Cabelas just had their CZN rods on sale for $140. I missed the sale and will have to wait for them to drop the price again. In the meantime I thought some of you kind fellows would offer your thoughts... Could I build a better fly rod than the CZN for $140ish? I want an 11 foot rod in 3 or 4 wt for euro nymphing. Thank you for your opinions.

Mark

You'll think this a jerk's response, but it depends on how you define "better". What is it about the Cabelas CZN that you would make differently? Is it some property of the blank, is it hardware you would upgrade, thread art or wraps? Want a different style or size grips? All those things have a cost associated with them.

No, I don't think your reply was "jerkish" at all, Mr.LaMar. I think I could have been more specific, though. Let's try this instead; might anyone suggest a blank that would compare to the CZN by Cabelas, in a 3 or 4 wt and 11 foot length. Again, looking for a euro nymphing application. Priced at less than $100.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/19/2017 02:59PM by Mike Porter.

Not likely

At the end of the day, there are many very good production rods available for purchase these days. Many of them come at really very inexpensive prices.

Yes, if you want something very specific in the way of a blank, a grip, a reel seat, guides, or wraps - you can get it in a custom rod.

But, it is likely that 90 % of the fish that are caught on rods today are caught on production rods that do their jobs well to catch a fish.

Be safe



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/19/2017 03:02PM by roger wilson.

seriously the parts alone will be around 200.00 for a build and that is the low end of guides seat foam grip with nothing fancy single wraps no decoration wraps. the blank would cost 150.00 or more and you would like to know if anyone would make one for you for around a 100.00 not going to happen
so either pay Cabales off sale price or just wait till it goes on sale again and then buy it
Fact custom rods are for about 1 % of people that fish the other 99% buy off the rack in the stores like Cabelas, Dicks, or Bass pro. It boils down to you get what you are willing to pay for customs aren't production rods

The best day to be alive is always tomorrow !!
Think out side the box when all else fails !!!
Wi.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/19/2017 05:34PM by Matthew Paul.

My favorite fly rod, at the moment, is a 5 wt that I built, on a St Croix Legend Elite blank. I started building rods as a hobby to save some money as it became apparent that I preferred the more expensive rods/blanks on the market. I have never had the opportunity to fish any of the current "top of the line" euro nymphing type rods, though I am sure I would like them if I tried them. I was thinking that with the overwhelming availability of fly rod blanks on the market, especially the more affordable, mid-tier types, that there might be a margin of savings to be realized vs buying a complete rod. It appears I may be mistaken....

Mike,
For your price point of $150 and spending nothing for your own labor, you would need to find a blank that you liked for about $100. Then, $50 for everything else on the rod.

Every now and then one can come across a really nice blank for a very good buy. If you find one - buy it and build the rod for the price you have in mind.

Good luck

For example, if you were to use inexpensive snake guides for a fly rod or pac bay minima guides for a spinning or casting rod - a standard reel seat with EVA grips you could probably buy everything for the rod with the exception of the blank for about $25.

This is of course that you already have the thread, glue and shop supplies to finish the rod.

If you get into a production type rod building where you are building 20-100 rods at a time, you can now get into bulk pricing with your wholesale license that you will have and then you can reduce your per rod costs substantially.

If, you look at some of the overseas suppliers, they are paying about 3-10 cents per guide, $1--$2 for a reel seat, $1 for a grip and $4-$5 for a blank - when you speak of building a particular rod in quantities of 5-10,000.
Impossible to compete on costs when you look at that.

The general rule of retail is that the price is 5-7 times the cost of manufacturing. This ratio needs to be maintained for the entire production chain to remain in place and remain as a profitable venture.

So, you might suggest that the $140 rod at Cabela's might come off the line with a cost of $20. The $20 includes the cost of materials, labor and some profit for the factory.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/19/2017 06:42PM by roger wilson.

Mike Porter,

I have building wishing rods since 1960. I built a very simple freshwater spinning rod for trout and Panfish. All aspects of this build was done by hand including cork grip sanding and shaping, wrapping guides and applying CP and finish(Varnish in those days). I can only claim that it was a very plain rod with blue thread without any trim. The only thing I can say for it is that I caught a few trout with it. At the time I was in the Navy and spent my entire monthly paycheck of $49.00 for this rod (Thank God that the navy provided room and board.).

If you want too try building a fishing rod to just save money, I would not recommend you try it. I think you can build a rod very cheaply, but you won't like the end product. There are many good commercial rods you can buy at a reasonable price that will meet your fishing needs. If you want a build a rod because you like to work with your hands and your brain, then rod building is a tremendously satisfying activity. In addition in this day and age, there are many sources of help. This rod building forum is one of those. There is also Rodmaker Magazine you can subscribe to. Look in the Library at the top of this page and you can find published material with details on how to solve a special problem. When you build a rod, interesting problems often arise. For example, you have to decide what material to use for the grip. You can use EVA Foam, Cork, wood, Birch Bark, and others. if you like to make these kinds of choices, then you will enjoy rod building. Many people think you should start out by buying all the most expensive tools. For my first rod I used a cup to keep control of my thread, I then ran the thread through a dictionary to apply tension, and held the rod in my hands to do the wrapping. It wasn't as hard as it sounds. My first moved up to a Thompson Rod wrapper which allowed me to apply tension better and a small rack to rest the rod on when I tired. This wrapper could be clamped to a counter or table. One does not need to purchase a power wrapper that costs upwards of $350 in order for you to make a beautiful and functional
rod.
I hope my comments do not discourage you. I wrote this because I want to encourage you to become a rod builder. I believe it is the most gratifying and pleasant activity you can engage in and one that will last you a lifetime. Finally, I advise you to purchase a quite well done book on rod building by Tom Kirkman. This book shows you how to do basic rod building and moves to the more advance techniques of making diamond wraps. This book is quite inexpensive indwell be of great value to you. Good luck to you.

