(TN) Cannonball

Thanks.

Thanks for putting together an outstanding magazine. I have subscribed or purchased many magazines in my lifetime but yours was top notch! I always enjoyed reading it.....again and again.

Mudhole no longer offers the carp rod blanks. That was my first place to look. There is a place that has some in inventory but I want someone who is going to keep offering them on an ongoing basis, not here today and then all gone. IMHO, on a carp rod or any long grip, the full grip isn't necessary. It can also be expensive when you put 24 or more half inch cork rings together. Plus you have to turn them in two pieces (unless you have a lathe with a long bed) then glue them up on the blank and sand to match. To put it into perspective, it takes me about 8-9 hours to build a basic fly rod which to me are the easiest to build.

Well, two companies have discontinued carp rod blanks as there was no market for custom rods, either for the pro or the beginner. There might be a few floating around with some dealers but when they are gone, that is it!

Just an update- I have a vendor checking into the availability of blanks for custom carp rods. Stay tuned.

I have been contacting people regarding the inquiry from Brian Pearcy. One company I had in mind no longer offers carp rod blanks and another only offers factory built rods. I'm waiting to hear from another place who hopefully will offer a blank for custom building. I got a reply from England but the shipping and import fees would be astronomical unless one could justify buying a large number of blanks; shipping alone would be about 40 pounds British sterling. Jerome might be on to something in the shorter rods as there are a sackful of blanks that fall into the shorter range he mentions. One thing is checking the blanks to make sure that the specifications would be consistent with what the carping community uses or wants. There are a number of spinning and fly rods as spey or switch rods that are longer than the generally used rods. I'll keep the forum posted with what I find for Brian and possibly for other inquiries. Custom rods are a kind of ego thing- having a rod that is different than others. As I said, I have never built two rods alike. I know of builders that have built "twins" where requested for his and hers matched sets. I have a nine foot fly rod blank in a 5 wt. that I'm thinking of experimenting with and building to the spec's of a carping rod with spinning guides and reel seat.

Brian, you probably won't see any carp rods there. I haven't seen any in 8 years. I think I'm the only one who would build them. PM sent.

Thanks,Iain. It is more cost effective to build your own rod. It isn't rocket science. There are a ton of youtube videos and some of the component suppliers have their own videos, either online or with an order of components or kits. I do a building class at church as part of our Outdoor Ministry. The bamboo rod that got me started in this is used from time to time- 8 ft. 3 piece, D weight or equivalent to a 7 weight now. The letter shows how old it is- about 50 years old.

Should have included this in my previous post but here is an example of what I'm talking about. As I stated, custom rods are unique- built to customer spec's and not the same, unless the customer requests a build of identical rods for "His & Hers" as has been done. I have never built two rods alike. Even the rods for my grandkids are different. Great eye candy for the fishing rod fanatic. Enjoy! http://www.rodbuildingforum.com/index.php?showforum=10

Jeff, I understand what you are saying. All in all, the custom rod market is a very narrow market. My observation for the past 8 years is that people who buy custom rods want something that spends a lot of time in their hands, as bass anglers and fly anglers. However, one of the marks of a custom rod is that each one is built to the customer spec's and not like the monotonous look that we see on rods on the shelf in a shop or store where the brands are all alike. The possibilities for a custom rod are almost to the point of being infinite, that is, thousands of variables as to the thread, grips, reel seats and inserts, guides, etc. I'm in the process of building three casting rods for my granddaughters (outfitted with a Zebco 202 reel for now). The blanks are pink and the guides are the same but the grip and thread wraps will be different on each rod. Thanks for sharing your thoughts. Good carping!

Administrators- delete if not appropriate. Forward guidelines to me if needed. This is more of a question for or asking for comments from the general membership. I build custom fishing rods and feel that there is a potential market that is made up of veteran and beginner carpers across the US, Canada, and possibly Mexico. I have observed that many of the rods used are 7-9 ft. spinning rods. Also, there are a number that use casting rods. I would appreciate your input regarding my idea. I have been building custom rods for about 8 years, in case you are wondering. I have access to several vendors for both conventional blanks and components plus a couple for building Euro-style rods. Thanks for taking time to reply. John Torchick aka Cannonball

Had some time and thought I would look at the latest NACA online magazine. Great issue! Surprisingly, I was pondering the "invention" of the hair rig while fishing with fellow carpers the last few weeks. It was an excellent article. Thanks for the articles and photos.

Good reference for them. Wouldn't it be nice if all businesses were conducted that way!

Thanks.

I sent a message to Barry about the CAG store but what I thought was a PM wound up on the open forum. Isn't a PM supposed to be confidential? Advise please.

I want to make sure that I get this correctly- a CAG member donates items related to carping for the auction. Or can they be non-carping items? All proceeds go to CAG. Right? I build custom fishing rods and do woodworking. Would like to help out. How often do you have the auctions? When is the next one? Might not have time right now but later on.

Jerome, found that list but I have to click on each one to find a particular state chair.

Is there any way that the state chairs could be linked to their particular state as on the old CAG layout? I'm not familiar with all these CAGers. Thanks.

Welcome and thanks for stepping up to help.

Thanks!

That is great! Good way to make people aware of the fun of carp fishing. A fish-in with an open invitation for spectators a chance to land a carp might be worthwhile if the venue permits. Keep us posted!

Thanks for the field test.