One of the greatest things about fishing is that you can pursue it on your terms. It can be as solitary and alone with your thoughts as you need, or it can be on a pier or on a boat with a group of friends, reliving memories. To be clear, you can do both with a custom fishing rod! Understanding your level of pursuit gives insight into the transport and storage of your rod, all of which can help you narrow down the blank material and maintenance that is required. As listed in the 2021 American Sportsman Association report, there are anglers who practically live on the water and those who are leisure/recreational participants.
If you are on the water 50 to 100+ days a year, you have to take into consideration the pounding your equipment will take. High modulus carbon fiber is ultra-light, ultra-sensitive, and is also quite brittle. It is subject to breaking if the surface of the rod is perforated by something as small as the point of a hook. If you are using your rod frequently, make sure to put it in a rod sleeve when transporting. If you are moving it from the deck of the boat to the “rod box” in the boat you will want to place them in the box, rather than grabbing a handful and shoving them down there. Many anglers who grow their income by guiding or fishing in tournaments are on the water frequently and they know that with higher-performance rods comes more attention to care.
If your fishing frequency is more aligned with recreation, then you are fine to select fishing rod materials made of graphite, carbon fiber, or fiberglass composites. If you are looking for a mix of durability and sensitivity, look into using these composites which are effective combinations of the best of these raw materials and can easily meet the needs of 80% of the anglers surveyed.
Fishing Environment
When working with your custom rod builder you can help them source the perfect fishing rod by explaining where you like to fish. This speaks not only to the rod blank materials to consider, but also the taper of the rod and the fishing rod materials such as; guides, reel seats, and grips. At the top of the decision tree is whether you are fishing in saltwater or freshwater. Once you have decided which is most common for you, next we focus on the type of fishing. The type of fishing is truly open to interpretation. However, for this view, we are talking about techniques like casting, trolling, jigging, cranking, and popping. Talking with your custom rod builder about techniques helps them recommend the best materials. The technique is often the tell-tale sign for the type of reel and the type of line you like to use while fishing. These are details that will help you and your builder find the best bill-of-materials to make a rod that fits you and your style of fishing.
Fishing Rod Materials
As our custom rod builder gathers the individual materials of your fishing rod, they will be able to calculate how far up your rod the first stripping guide should be situated, based on the type of reel you use with your rod. They will consult with you on whether a single-footed or double-footed guide will be the best for you. They will also discuss whether you will be best served by a full grip or a split grip. These details for customization come directly from what you can convey to your rod builder so that it is as customized as possible.
The very pursuit of getting a custom fishing rod is one where you have the final say in getting a fishing rod that is made just for you and how you fish. When your builder knows your level of pursuit and the most common fishing environment, they get an idea of how you fish. It is this process of connecting your experience with a custom rod builder that makes it custom and just for…YOU!
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