THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, March 5, 1995 TAG: 9503020193
SECTION: CAROLINA COAST PAGE: 14 EDITION: FINAL
COLUMN: Tight Lines
SOURCE: Ford Reid
LENGTH: Medium: 65 lines
The not infrequent question from my wife is, ``How many fishing rods do you need?''
My ever consistent answer is, ``Just one more.''
Any angler worth his salt knows that no one rod will do in every situation. You need one rod for throwing half a pound of lead and bait to big red drum and another for tossing a two-ounce jig or plug to feeding bluefish.
The rod that you use for flounder might not be ideal for casting to false albacore and your trout rod is worthless when you are chasing cobia.
You need one kind of rod for fishing from the beach, another for fishing off of a boat and still another to fish from a bridge or pier.
The problem is, not only can all of those rods fill your garage in a hurry, acquiring them can empty your wallet just as fast.
I don't know what you can do about space in the garage, but making your own rods can save you a lot of money. A rod that you make yourself should cost less than half of what a comparable factory built rod would cost.
Better yet, you will have exactly the rod that you want. And best of all, you will be catching fish with equipment that you made, and that is a good feeling.
Building a rod is not as complicated as you might think and this is the perfect time of year to do it.
Your first decision is what type of rod to make. If you have never done this before, you might want to start with a surf rod. Because all of the components are larger, and therefore easier to handle, on a surf rod, it is, I think, the easiest to build.
First, pick out a blank. How long to do you want the rod to be? Do you want fiberglass or graphite? One piece or two?
Most tackle shops, and many mail order houses, sell rod making components. The advantage of a tackle shop is that on the spot tips and information come with the purchase.
Next, you will need line guides. Here the decision is whether you are building a spinning rod or a casting rod. That determines what size guides you need.
You will also need a reel seat, grips and a butt cap. You don't need to buy the most expensive stuff on the market, but don't scrimp, either. You will have some time invested in this project and, with proper care, your rod ought to last a long, long time. Saving a few pennies on cheap guides or a bargain reel seat doesn't make much sense.
You will need ferrel cement for placing the tip-top guide. Add winding thread for securing the guides, a finish to go over the threads, a little epoxy and some household glue and you are ready to begin.
First, you have to find the ``spine'' of the blank.
Each blank has a way that it wants to bend. If you do not put the guides along the line of that spine, it will have a bad effect on your casting.
To find the spine, put the butt of the blank on the floor, bend the blank and slowly roll it. It will hop when it reaches the spine.
It sounds more complicated than it is. You will know when it happens.
Mark the spine with a grease pencil or a piece of tape and you are ready to build a rod. MEMO: Next week: Putting it all together.
by CNB