicer. After that is done then you can tape on the guide and wrap thread on to secure it. Start the main guide wrap just as the under wrap was started. When one side of the guide is wrapped you can continue right to the next side if you like. This will leave a single thread running along the backside of the guide. If you double wrap both sides of the guides then it makes the rod stronger and also will give you a X pattern on the back of the guide. If you desire no pattern on the end then you can finish the ends. To end guide wraps place a loop of thread under the taught string that is being wrapped, then make about 5 more wraps on the thread. Cut the end of the thread, wile keeping it taught then run the end through the loop and pull the other end of the loop. The thread should be pulled under the wrap and be secure then it can be cut close for a pleasing affect on the eye.

Tip: First get a tip that fits the rod, then take the tip glue and heat it up put some on the end of the rod and the inside of the tip then slide in place. Set in desired position then let dry, it should only take a few minutes.

Rod Finish: To apply rod finish put rod on lathe, then mix two equal parts of epoxy together. Mix the epoxy very well, but wile making the least amount of bubbles possible. Wait for most of the bubbles to come up and pop then liberally apply finish to the guides. It should be fairly thick but not so thick that it drips off. Leave on lathe for 24 hours after rod is finished. Do not touch until completely hard, if tacky leave on lathe.