How to Build a Fly Rod
For many avid anglers, building one’s own fly rod is an admirable accomplishment. The desire to build may be to get that perfect cast, improve the grip, adjust the flex, or just about anything, including bragging rights. No life-changing reason is needed but a little, up-front research is a good idea.
Start with the rod blank, or the pole part of the rod. Do you fish out in the open or where there are trees or other obstructions overhead? In small creeks and streams or do you prefer the deep blue sea? Looking for delicate precision or a shark-snagging work horse? Answers to these questions will determine how long, how thick, how tapered, and how flexible you’ll want your rod blank.
Once you’ve chosen the appropriate rod blank, you’ll add these parts:
Ferrules – These are the connectors that hold segments of the rod together.Rods that can be disassembled are more practical for most anglers, since they can be taken apart and stored more conveniently than one long, solid rod.
Butt – This is the thickest part of the rod. The butt spans the area between the handle up to the first ferrule.
Tip – Depending on how many segments are contained in a rod, the tip is the smallest segment, furthest away from the handle. It starts at the last ferrule and extends to the very end, or tip, of the rod.
Handle – This section, often coated in cork or some other slip-resistant finish, is where the angler holds on to the rod during a cast. It houses the fly reel, the grip,the reel-lock seat, the butt cap, and a handle check cap.
Hookkeeper – Usually a metal wire, the hookkeeper provides a place to hook the fly safely when the rod is fully loaded but not being actively used at the moment.Without a hookkeeper, expect nothing but tangles from your line. Painful, hook-related accidents could be a problem, too.
Guides – These small metal loops in varying sizes hold the line close to the rod.They prevent tangles and help control the cast. The number and sizes of guides depend upon the length of the rod but the first one up from the handle is called the stripper guide; the others are snake guides.
A better catch, more power or control, creative expression, personalization -these are only a few of the reasons that get an angler lost in thought, wondering how to build a fly rod. But spending time fishing is a great source of inspiration,too.