I'm considering my first custom rod solely because of grip size and am realizing now that I have many other options to customize it even further. I was hoping a few of you can give me an idea of the higher quality manufacturers of rod parts which should be considered.

Thanks!

are you building it yourself or having someone build it for you?

custom grips: great option. personally i like the fenwick style for small stream rods, which you never find on factory rods these days. check out andy dear's exotic burnt cork ring options. partially or completely integrate those into your grip, turn yourself. even a cordless drill would work.

rod components: i haven't encountered or heard of any "dogs" out there so the differences are somewhat cosmetic but also materials used, either good, great or incredible for certain uses. bellinger and struble have often been associated with primo components, particularly reel seats. but there are others out there, smaller production companies. goldenwitch, rush river (seats), jim bureau (seats) etc. check out pacific bay and batson enterprises for further high quality options especially for guides. pac bay offers unique finishes on their guides (bombay gold, english bronze, holographic rings, blue rings, etc). both offer great full color catalogs for the asking. for the record, american tackle also offers holographic guides and have come out with new titan series of SOLID titanium guides, much cheaper than the fujis. many are just titanium coated, but that's fine too unless you have a specific need.

blanks: batson offers nice blanks, from their most inexpensive forecast (RX6) through RX8 with the RX7, RX7+ especially promising. pacific bay's rainforest and tradition II are also nice. but please look into dan craft enterprises' signature series of blanks. the signature V 8'-4" 3/4 weight 3 pc blanks are incredible, i just wrapped one and love it so far (works great as a 4 wt). the FT series are the latest rage among some as well. all under $90 with the signature III less than $70.

good luck

eric
fresno, ca.

Thanks for all the information provided.

No, I'm not building the rod myself, although someday I might like to try it.

Are titanium guides a desirable item?

if they'll match your onstream ensemble, then i say go for it. always have to look nice for the fishies! ;-)

from what i understand, titanium, solid, is good to have for saltwater applications, otherwise titanium plated is good enough for hardness needs. and to go for a more subtle look than the flash of chrome or understated manners of black. which of course does have that slimming effect.

but i could be wrong.

try building one soon. it's remarkably easy.

eric
fresno, ca.

Alright!

If it's going to make me look thinner, then I'm all for it.

Now, if I get just the titanium plated version, will it make my butt look big?

ralph... i'm afraid to tell you, i've heard everything makes your butt look big!



eric
fresno, ca.
(just jesting of course)