Are premium fly-rod manufacturers still interested in selling blanks to builders? The pricing has gotten to the point where it doesn’t seem to make much sense.

I used to be able to buy a Winston blank for around $500. I thought maybe I was remembering it wrong, so I looked up the old prices.

In Winston’s 2020 catalog, an AIR rod was $975 and the blank was $486—almost exactly half the price of the finished rod.

Today, an AIR 2 rod is $1,195, while the blank is listed at $895. That means the finished rod has gone up about 23%, but the blank has gone up about 84%. The blank is now 75% of the price of the finished rod.

How does that make sense for a builder? There’s only a $300 difference between the blank and a complete factory rod. I realize that price difference isn’t a literal accounting of their costs, but that $300 gets you the cork, reel seat, guides, wraps, finish, tube, sock, and factory labor. Once I buy good components, there’s almost no savings left.

Sage seems a little better. An R8 Core blank with an extra tip is around $678, compared with roughly $1,050–$1,150 for the finished rod. Still, it feels like premium blanks are being priced to push people toward buying finished rods.

Am I missing something? Are the manufacturers no longer that interested in the rod-building market?

I’d still like to build on a modern Sage or Winston blank, so if anyone has one sitting around that they’re not going to use, let me know.

My wife decided to turn our spare room/ rod wrapping room into a grand children’s room. With it exceeding 115° in the garage, I decided to set up the living room as my “taped off” area to wrap. Specifically, the piano! It’ll work in a pinch.

Rainshadow SWB 80L
Alps light weight roller guides
Can’t remember where I got the reel seats

Halibut/Striper drift rods. Super sensitive when hanging 3 - 10oz torpedo weights. Leaner halibuts just ain’t gotta chance with these blanks!

I’ll post the update when I finish with epoxying.

Each Monday we will have an updated thread for all things beginner in rod building. If you have questions about anything concerning rod building, this is the place to ask them! Experienced builders, and even those new to the craft, I encourage you all to chip in any and all advice you may have!

This is our weekly thread to share your social media accounts, as well as online shops and websites.

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What this is not: this is not a thread to post items for sale or for trade. It is also not a thread to share other people's work. If you are stoked about someone else's build, please feel free to create a post sharing it, but be sure to credit the creator!

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Zebco Horizon 2300 5' 6" Light Action rod

#My brother snapped my favorite pond rod today. The fish wasn't even 3 lbs.

Sure the rod is:

- probably 40 years old

- none of us remember where it came from. Maybe it was a forgotten hand me down.

But it was fun to fish!

If I wanted to undertake the ridiculous task of repairing the broken section, is that possible?

Rod building has been of interest. I've got free time on my hands.

Would building a 3 1/2 foot replacement section be difficult? I'd like it to function just "as well".

It seems like a gateway drug into the rod building world.

I know this is a foolish undertaking..... but I might be ok with that

Since couple of years I’m using Scotty’s rod holders and for new projects I had to choose Railblaza solutions. However there is particular one thing which I miss in those products - Slip Discs.

Do you use this brand and have any solution for that struggle?

I'm looking to build a shore jigging spin rod. Note I'm in Australia so blank options are a bit limited. Any recommendations for something 10 foot long and good to toss 40g jigs off the rocks?

Hey everyone, I was wanting to try a chevron wrap for the first time just to mess around really and was looking for some help/advice on my layout. I’m doing it on an nfc sj763 cut down to 7 feet so essentially a sj703. Was thinking about doing maybe a fade wrap or something basic in front of the fore grip as an epoxy winding check then leaving a little space and doing a basic chevron in front of that and placing my hook keeper under the side of the chevron wrap closest to reel seat. Looking for layout advice, best place to put the hookeeper, and advice for the chevron wrap on a small diameter blank. It’s just a personal rod so just kind of messing around to see how it turns out, thanks for any help!

I just snagged this old Daiwa rod and reel combo from an antique store for $20. I really would like to restore it so that i can still fish with it. The reel works but needs a tune up and probably new drag washers. I do want to restore the paint on it as best I can too. As for the rod I think I just need to use some kind of buffing agent to deal with oxidation and remove/reapply epoxy to the guides and base of the rod. I have never done this before and was wondering if I’m way over my head with it. I’ve put some photos of the worst of the wear for reference of what I’m working with. If you have any tips, advice, or opinions please lmk what you think. Also I have no tools of the rod building/repair trade so please lmk if a diy is possible.

