building ice rods

[jwetovick]

Hi Everyone. Looking into building some ice rods for fun and was wondering if anyone has some experience. I have read darn near every thread in the rod building forum here but seeing that forum doesn't get viewed all that often I thought I would post this here. My first main question is choosing a rod blank. TB and some other custom builders sell their blanks from 20-40 dollars. My question is, just how much do each of these builders "customize" each and every blank they get from a manufacturer? For example purposes only, if TB gets their blanks from MHX does TB then go and customize every single blank? What I'm getting at is how close are the "stock" blanks from MHX compared to the TB blanks? I'd like to avoid paying double the price for a TB blank compared to a MHX blank if i can but if there really is a huge difference then i have no problem paying the extra for a TB blank. Really looking forward to building some ice rods of my own and maybe a few buddies. Maybe even let me 10 yr old build his first "custom" rod. Thanks for any and all info you might have.

[SINX53]

I think that the majority of the customization that Throne Bros or any custom builder would do would be cutting the blank down to a size of the customer's request. I am assuming that Thorne Bros gets there blanks for lets say the Quiverstick all made at 36" and then just cuts them down to size.
 I just started building rods this May and I just finished rod number 8. I have been getting the MHX blanks from mudhole.com.  5 of the 6 blanks that MHX came out with last were based on Thorne Bros blanks the other one St Croix.
                                Thorne                MHX
24" Finesse              27.95                  14.99
26" Power Noodle    29.95                  10.99
32" Quiverstick         32.95                  16.99
36" Panfish SH         29.95                   16.99
36" Professional       50.95                   34.99

I can't tell you if one blank is better than the other since I do not have any Thorne Bros blanks but in researching I found the MHX were much more affordable. From working with these blanks, they all seem pretty nice. The true trial will be this winter when I hit the ice. These are the rods I made so far.
(2) 30" Quiversticks
(1) 27" Quiverstick
(2) 36" Panfish SH
(1) 26" Power Noodle
(1) 18" Finesse
(1) 36" Panfish Queen (MHX CIB-36UL)

I kept one of the 30" Quiversticks and the 18" Finesse, the others I gave to my fishing buddies/father in law for them to try out this winter. I am planning on making another 27" Quiverstick and a 33" Panfish SH.

[royjulius]

That's good info. I've been thinking about this also. 

[jwetovick]

Thanks for the info SINX. Appreciate it. Would you mind giving me an idea on what equipment you purchased to get started and ballpark prices?

[SINX53]

I built my own hand wrapper and used an old rotessiere that I had laying around for my dryer. Here is the link, I based my wrapper on this design.

http://www.steelheader.net/Rodbuilding/build_your_own_rod_jig.htm

I will post a pick if I remember tonight. If you don't want to build one, mudhole has a nice one for about $40 bucks. I think there is a dryer for $40 that can be used in association with that wrapper also.

I bought a supply kit from mudhole that had the epoxy and thread finish for about $20. Epoxy will last a long time and  the thread finish about 8-10 rods. I went with buying all my handles, blanks and guides separate but you can buy them in kits.

For the 8 rods I built so far I purchased about $230 in parts and $45 in supplies (20 for supply kit and 25 in thread). Avg of about $30 / rod.

Hope this helps if you have any other questions, feel free to ask. 

[jwetovick]

That is great info! This is why I love IceShanty so much. I think I'm going to take the plunge and buy the equipment and give this a try. Any pics of your equipment and/or rods you have done would be awesome! Thanks again!

[subtlehustle76]

I build rods often but for open water and ocean. But I threw together my ice rod with some left over parts and a broken fly rod.

[Chris338378]

I thought about doing this a few times over the past few years but haven't done it yet.  I know in my mind what I want to make and how I want it to look like (28 inches, light weight, royal blue rod blank, navy blue thread, with a cork handle where the front of the handle screw down to lock the reel into the reel seat) but having it come out that way is two different things.  I also thought about just painting a few of the rods I have and see how that comes out first since it seems like there aren't many rod blanks come in the color blue.  From the videos I've watched it seems pretty simple but then again these guys have done this for a while. 

[SINX53]

Here are a some pics of my wrapper/dryer and rods.

[mr.clean]

Jwetovick there is a member screen name of Topher 7694 who is the founder of T7 custom rods . His first name is Chris maybe he can give you some of the information you are seeking. I do not know if he has a website .
Steve

[SeisMec]

Those look nice!

[jwetovick]

welp, I took the plunge. ordered a starter kit, 3 blanks, handles, guides, etc. Quick $300 but really looking forward to trying this out. Thanks for posting the pics SINX. May have to build a wrapper like you have. Ended up getting a quiverstick, panfish, and noodle to start out with (MHX blanks). Went with Minima quides for all three. First guide will be a #10 spinning type guide and then the rest #6 fly guides. Purpose is to have large enough eyes for outside fishing. As cheap as these guides are if i get them and they don't look right can always order different size.

