| Why choose a Custom rod?
Heading off to your favorite fishing spot in the early dawn or evening hours is a special time. It is your time… time to relax and leave the stresses of everyday life behind. You put on your favorite most comfortable clothes and on your way out the door, you reach for your favorite rod. Just the sight of it brings a smile to your face. Your own custom rod gives you a sense of pride, feeling of pleasure and a level of performance that cannot be attained from a store bought rod. When you reach your destination and make that first cast of the day, you know that in your hand lies the best of the best.
There are many reasons to choose a custom rod over a store bought factory rod. All rod manufacturers build their rods on the straightest edge of the blank… not on the rod's natural spine. They do this so when a customer walks into a store and looks down the guides and edge of the rod… all they see a perfectly straight rod and well aligned guides (usually). As a former dealer for many high-end manufacturers of rods, I saw time and time again where the spine of the rod would be anywhere but where it needed to be. This is a critical feature for performance and comfort in a rod. By building a rod on the spine, you achieve maximum strength and casting distance as the rod will flex along its natural curve, not against it. This increases the rod's power and strength many times over. Also, a rod built off the spine will want to "torque" to the side while fighting a fish or making a powerful cast. The torque is created when the rod is flexing against the natural curve and it is trying to get back into that position. This dramatically decreases casting distance, efficiency and strength while creating an unnecessary strain on the angler's hands, wrists and arms. A factory rod simply cannot provide the level of precision and feel of a custom rod.
Another fatal flaw of most rod manufacturers is to use either too few guides or to have them improperly spaced. Each and every guide on a rod costs money, not only for the guide itself but also for the time it takes the workers to wrap and finish the guide. This is not usually a huge problem with spinning rods, but with a casting rod, it can lead to major catastrophes. By cutting back on the number of guides, it becomes very easy for the line to touch the blank while fighting a fish. When the line touches the blank as the rod is bent, it adds extra drag on the line and can easily cause a break off. This problem is enhanced ten fold when the rod is trying to twist to get back into its natural flexed position. This is a problem you will never encounter with one of my custom rods! With factory spinning rods, the most common guide problem is using guides that are too small and spaced improperly along the blank. This will slow down a cast faster than any other potential problem on a spinning rod and is the main reason why most people can't cast the distances that they would like.
A common problem suffered by many anglers around the world is being the victim of manufacturing cost. In their pursuit of building less expensive rods, rod manufacturers try to find faster and less expensive ways of assembling and finishing their rods. The rod's butt (rear grip, reel seat and fore grip) and put together using inferior epoxies, "one size fits all" components and completed with time in mind, not quality. This inevitably caused failure in the long run. A manufactured rod might hold up well for a couple years, but it is very common for grips and even the reel seat to break free from the blank over time. Ever have this happen to one of your rods? If you are an experienced angler… you have! Throw that rod away, as there is no "fix" that will work properly. They also use inferior coatings over the guide wraps and seldom take the time needed to be sure that the guide feet are completely sealed to waterproof the thread and prevent moisture intrusion under the guide. In time, the guide's feet will corrode and the guide will have to be replaced. 95% + of all manufactured rods are built in China by women who do not know a craft, but are taught how to assemble and wrap a rod as fast as possible. They get paid by the piece and not by the hour. How much quality can be in a rod like that?
Why choose my Custom rods?
All of my custom rods are built with skill, pride, craftsmanship and a level of precision and accuracy to produce nothing shy of the finest rods in the world. I have been building rods for over 20 years and I am a certified professional member of the Custom Rod Builders Guild. The most important consideration when choosing the craftsman to build your custom rod is to be sure he or she is a master of their trade and not a fly-by-night or a "hobby" rod builder. These builders might save you a few dollars when purchasing your rod, but the finished product always tells the story. It's not a value when your stuck with a poorly built rod. I only build my rods on the finest components, many of which are not available to manufacturers. I spend many hours with each rod that I craft working on the details to ensure that every step of the process is done to perfection. The spine of each rod blank is perfectly aligned, the grips are each hand fit and secured, the reel seat is locked down with the strongest of epoxies, each and every wrap of thread is tight and clean and all guides are neatly coated and 100% sealed from the elements with multiple light coats of UV stabilized epoxy for the ultimate finish. Before the final finish coat, each rod signed by myself and personalized for the owner "Custom Built for _______ ______". Of course, each rod is wrapped with the colors of your choice and is complete with a unique diamond (or other) pattern in front of the fore grip. You may also choose to have your name, boat name, initials and/or even a specific fish or other design woven onto the rod using thread!
All of my rods are of true heirloom quality and with proper care, can be passed down from generation to generation with pride. Many of the customs I build are similar in cost to comparable factory rods. You won't know unless you ask! The usual time for the completion of a rod is generally about 2-3 weeks, but that can fluctuate a little either way. Please call or email me to discuss your needs so that together we can build you the ultimate rod for your fishing pleasure! |