Sincerely,
Michael Blomme

can anyone suggest a fly rod blank in a 3 or 4 wt and 11 foot length with a mid flex, fast recovery action?

So I'm new to the rod building scene...I'm a bass fisherman and was intrigued by the though of being able to make it how I want it.
I can say for certain I will never buy another store brand from this point on.
As far as saving money...I know in the bass world I can save close to $100 on higher end rods and have a better product that is made just the way I like it.
My price point has been coming in around $150 for a rod comparable to a much more expensive store bought.

Such a Blank at a reasonable price is hard to find. This one is from Anglers Roost, maybe it will work for you.
[theanglersroost.com]
Norm

Norman Miller Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Such a Blank at a reasonable price is hard to
> find. This one is from Anglers Roost, maybe it
> will work for you.
> [theanglersroost.com]
> s/uhm12-ultra-high-modulus-graphite-blank-11ft-4pc
> -34-wt/
> Norm

Thank you!

Mid flex and fast recovery, are somewhat of an oxymoron. The deeper the flex the slower the recovery.

Phil Erickson Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Mid flex and fast recovery, are somewhat of an
> oxymoron. The deeper the flex the slower the
> recovery.

Well, Syndicate Competition Fly Rods apparently thinks it accurately describes their rods... so I borrowed it in hope I could get a lead or two on a comparable blank. Thanks for your valuable contribution to this thread.

If you are not experienced I don't think you stand much of a chance on improving on a production built rod. These rods are usually built fairly well by competent people, and your first custom rod will possibly have componentry that won't work out the way you thought and the workmanship may be suspect.

I think Roger has it right in his first comment.

Only one way to gain experience and that is to do it. A basic Fly rod is fairly straight forward and simple to put together. I don't think you would have come to a rod building forum if you did not want to try to build a fly rod. If you just wanted A recommendation for an off the shelf rod you would have gone elsewhere. So go ahead and give it a try. It is not rocket science, and you can achieve very good results when a minimum amount of equipment. Just takes a desire and a little patience.
Norm

Michael Danek Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> If you are not experienced I don't think you stand
> much of a chance on improving on a production
> built rod. These rods are usually built fairly
> well by competent people, and your first custom
> rod will possibly have componentry that won't work
> out the way you thought and the workmanship may be
> suspect.
>
> I think Roger has it right in his first comment.

I have built a grand total of 6 rods over the last 20 years. 3 fly rods and 3 spinning rods; all are still alive. Clearly, not as many as some of you fellows have built. That said I was simply asking for a recommendation or two FOR A FLY ROD BLANK. I build rods to save a few bucks when possible because it has proven to be a relatively easy task. Normally I build on the best blanks available so there is very little question as to selection. For this particular rod, I am looking at more mid-tier rods and the available selection is much more numerous. Thanks for the vote of confidence, Mr. Danek, but turning thread and mixing epoxy is not rocket science and it is a damn sight easier than building houses. And my workmanship is just fine.

Mike Porter Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Phil Erickson Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Mid flex and fast recovery, are somewhat of an
> > oxymoron. The deeper the flex the slower the
> > recovery.
>
> Well, Syndicate Competition Fly Rods apparently
> thinks it accurately describes their rods... so I
> borrowed it in hope I could get a lead or two on a
> comparable blank. Thanks for your valuable
> contribution to this thread.

Mike, better casters will keep the fly/sinker moving in an arc that is wider than the arc made by the rods tip. In this situation the tip section will load less than normal and the rod will load more than normal in the mid section. This leads to more mid flex and a faster recovery (due to the larger diameter of the rods mid section). You probably knew this.

Don Becker

Donald Becker Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Mike Porter Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Phil Erickson Wrote:
> >
> --------------------------------------------------
>
> > -----
> > > Mid flex and fast recovery, are somewhat of
> an
> > > oxymoron. The deeper the flex the slower the
> > > recovery.
> >
> > Well, Syndicate Competition Fly Rods apparently
> > thinks it accurately describes their rods... so
> I
> > borrowed it in hope I could get a lead or two on
> a
> > comparable blank. Thanks for your valuable
> > contribution to this thread.
>
> Mike, better casters will keep the fly/sinker
> moving in an arc that is wider than the arc made
> by the rods tip. In this situation the tip section
> will load less than normal and the rod will load
> more than normal in the mid section. This leads to
> more mid flex and a faster recovery (due to the
> larger diameter of the rods mid section). You
> probably knew this.

Thank you for your advice...

I respect Don's opinions very much, but with the one above I disagree.

If the rod flexes at a mid point, there is more mass (weight) above the flex, and the portion above the mid flex must travel further, both of which make for a slower recovery !

Marketing terminology, are not facts.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/20/2017 11:31PM by Phil Erickson.