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Rolling Your Own

Why "Rolling Your Own" is truly the way to go. In the late 1970's, when I was just getting hooked on fishing, and those "Off-the-Rack" Sabre Strokers were so way beyond my financial means, I began what has become more than a hobby, it has become my lifetime passion. Being just a teenager and having the luxury of time over money, I began my journey into the world of custom wrapped fishing rods. I still have that first Sabre 195 glass rod and the Penn 200 reel I matched to it. The rod and reel are a bit worn now. The finish scratched in some places and the flaws of my novice assembly clearly recognizable to the familiar eye. Not pretty, but that set-up still resides in the front row of my fishing arsenal. It's a seasoned veteran responsible for landing countless Albacore, Yellowtail, Halibut and bass over the last 20 years.

Since rolling that first Sabre stick, I have assembled dozens of rods of all types, lengths and actions. Most for myself but many for friends, as well as, a few professionally. Seems that with every rod I build, I gain more skill, become more knowledgeable and get a greater appreciation for these blue water weapons.

Like the many rod wrapping pioneers of the 1960's I started with not much more than a few glass blanks, some spools of thread, a couple razor blades and some epoxy glue. I'd spend my time sitting on the living room floor wrapping each rod by hand using a wrapping jig I made from some scrap lumber and coat hanger hooks. I built 5 or 6 rods that way before I designed and built my first rod-wrapping machine. Using odds and ends from the garage and cannibalizing mom's sewing machine my friend Gill and I created the machine that took us through nearly 20 years of rod building adventures. In the course of those years I learned a great deal about fishing rod components, especially rod actions, durability and quality.

While the basic tenants of building custom wrapped fishing rods hasn't changed much over the years (find that spline!), what has changed is the quality and selection of rod building components. From carbon graphite composite blanks to the super clear epoxy finishes, today's custom made fishing rods are as high tech as the aerospace technology from which they come. Unfortunately, this also means that premium quality fishing tackle costs significantly more than its pre-Space Shuttle predecessors do. Compounding this, is the extreme nature of offshore fishing. Off-shore, where only the best quality and most durable fishing equipment is tough enough to handle season after season of blistering yellow fin tuna runs and buttoned down "on-the-rail" action.

For the fevered blue water angler whose budget strains like a 655XH on a sounding yellow fin with every equipment purchase he makes, it is little consolation knowing he'll spend almost twice the amount of money for an "Off the Rack" off-shore fishing rod as his "roll you own" counterpart. For that angler I say: "You too can save money buying fishing equipment and enjoying your favorite pastime even at home. You can build your own fishing rods and build twice as many!"

All the great and best quality components are available to the "Roll Your Own" hobbyist; Graphite Composite and E-Glass blanks by Seeker are among the finest; AFTCO, Perfection and Fuji guides and reel seats as well as a monster selection of thread colors and finishes. With a little instruction from one of the many excellent publications and the new age on-line web sites, even the first time rod builder can make a great looking, durable and functional fishing rod. Along with this achievement is the pride of knowing you built your equipment yourself and imprinted your personal touch to the design.

This is why I got involved in getting more people involved with building their own fishing equipment. Some of the reasons you should "Roll Your Own" rods:

Economy - Build rods at nearly half the cost of "off the rack" sticks.

Feed the itch - Practice a fishing related hobby when you aren't out fishing.

Expand your knowledge - Gain an appreciation for your equipment and what to expect from it.

Build a better product - Build unique and aesthetically pleasing fishing rods for yourself and friends.

Customize rods for your particular tastes and needs.

Be able to repair and rebuild your old favorites.

It's easy for a first time rod builder to become intimidated by the large selection of blanks, guides, reel seats and other components. However, with the instruction of a good components supplier, you will see that the process, from component selection to applying the final finish, is easy and straightforward. Soon you too will be experimenting with fancy thread inlays and diamond patterns. Not all enthusiast that begin wrapping their own rods will do the fancy thread work, and in my personal opinion, the most basic of wraps provide a unique but simple, strong and functional rod with that will give many years of fishing pleasure. Actually, I like to fish more than to do diamond wraps.

I've never met anyone that regretted having started building fishing rods. Some make this there fulltime hobby while others a just after a few great sticks to go fishing with. Whatever the reason, it's time to give "Rolling Your Own" a try. There are a number of tackle stores that provide information and deal in rod components and equipment. Even shopping for components and getting free information over the Internet is now possible with the emergence of companies like BAD-FISH.COM. Now the wealth of information and top quality components is just a click away. So start building 'em and then bending 'em! There is nothing like slaying the fish of a lifetime on an offshore weapon that you built yourself.

Louis Papai
General Manager
Badfish Offshore Equipment
www.bad-fish.com

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