Getting Into Rod Building

Earlier this month, I was invited to a weekend rod-building class in Boston, MA hosted by Mud Hole Custom Tackle. Saturday morning, I walked in with zero rod-building experience, and on Sunday afternoon, I was on my way home with a custom spinning rod built with my own two hands.

On Saturday morning I arrived at the Hilton in Boston unsure as to what would be expected. Outside the conference room I was greeted by Todd Vivian, the VP of Sales for Mud Hole. After I found my seat it hadn’t been 10 minutes before we picked up our blanks and began preparing for the first step in the process.

Step by simple step we were schooled as to how and why the rods perform in certain ways and the vast options that exists to find the option that suits you. From boring out cork handles, attaching reel seat, to finding the right placements for guides and finishing guides we learned each step.

I mentioned I didn’t have any experience at all. My partner sitting across from me, Rick from Maine, had already built a few rods. There were some patrons of the class looking for more personalized experience on customization and those on my level just looking to learn from the ground up. With four Mud Hole staff on the ground on a ratio of something like 10 to 15 patrons per instructor I received all the help I needed to get the job done. Assorted options for thread color, hook keepers, split handle grips, and graphics allowed me to fully customize and personalize my rod.

Something I found really interesting was the different kinds of fishermen that surrounded me in the room. My partner was a dedicated fly fisherman, the gentlemen in front of me were striper fishermen, and the ones behind them fished in Mexico. It’s not often you find such a diverse group of fishermen in the same room enthralled on the same topic. Everything we discussed in the class applied to every rod that hits the market. You wouldn’t think so initially, but all of these different rods are very similar in basic construction.

Our instructors told us the rod was ready to fish when we left the class Sunday, so I put it to the test. I spent the evening wading around a local kettle pond with my new custom 6-foot, 6-inch moderate-action rod.

The Mud Hole Rod Building Class introduced me to the fun and satisfaction of making my own fishing rod, and showed me that it’s not as complicated as I originally thought. With the rod-building extras (vise, basic supplies, threads, and my certification in basic custom rod building) I brought home, I’m already ready to build my second rod.