I am building 2 tuna trolling rods for fishing out of San Diego off my private boat. In local waters we typically run into 15-60lb tuna and dorado. These are my first build. Went to the local shops and was blown away at blanks costing a minimum of $120 to get started. I don't need anything fancy at this juncture, just 2 solid rods. I will not be using them on sport boats down into mexico on multi day trips - so no special requirements there. I am looking for 50-80 lb setups with all roller guides. I am hoping to match or beat the price of the Offshore Angler trolling rods Bass Pro is selling for $149 which seem like an exceptional deal. I've scoured the internet trying to price this build out but I am realizing how large the mass of the product selections are. I would greatly appreciate it if someone can jump start my build by suggesting (1) a very affordable yet good quality blank for this type of build, (2) very affordable yet good quality roller guides for this build, and (3) very affordable yet good quality reel seat and gimble for the build. I am not trying to build lifetime rods - just my first 2 that are good quality and don't break the bank. Thanks for any help that you can provide, I really appreciate it.

You'll have a hard time beating the price of the big box store rods. Of course, you can build a better rod than what they offer, possibly even on your first few attempts. But as you're going to learn, if you're wanting to build rods in order to save money, that's not likely.

Someone may be able to recommend some inexpensive blanks and components that might get you close, however, as long as you don't count your time/labor involved.

.....................

Justin,

In my rod business my biggest competition is the store bought rods. These rods IMHO are NOT as good as a custom rod and you don't have the pride of ownership like you do with a custom built rod. I can build a better rod for about the same as a "store bought" and my loyal customers keep coming back. Build your custom rod and know it is better than the "store bought stuff"; of which, you will be convinced when you land your first fish on it!

Don Campbell
don@sensorfishingrods.com



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/22/2014 06:49PM by Donald R Campbell.

Understood and I can accept that I may not beat their prices or save money building my own. Getting to build my own and the pride in that does carry the day with this build. Can you guys recommend which blanks to look at that are in the lowest price range while still maintaining good quality. Same with the component parts. I presume there is a spectrum and a premium gets paid for brand recognition while there may be a good blank with a less recognized name that is much more affordable? I just don't even know where to start as there looks like around 15-20 branded blanks that I presume come out of 4-5 factories and when I look at all the different manufacturers of the guides and other parts it is difficult for me to categorize them all within different price levels vs. quality. Thanks guys.

You will need to be more specific in regards to the type of fishing you'll be doing. Will it be trolling or stand up ? How about the length you're looking for. Aluminum butt, slick or EVA grips ? A little more information may get you more replies in selecting your components and blanks.

Trolling rods. 5.5' - 6' in length. Up to 80lb rating. Aluminum butt would be nice. EVA grips, triangular if possible. They will be used for trolling on private small boat, 40-80lb line. Target fish are yellowfin, bluefin, albacore, and dorado ranging from 15-60 lbs on average. Thanks.

Take a look at Pacific Bay PBX II. Good blanks on a budget. Opens up some more $$ for better components.

Justin I'm going to suggest you look at things differently. I'll assume you aren't a pro so you are paying retail for everything.

Consider how much you spend on fuel (include towing vehicle), bait, tackle, boat lauch fees, etc. Total price to go on average fishing trip....everything including maintenance, insurance, and depreciation...just make a decent guess. If you are anything like me it costs at least a "few hundred"...and maybe a grand+ for a full day of blue water fishing.

Now how many fishing trips will a quality rod last you for? Try to put a number on the percentage difference of fish landed if you had a great rod/reel vs. a terrible one. If you are anything like me a nice rod/reel will last decade(s). A good outfit, that never lets you down, no matter how big the fish or terrible the conditions are, is good for at least 25% more fish IMHO.

Don't negelect the worth of the fish (assuming you eat them). Do the math and I think you will quickly conclude that it might be better to spend a little more on the rod/reel and that it might actually save you a ton of money in the long run.

There is a reason why Calstar and Seeker rule your area and Phenix is quickly making inroads. Sure there are cheaper blanks worth looking at but why should you? Saving $50 on a blank, that might break when you have a several hundred dollar fish on the line, hardly makes sense to me.