[SINX53]

Have fun but be careful because this hobby can turn into an addiction real quick. I really like the fly rod config that I did on my rods. I went with either a minima 3 or Fuji Alconite #12 spinning guide then (2) #5 fly guides and (2) #3 fly guides. Any rods over 30" I plan on going with a #12 & #10 spinning guide then a #5/#4/#3 fly guide config.

[jwetovick]

Thanks SINX. After giving it more thought I ended up calling the place I ordered from and got some #5 and #4 minima guides as well in case the #6 look too big to use on all the guides except the first spinning guide. I've read where some guys use the same fly guide size all the through except the first spinning guide and then I've read some guys go like a 6/5/4 etc. Not sure what is best but will see when they all get here. I'm extremely worried about how addicting this is going to be!

[fish-kabob]

you can build a rod wrapper out of a card board box a fly tieing bobbin meant for rod threads. a folding paper clip and a wood dowel pic will be coming of how to do this..


any how pick up the book advanced custom rod building form dale p clemens and if you like thread art the book custom thread art by same author. try place like: half.com , janns net craft , amazon mudhole, etc.. etc...  any how find it as cheap as you can.  i think i paid like $5 buck for my copy and $3.25 for media mail shipping at half.com.    any how let us know if you need any help on any thing. i have been building rod for about 10-15 years cause i got in to fly fishing and it is always cheaper to build fly rods then buy them. any ways i have been doing this for quite some time. 



 by the way the wrapper at steel header.net looks like my rod wrapper i got from my uncle in the 80's he made it in the 60's. but any ways it is juts a different twist on it this is why you should by that book advance custom rod building  step by step instruction on building custom rods! from grips to guides to rod wrappers it is step by step on each topic it is a awesome book.


 if you want pic of the cheap rod wrapper out of a card board box leave a message up here i will post them if i can find this post lol's  i will post them the card board box cuts back on the price of the first rods so you can get your feet wet on a budget but sooner or later your going to want a better set up! like on that link or in that book i mentioned... any how  wish you the best... 

[fish-kabob]

sorry for the crudity of this but i just threw it together  truthfully lol's any how the part were the rod is sitting you may have to cut vee's on your box and the part were i used a fiber glass tent pole can be a wooden dowel...  any how take a look and take notes.


 

 

[IceHutt]

I bought some cheap crappie poles with reels from Cabela's and cut them down and epoxied them back into the rod close to the handle.  They are limber enough for panfish ice fishing and work good.  Happy trails !

[Dog-duster]

Don't be afraid to check out Jann's Netcraft either. Some of my favorite blanks are from there. The only downside is that they're a little seasonal on some of them so you have to wait until the fall. I bought 5 the last time I ordered with them so I'd have more than I planned to build. I also like a couple of the CRB blanks from Mudhole too. I have a couple of MHX blanks that are nice but I don't like the fluorescent paint on them and they aren't much nicer than the cheaper blanks IMO. Guides and guides are where I've found it gets expensive. I like fancier down-locking, hooded Fuji grips and it add up when you buy precut cork. I don't save any money building my rods but they are exactly what I want in a rod so it's worth it to me.

[jwetovick]

Don't be afraid to check out Jann's Netcraft either. Some of my favorite blanks are from there. The only downside is that they're a little seasonal on some of them so you have to wait until the fall. I bought 5 the last time I ordered with them so I'd have more than I planned to build. I also like a couple of the CRB blanks from Mudhole too. I have a couple of MHX blanks that are nice but I don't like the fluorescent paint on them and they aren't much nicer than the cheaper blanks IMO. Guides and guides are where I've found it gets expensive. I like fancier down-locking, hooded Fuji grips and it add up when you buy precut cork. I don't save any money building my rods but they are exactly what I want in a rod so it's worth it to me.

Thanks dog. I ordered a few mhx blanks and after reading your post im wondering if ALL mhx blanks have that fluorescent paint?? I just assumed the carbon was all black? I am not going to like it if they are all painted.

[Dog-duster]

As far as I know all of the MHX are painted fluorescent green on the tip. The CRB blank I bought from Mudhole was fluorescent orange at the tip but I gently wet-sanded it off. The walleye blanks I've bought from Jann's have been flat black and gloss black. The last five were the gloss ones and I wasn't as happy with that but it's fixable.

[jwetovick]

Gosh that stinks about the mhx blanks. Was really looking forward to getting all the new equipment and building but not too excited about that paint as its not going to match with the color schemes i was planning on. Wonder if i can sand it off?

