Custom Rod

[Guest]

Upnorth I agree and disagree with you.

A rod is to be used, unless it is only a show piece rod. I seen a $4000 show rods at Thorn Bro's once, I about crapped my pants! For me functionality is the #1 consideration and after that it is all extras.

I do not think adding custom options to a rod is snobbery at all. Not any more then adding extra features to a pickup may be.

You get what you order, and as fancy as you wish. There are rods I call favorites that may cost under $20 and as simple as can be, but they do the job I wish them to do. Others I like a special tweak to dress them up or add some personality.

The big deal with customs is to get options the off the shelf providers do not offer. Not too much out there for after market dress ups for a fishing rod, not like on a truck.

Custom rods can be as elaborate or simple as the customer needs, and all may be works of art.

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Ed "Backwater Eddy" Carlson

Backwater Guiding "ED on the RED"
701-281-2300
[email protected]

[upnorth]

Eddy,

Snobbery, maybe, maybe not.

I have seen some very nice hand done rods with very little if any extra frills. I have also seen some rods that were such show pieces I would not take them out on the water. There is also the in between, and that is all that I was referring to. Scoot seemed to infer that if it wasn't the show piece it was dump

[This message has been edited by upnorth (edited 07-29-2003).]

[Scoot]

If that's how it came across, my appologies- that's certainly not how I meant it. I don't mean to sound like a fishing rod snob. To say that if it's not a work of art, it's dump would be very wrong. Lots of very nice fish (lots more than I'll ever catch) have been caught on very plain-Jane, nice, functional rods.
Ed is definitely right- function is definitely the #1 priority. However, I still feel firmly that the little bells and whistles make for a really cool conversation piece and a piece of fishing equipment that I'm proud to own.
Scoot

[Guest]

I think I can sum all the contravercy up with 4 words: "To each his own"

[upnorth]

Scoot,

I kinda feel the same way as far as bells and whistles go. I custom fit the handle for the purpose of that rod and add some fancy butt wraps or graphics on my rods too. And sometimes what a person writes doesn't always match what they intended to say. I know that sometimes I phrase things knowing what I meant, and it reads something else

[Surface Tension]

Lets say you got a basement and you want it finished off. You can hire someone or you do it yourself. You got some carpentry skills that you've acquired over the years so you decide to do it yourself. Plus its cheaper.
Now you don't want anything fancy, just a place to watch sunday football with the buddies, maybe shoot some pool too.
So you make your list of materials and you head to the lumberyard.
Over the coarse of the next few weeks your down there workin away and things are starting to look pretty good, considering.
You only a have a six" putty knife to put mud on the walls, you didn't know that you step up to a 10 and 12". A power miter would have been nice to have too for the trim and jambs. Anyway the day has arrived and your done and feeling pretty good about your work. Sunday rolls around and you cant wait to have your buddies over for the game and show off your new castle. Joe & Bob walk in and are both very impressed. Joe says hey I think I'll do this to my basement. Bob says me too but I think I'll put a bar in and a sound system. Billy walks down the stairs and says wow you gotter done I see. His eye is scanning the place and he sees gaps in the miters, a couple dimples in the sheet rock and the door is a little outta plum. He says Not Bad. Overall your pretty proud of yourself and your buddies like it too.
The game is about to start and you remind your guests not to trip over the extension cord to the TV.

With any craft it takes hours of hands on.
Doesn't have to be a work of art and your first rod wont be.

Your first rod may be your favorite but your 10th will be better.

You know your really good when only you can see your flaws.

[upnorth]

ST,

Well said!! Every time I make a new rod I try something new. Actually bought a cheap wood lathe to play with some wood handles. And yes the 1st couple I did where definetly no works of art barely functional Things do have a way of improving as time goes on, and beauty is in the eye of the beholder.