Don't over state your needs nor over build. If the fish are 15-60# you don't need or want 80# class tackle. That is for serious cow tuna. You also don't want a 5'6" rod for trolling, that is a standup rod. For what you are doing I'd build a couple of decent 30# rigs. I have a budget one I like.....rainshadow rclb 70ml with avet LX reel. Nice 30# mono outfit that will handle any dolphin/wahoo....yet could easily fish 650 yards of braid and a 40# top shot. I used virtus lite guides, fuji graphite reel seat and gimbal. You could probably buy the parts and blank for about $100-125.

Next I'll build a couple of 50# class outfits. Here I'd try to step up to a calstar or seeker blank (and a 2 speed lever drag reel). Alps and Pac Bay make good aluminum reel seats and gimbals at fair prices (as do many others). Don't bother with roller guides or a uni-butt. Not needed on 50# class and cheap roller guides are a lot more likely to cost you a fish than good ring guide. Turbo style guides in a 316 frame would do fine. So would virtus heavy or fuji msng.

You don't have to spend a lot but you should spend enough. What you end up with will function for many many years. It will be putting fish in the boat long after that off shore angler stuff is in the garbage (where it always belonged:). You will never save money building your own....you will just have rods you could have never afforded before. So do your homework, ask questions, narrow down your build, be willing to let others tell you what you need and how to build it (like yes you do want a spiral wrap:)....and get ready to pounce come black friday when 40-60% off can happen....but only if you move really fast and know what you want.

Russ in Hollywood, FL.

Russ - very cool post, thanks for taking so much time and thoughts into your reply to my questions, I really appreciate it and respect your philosophy. Hypothetically, if you were going to get crazy and build per the specs in my original post, what would you go with? Thanks.

Lots of good blanks at a reasonable price from Batson. Pac Bay has tuna blanks as well....the X2ST line. Sounds like you want the rod used only for trolling? Tons of great blanks that are longer for tossing iron or bait once you have the fish on target. The whole line of Batson's RCLB's and RCKJB's are perfect for your type of fishing.

It would help me if I understood your needs/desires for certain things, like roller guides and such a short blank.

Buying retail....the cheapest roller guides I would chance using are about $60 bucks for a set of five and the tip is another $15 or so. Between the roller guides, aluminum reel seat, and aluminum gimbal I see $100 of your budget gone already. Call the grips 10 bucks. That leaves no more than $40 for the blank (and of course we haven't included thread, epoxy, shipping, etc). As you can see it isn't going to be easy if you buy individual parts and have them shipped to you.

You do have another choice. Buy local and buy a kit. You get volume discounting because they sell a lot of the same parts. But you don't get to customize (much). Try the place in San Dimas. They have some nice quality kits close to your range. Drop by and talk to Mark and be sure to bring your reels. Trust his advice if he steers you in another direction (lord knows I did:). The Grafighter is a VERY nice blank.....some might say the best you can get for what you want to do.

At the end of the day whats another fifty bucks? Plus it is something that will see a ton of use on long range trips. BTW, they do offer a kit with roller guides and in the length you want. I think you will find it aimed at much larger fish. Give it a feel as it might be just what you want.

Russ in Hollywood, FL.

Thanks.

Its more about the items your getting for the price and the quality to see if it stands up to the toughest environments. Like Grant Darby said, we have a great selection. Here is the link for the rod blanks: [rainshadowrodblanks.com] and if you want components you can start here: [alpsforecast.com]

So, forget trying to beat the "slapped together" mass produced rods. I just had the reel seat on a star aerial come loose on me on a trip. Disappointing. I do not generally build with top-top-top end components. The best value I have found, is the batson line. I think you would do very well with the RCTB60H blank (6', 40-80 Tuna 1pc, EXACTLY WHAT YOU REQUEST and what you are fishing for) for $60. A quality forecast aluminum seat (AHD) size 22 is $17. Gimbal is inexpensive too. I have 2 shark rods built from these same components (only the larger 130lb class components), and i cannot for the life of me justify going more expensive. Getbitoutdoors on the left is where I get a lot of my stuff.