Whats up guys,

I was recently asked to put together a couple custom fly rods. Problem is, I don't fly fish, nor have I built any fly rods before. I usually only build rods for applications for which I have fished, because the experience allows me to put together a well thought out product. That being said, I've built almost every type of rod out there except a fly rod. For you fly rod builders out there, do you think it would be a hard transition to build a fly rod, considering I know very little about them? Is it something I can do research on and do successfully, or do I need practical experience with the gear to put out a good product?

Thanks,
Nick

Fly poles: my guidelines; hope it helps...

Strip guide should be 15” to 28” from the reel.

Custom placing of the stripping guide is 2 inches above your reach (hold pole handle with right hand and reach the pole with your left hand) on the pole itself.

2 extra guides for fly rod (let’s take a 7 feet pole; 7+2 guides plus tip-top)

Denis

For the most part, a rod's a rod. Lots of info here and in the library, don't over think it.

Many of the blanks offered by sponsors on the left have guide location recipes available, which are a good staring point, and can be adjusted by static positioning. Rod weight will go along way to help in grip style and reel seat choices.

Phil E is correct; for configuration and hardware options it's primarily about the line weight. For example, the vast majority of 9 weights will be built with a fighting butt which has no place on a 2 weight. Post up the line weights to be built and you'll get lots of opinions.

The second and equally important criteria is casting style and preference. The quest for ever faster blanks is finally abating while glass and slower blanks are making a bit of a resurgence.

You already know over 95% of what you need to know; you just don't know that you know it.

There are many very nice components you can put on a fly rod. Depending upon the weight and use of the rod, typically a 5Wt 8'6" or 9' foot blank will handle most of the lighter fresh water fishing. Single feet guides are less traditional, but much easier to put on a rod, and perform very well for smaller rods. Snake guides require 2 wraps per guide.(I just opened a Can of Worms there) . On rods 5 Wt or less, using a Reverse Half Wells grip with a cutout on the reel end to insert a 3UL reel seat is a good start. On rods with ratings of 6 and above, using a Full Wells handle with a cut out designed for a U5 reel seat works well. If the rods are travel rods, 3 and 4 piece blanks are the norm. If travel is not a consideration, using a 2 piece rod blank will cost less and give you a very nice action. There are some really nice blanks available to you. ( I really like the Bushido Fly blanks by American Tackle). Most rods will handle line that is one weight lighter or heaver than the blank suggest. Some blanks have a faster tip, which some fishermen prefer. But full flex rods or mod flex blanks are my favorite for casting and using light tippets Asking your customer what kind of fishing they intend to do will go a long way in helping you determine what the best weight and length of blank to start on. Static loading of the blank will help you determine where to put your guides, and starting from the tip, while loading the blank, look for flat spots in the line along the path of travel that the line takes compared to where the blank flexes, and move your guides to help eliminate of minimize those flat spots. A good rule of thumb is to use one more guide than the length of the blank. Stripping guides usually start at size 10 or size 12 for the smaller rods. As Phil mentioned, most of the rod blank manufacturers offer recipes that help with guide placement. This is only my opinion, and there are lots of resources available to help confuse you when it comes to building fly rods, so jump on in.. PS. build one for yourself too.. Fly Fishing is Awesome.

Nick,
Get ready for a long learning curve.
Learn to cast and how to "feel" the blank load and un-load.
Cast every rod you can get your hands on to experience the differences on line weights and rod speed.
Does the customer want distance, accuracy, delicacy, power, fish fighting or casting range. Maybe he wants all the above.
As the rod builder you need a reference point to make informed decisions from.
Each caster has a unique stroke and most have specific requirements for their preferred fishing technique. Some are quite inflexible as to their requirements.
Component and blank requirements are varied and can be quite expensive.
I've witnessed many poor executions, due to lack of knowledge, some unfortunately on expensive blanks.
Learn prior to experiment. The more knowledge you possess the better able you are customize for the requirements.
Most will say just follow the recipe and it will work. Ultimately someone must scale how well it worked. That should be your judgment.

Gene

If your customer(s) know exactly what they want (including the blank brand) it becomes an assembly process and you have the experience to do it. If not, as stated above, there is a learning curve, and it is much easier if one fly fishes themselves. Example, I build only fly rods, and would not even think of attempting to build something like a surf rod, unless the customer specified everything.

Fly rod options are plentiful and their choice depends as much upon the casting ability of the user as it depends upon the target species and water conditions/environment where the rod will chiefly be used. An experienced fly fisher will probably tell you the blank and components he wants. If the customer has no idea about blank, components, length, line weight or fishing conditions just go with a medium everything and hope for the best.

I walk a lot of first time fly rod builders through the process. Lot's of things to know first.
Un-hide your email.
Herb
Distrib. CTS blanks

Thank you guys, ill do more research and maybe play with some factory rods to see if its doable or not.

Much appreciation,
Nick