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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

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There are people who would never dream of paying to have a custom built. 

There are people who own custom rods and can appreciate the improvement in feel, overall quality and performance over a factory rod and can realize the value in owning a custom build

I'm the second kind of person, I own several customs.  With that being said, couldn't justify having a rod built that spends most of its time sitting on a pod or bankstick and very little actual time in my hands.  My two cents

 

Jeff

 

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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!

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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

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As a teenager I used to build all my own rods. Then it was a matter of available funds but I still have three carp / pike, an Avon float / ledger and a couple of fly rods from way back then. I even take them out and give them a fish from time to time!

Good luck with the custom rods.

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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.

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There are some very nice rods in those pictures . I didn't see any specific carp rods in those builds but I didn't look through them all. What would a 12 ft custom carp rod with Fuji guess and cork grips run with  a custom blue color scheme approximately?

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You know It Seems We Have Been Conditioned Here To Think We Can't Post Our mind, OR Ideas Without The Fear Of Crossing The Tackle supporter line and I applaud your effort to share your knowledge and expertise with the club. Might be nice if you were to make a Commemorative rod for the CCC  winner (or looser). Or better yet, as a prize for the best member written article submitted for the News Letter over the coarse of a year (chosen by you, with your connection to the News Letter it would be Cool Symmetry). I'm sure we could put out a collection to pay for it in the donation section to help offset the cost. Would be a nice promotion to help spur the news letter, and the publicity you get would be a win-win.

This is exactly the type of thing that is good for.....

THE AMERICAN CARP SCENE

CAG

IT'S MEMBERS

The Carp world here would be a lot further along if more folks started ground up businesses in there basements and garages. And as a club we have been pretty lax in encouraging that since those types of businesses are more likely to offer member discounts and support individual and local events which can build membership.

Good luck!!!

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6 hours ago, The Big Worm said:

Might be nice if you were to make a Commemorative rod for the CCC  winner (or looser). Or better yet, as a prize for the best member written article submitted for the News Letter over the coarse of a year (chosen by you, with your connection to the News Letter it would be Cool Symmetry). I'm sure we could put out a collection to pay for it in the donation section to help offset the cost. Would be a nice promotion to help spur the news letter, and the publicity you get would be a win-win.

This is a very cool idea, love it. I'd be happy to contribute.

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One more thought. When I started seriously carp fishing, it wasn't hard to find a 9 feet rod, and I really liked those, as a good compromise allowing you to do pretty much everything. Nowadays, we can't even find an 11 footer, and we have to go to 12 or 13 feet, which is ok by me (I got used to it), but really clumsy and heavy for newbies and younger anglers. I also like to have a couple of shorter rods for cramped environments, in the woods, etc. I still have an old TICA rod I bought in Texas a decade ago (I had two, broke one), and I love it. What I am saying is that there might be a niche market for shorter rods. Not too sure prospective customers would be willing to pay the price for a custom rod though.

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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.

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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!

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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.

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