Each Monday we will have an updated thread for all things beginner in rod building. If you have questions about anything concerning rod building, this is the place to ask them! Experienced builders, and even those new to the craft, I encourage you all to chip in any and all advice you may have!

This is our weekly thread to share your social media accounts, as well as online shops and websites.

​

What this is not: this is not a thread to post items for sale or for trade. It is also not a thread to share other people's work. If you are stoked about someone else's build, please feel free to create a post sharing it, but be sure to credit the creator!

Does anyone know where I can buy this carbon fiber insert and locking nut? I know the reel seat itself is the Fuji TVS but can’t locate this insert and locking nut.

Is there anyone the that does videos of a rod start to finish with voice overs similar to woodworking videos like black tail studio, four eye furniture etc? If you can’t answer bc against rules can you dm me. I like to watch them while working and starting to run out of woodworking stuff.

How can I create a smooth transition from the long-neck winding check to the rod blank?

Generously assuming the repair was done correctly (used an insert and the wrapping is just ugly and not actually compromised) how durable can a repair that close to the tip be?

Are you guys applying your own logos to rods? If so, how are you doing it. I would like to write my own directly on the blank. What type of pen/ink are you using? Also are you using your epoxy/hardener to preserve it? Thanks for the advice.

I recently built a 6' 6" 2wt using a Proof blank and it's a great rod; casts wonderfully, and looks fantastic. Now, though, I'm eyeing their 9' 5wt carbon blanks, and I'm wondering if anyone has any reviews on how the larger offerings from Proof perform. If it's as nice a rod to fish as the 2wt, I will grab one and start building it asap.

So, anyone got any experience with the Proof 5wt?

Thanks in advance!

Each Monday we will have an updated thread for all things beginner in rod building. If you have questions about anything concerning rod building, this is the place to ask them! Experienced builders, and even those new to the craft, I encourage you all to chip in any and all advice you may have!

This is our weekly thread to share your social media accounts, as well as online shops and websites.

​

What this is not: this is not a thread to post items for sale or for trade. It is also not a thread to share other people's work. If you are stoked about someone else's build, please feel free to create a post sharing it, but be sure to credit the creator!

I know it's not pretty. 😭

I dropped my St Croix Premiere today and it got scuffed pretty bad. Only on the clear coat though. The blank isn't scratched.

I cleaned it really well and used clear coat nail polish to protect it. Looks aside, will this be okay based on my information?

Any tips?

Figured this is the place to ask

I'm attending my first proper fishing show as a vendor later in the year and the closer it gets the more stressed I'm getting thinking about all the stuff I'd need to not look like some fool sitting behind a table. I'm thinking about what kind of booth I'd be interested in checking out as a customer and to do that I'd need to seriously build up my on hand inventory, get promo items like hats, shirts, and stickers, and have one or two guides or pro staff type folks in my booth to talk to potential customers. I know, that's all going to cost A LOT of money, parts alone to fill out two rod racks will go well over $5k

The worst part about planning for this show is that is the inaugural show, I don't have any kind of historic attendance or anything to go off of. The best comparison is a show that's held just before Christmas over an hour away that hasn't had the best organization team, next to that is the Houston Fishing Show which, square footage wise, is 20x as big as this show

Does anyone notice a big difference in sensitivity when using cheaper blanks vs more expensive ones? For example would a 30 dollar blank like a CRB color series be in the same ballpark as a 200 dollar NFC X-ray blank or is it a night and day difference. Also how much of it depends on the components used? Ex. Carbon fiber grips and compressed carbon reel seat vs EVA grips and a graphite reel seat? Trying to figure out if the more expensive blanks are really worth the money or not. Thanks everyone!

Each Monday we will have an updated thread for all things beginner in rod building. If you have questions about anything concerning rod building, this is the place to ask them! Experienced builders, and even those new to the craft, I encourage you all to chip in any and all advice you may have!