Story & photos
BY TYLER BRINKS
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Since I was just getting started, I went with the cheapest I could find to make sure this is something I really wanted to do before I put any substantial investment into it. I bought a manual rod wrapper and rod building supply kit that had all of tools and everything else I might need along the way. I also purchased an inexpensive rod dryer on eBay. My total investment was around $100, but like everything else with fishing, there are chances to get better and better equipment if you are willing to pay for it.
SELECTING THE COMPONENTS
Choosing my rod blank and selecting the components was one of the most exciting parts of the entire process for me. I had to carefully consider everything from the handle, reel seat, guides and even the color of the thread.
I decided to build a frog rod on one of the new Rainshadow Revelation rod blanks. It is a 7’2” Heavy blank (REVC72H-SB) but it light and very powerful. Since I was building a custom rod, I also wanted it to stand out, so I went with cobalt blue thread, a silver Alps TexTouch Graphite reel seat and blue winding checks for trim. The Cork/EVA composite split grip assembly also looks different than many rods on the market. Once I picked out everything, it was time to start building.
SUMMER 2014
1
DAY 1
The preliminary work of getting the reel seat and handle on the blank is probably the easiest of the
entire process. First, figure out where you want to
mount the reel seat and handle (or split grips), mark
the areas with a wax pen and place the components
on the blank. I used a split grip that allows you to have
contact with the blank, but there are also pre-made
handle kits available to purchase that make it even
easier.
Each portion of the split grip (the foregrip, grip and
butt cap) are all the same diameter and you have to
modify them to fit on the blank with a reaming tool.
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