[fish-kabob]

for sure don't sand it off you will be picking splinter out of your finger for a while maybe even eye's to if the rod break under load from sanding to thin. i would  just paint over it before you add any guides or wraps handles etc... etc...  by the way if you know any wood turners that like to turn wood you can get handles on the cheap made of exotic woods like maple burl walnut burl etc the skies the limit when it come to this.  then get some cold  snap rod band for attaching the reel to rod...   i use to turn a lot of wood till i got sensitized to the wood and brake out in a rash every time i sand any kind of wood... 

[Dog-duster]

Don't get too discouraged yet. Fish kabob is right about sanding it off you have a ham-handed approach and don't want to take the time to be methodical and gentle. By I avoided slivers by using lots of water and a 600 grit wet paper. It took me about an hour and I'm pretty confident whatever carbon came off while I was going after the paint had like effect on my rod. I did this on a medium heavy tubular walleye blank and I wouldn't try it on a ultra light contour panfish rod either. Of course don't stay in one spot and use long strokes too. Make sure you pull away from yourself for each stroke and rinse very often. Also, do this under good light so you can see the contrast difference between the carbon under the paint. I suggest using a small 2"x2" square of sand paper so you really don't sand areas that your fingers don't touch. So if you're committed to taking the right approach I think you can remedy this paint problem. Is there a chance you may be weakening this blank? Yes, but it was worth it to me to give it a shot and I've had no ill effects that I can discern from doing it. That's just the approach I took and it seems to have worked fine for me. Keep in mind this advice may be worth exactly what it cost you.

[jwetovick]

Thanks Dog. Appreciate the info. Called Mudhole and sure enough all MHX ice blanks have an orange tip. Not what i wanted to hear. Now for return shipping it will probably be about as much as a blank so no use sending them back. Yeah, I'm afraid if i try to start messing with sanding etc i will end up making it look worse than it is. I guess if the tip is orange i will just have to make all three MHX blanks I ordered Harley Davidson orange and black. Which means now i will have to order orange thread (minimum $9.95 shipping) as I was not planning on using orange. Its always something.....The more i look around online there are not as many choices as a guy thinks for an all black ice blank in the length and action I'm wanting. Mudhole does not carry any. Seems strange.

[fish-kabob]

i may have some orange thread laying around let me look.  cause i don't use orange thread at all.  if i do i will let you know cause it may save you on shipping? i will get pic of it up too if i got it?   

[fish-kabob]

here is the orange i have i also have a brown i will get the picture of in a minute.   any ways can ship it for free of charge to you just let me know if you want it  lol's.  send address to via pm system..

[fish-kabob]

here is a picture of the brown and orange  i got any thoughts on this do you need them i can ship them for free of charge and give them to you free of charge. this is  cause i don't use them brown i do use but i got a whole roll of it so don't need the smaller rolls  they are size "a" thread juts pm me you address and i will ship them out to you....




 

[jwetovick]

well, recieved all my supplies for building rods and started last night on wrapping my first guide. I'm using all minima guides with the butt guide being #10 spinning and the rest #6 fly guides. I was able to do the spinning guide but my lord the fly guides are challenge. Ha. NO clue how im going to wrap the tip guide on at this point. Trying to not give in and buy a tip top. Been doing a lot of reading on forums to get guys' ideas on making this easier. Most guides grind the guides it looks like which is what im going to be forced to do because i had a hell of a time getting that thread to jump up the guide feet. I was using masking tape to hold the guide down and that didnt work very well. Afraid i might try a small amount of hot glue? Anyway, I don't like to give up but this is going to take some patience I can see that. ha. Any advice getting the thread to jump up the foot without having to grind, etc would be helpful! Thanks

[scmelik]

check out sportsmans direct for blanks.  They have some awesome blanks for a fairly inexpensive price and you can cut them down to the length you want.  I built 5 rods on their blanks last year and am planning 12 more for myself and my prostaff this year. 

[SINX53]

well, recieved all my supplies for building rods and started last night on wrapping my first guide. I'm using all minima guides with the butt guide being #10 spinning and the rest #6 fly guides. I was able to do the spinning guide but my lord the fly guides are challenge. Ha. NO clue how im going to wrap the tip guide on at this point. Trying to not give in and buy a tip top. Been doing a lot of reading on forums to get guys' ideas on making this easier. Most guides grind the guides it looks like which is what im going to be forced to do because i had a hell of a time getting that thread to jump up the guide feet. I was using masking tape to hold the guide down and that didnt work very well. Afraid i might try a small amount of hot glue? Anyway, I don't like to give up but this is going to take some patience I can see that. ha. Any advice getting the thread to jump up the foot without having to grind, etc would be helpful! Thanks

I had the same problem when I started, those fly guides are fun to wrap but I did exactly what you are thinking about. Sanded down the top and sides of fly guides with my dremel. Easier  for it to get started and also it gives the thread something to grip to. Also I started wrapping a little further out from guide.