The Northern California Fly Fishing Board

Kind of a survey question...

How many rods would one have to build to become a competent rod builder?

If you have a good instructor maybe just one. There isn’t a whole lot to standard rod building. The great Ed Belcher taught me and he would make some of the most beautiful rods. Get someone to show you all the tricks to it. You can make a rod holder out of a card board box and run thread through a book to keep tension, or you can buy a rod lathe and a combination of other tools to do it.

Yeah, "standard rod building" is the key phrase there...not really too difficult. Now I'm not saying making the blank is easy or doing fancy wraps! But yeah, building from standard components doesn't take too much time to learn.

-Greg

You can certainly build a good and perfectly functional rod on your first try, and be happy with the results. I did, over 20 years ago, and I still love and fish with my first rod (although I will be re-doing it this winter).

All of the skills of rod building are just that...skills. Some of them are closely related to things you have already done and you will pick them up easily. Others are more challenging and take time to perfect. How fast you can learn them to the level of "competence" depends on:

a) how good your basic hand working skills are (if you have competence at woodworking, you will probably have an easy transition to rod building).
b) how fast of a learner you are.
c) how you define "competence", and what will satisfy your own eyes.

I have built dozens of rods, and my eyes always see the little imperfections that are inherent to most hand-crafted objects. Many others, however, don't see what I see and consider my work very good.

That being said, you can improve your odds by obtaining a good book on rod-building and doing your homework before you begin. I recommend "Rod-Building Guide" by Tom Kirkman: http://www.fishsticks4u.com/. There are a lot of basic things you need to know before you get started, and Tom's book will save you a lot of grief.

As George said, you can wrap a rod using a cardboard box with v-notches in it and a book to create tension on the thread for wrapping. This is good advice for your first rod, unless you can borrow a rod wrapping jig from someone you know. You can easily make a substantial investment in rod building equipment, but I would not recommend it until you determine whether you really like the process.

I can provide you with a lot more information on how to get started if you want to shoot me an e-mail or a PM.

Buzz

Or (shameless spam here... but I think you'll agree this one is acceptable...) why not sign up and attend the next NCFFB Rod Building Bash!

I attended one in Feb 2006 and it was a great experience. All you needed to do was contact Pappy or one of the other instructors to pre-order your blank and guides, grip and rod seat etc and go to a local flyshop (or online resource) for thread, wrap check and anything else. (Note: In talking to Pappy, I was able to order everything I needed for the rod).

The instructors and volunteers at the bash helped with advice and taught everything you needed to know in order to produce a fine, fishable rod in a single weekend. I came in not knowing a thing and walked out with a fantastic Rod (Thanks Pappy, Frank, Lee and many others). Everything from working the cork grip to setting up the jig for making wraps (there were a number of different devices and methods) to learning about making decorative wraps.

From this you can then decide if you want to invest in equipment for building more rods on your own.

Of course building a rod at a bash allows you to be supervised and seek advice to learn how to do it. As well as how to correct any mistakes which may happen.

Not to mention that the bash is a great chance to meet the people we post with. I also got to see a wide vareity of rod styles and artistic things that other folks were doing. You can bring your own blank and materials if you want. I can't say enough about all the non-rod building Board volunteers who were there to help as well. They offered advice, gave praise and even prepared food so we could stay focused on building and finishing our rod in the very quick weekend. (There we too many to name and I don't want to forget anyone but there were a lot of folks who made the weekend something special).

From what I learned there, I feed competent to build more rods and intend on doing so.

Hope this helps.
Tightlines and bent rods,

SHF

Good point! If there is enough interest in having one this year (sometime after the holidays), then we should put one together.

-Greg

The question regarded “competence” for building a rod. To state that someone could be competent after only building one rod is ludicrous. That would be like saying a person is a competent fly caster only after one lesson.

The ability to build a rod comes with experience and experience comes with repetition, just like anything else. Having built a few rods myself I think I can say that I have made most of the mistakes that can be made but I surprise myself repeatedly by disproving that proposal. Truly competent rod builders know how to fix mistakes without the customer ever knowing one was made. The standard one should set for one’s self is to make a rod one would be proud with which to fish. If it meets other’s standards is not relevant.

I have lower standards for rods I make for myself because I don’t want to go into that much work. I can complete a rod a day from individual cork rings and all other components to finished product that is competently made, long lasting and functional. However, to finish a rod that I am happy to sell or give as a gift takes longer. Sometimes much longer for those special fishing tools.

To answer the original question, I would say that a person would have a good idea of what to do to produce a rod that is of quality factory specs with excellent wraps, finish, and overall balance would take up to seven or more rods. Those who continue in the rod building hobby, or trade, find that they become better and better at the various facets of the skills involved and if they save the first rod they built and compare it to their 20th or 30th will be amazed at the difference. That is, if they have been paying attention and concentrating on bettering their abilities. There are some who, for some reason, never seem to improve, but that is life.

Charlie still wrapping and learning.

Thanks for all the responses. I would be interested in a weekend class if one were offered. I'll keep checking the board.

Thanks again.
JT

well i wouldn't say one is enough but then again i wouldn't say a hundred is enough either. i agree with what charlie said about making one for yourself versus someone else. when i make rods for myself i crank through it because i don't care about the little details as much. when i make rods for others i find myself re-wrapping, wet sanding the finish, and starting over a couple times.

to make a rod that is fishable the first one will work. rod building is a craft just like any other. i know world class carpenters that are never happy with their work.

You don't even need the cardboard box. I'm damned if I can remember who it was, but I remember watching a pro wrap a rod just turning it in his hands. The wraps turned out tight and even. This guy was fast, too. Don't recall his name, though.

Anglerboy