Making ice rods?

[big musk411]

I have a couple of broken spinning rods that I was thinking about making into ice rods. Has anyone done this before? Any tips?

Thanks!

[Kyle Sandberg]

Make sure it has enough backbone. If it's just the tip, make sure it's not to whippy. For the handle,???.

[HarryG]

My best Ice Rod is a broken St.Croix. I have some whippy ones and they are fine for my needs. Remember, the whole thing about building your own is to build what you want. It is not cost effective to build only ice rods. You should plan on building open water rods as well.

Good Luck!!!!

[big musk411]

Thanks for the info. Harry, What did you use for the handle? Did you build it or buy a handle piece? I have a light action St. Croix top too.

[HarryG]

I bought a few cork handles from an online store. There are several places to get parts for a fishing rods. You can also make them out of wood using a lathe if you have one or find someone who does.

[DinkADunk]

You could certainly do that although the action of a rod gets slower as you trim the rear. So, you need to have a tip section with the action and backbone that you want. Myself, I find it easier to order some blanks from Thorne Brothers and then build to suit. Their blanks for ice fishing have all the action in the last foot or two (depends on usage) and the remaining length gives you the flexability to design the rod for the environment (i.e. short for being in a fish house, long for run and gun outside).

As for grips, most preformed grips and loose cork have 1/4" diameter holes whereas ice blanks are usually 1/8" in the handle. That means you need to fill the gap with an arbor or epoxy. I've found a few suppliers of undrilled cork so I use that to make up my handles. Some folks like using spinning/casting reel seats, some like no reel seat and prefer to tape reels on. Myself, I like to use plate seats that are typically used in surf rods. As for guides, keep them light and you'll probably end up using single foot guides for tip tops as ice blanks generally have very small tips. You can order some very small fuji tops from Japan but that gets a bit pricy unless you order a bunch.

[so haaad]

I started building fly rods and ice rods last year. Careful, it's really addicting!!! I built five rods in five months! I agree with Harry G and DinkADunk in that you should build an ice rod that will suit your needs, not just to save money. Spinning rods might be too whippy for an ice rod if the spinning rods are cheaper quality, meaning that you'd finish with a cheaper quality ice rod. Unless you are looking for a panfish noodle rod, I would only use graphite/carbon for an ice blank. You should build ice rods not for the money savings but to produce a higher quality product. As for the handle, Cabella's had the cheap foam ones last fall if that fits your liking. Otherwise you can go talk to Scott or Mike over at Thorne Bros in Fridley. They have the cork handles and all the decent guides, threat, etc. Also listen to whatever DinkADunk says, he's like the rod buildinging wizard on this site. Check the internet or even your local public library to learn how to build that first rod. You'll be surprised at the info you'll find. It's pretty darn cool catching that first fish on your custom rod, so definitely give it a shot.

[scalescratcher]

2 of my favorite ice rods were made from broken UL Ugly Sticks. I used the original handle and epoxied or siliconed the rod section into the handle. For the small investment of the "glue" I got 2 rods that I've iced many fish with and they're still going strong after at least 6-7 years of use.

[upnorth]

There are a few sites out there that sell (Contact Us Please) gear. Do a search for mudhole they are a pretty big supplier. If you can get someone to put in an order with you to help defray the costs of shipping.

I make all of my own rods and after building a few there is no way I would fish with a rod off the shelf, even the higher end ones. It ain't that I build such great stuff(pretty darn good though) but it is that I build it exactly the way I want it and suits the way I fish, not someone elses. If I build a rod for someone else I ask questions until it gets to the point of them saying "I just want a ffing fishing rod" but it helps me to build something that will work out well for them.

[big musk411]

Thanks for all the great info, I think that I'll order some handles. I would really like to get into rod building, but I work/fish too much and my garage is too small.

My Dad builds rods, but lives out of state so I can't go use his stuff. He built me a custom 9wt and a Sturgeon rod. I caught my second biggest fish ever on the Surgeon one. They say M. Tipton on them, the name of both the maker and the user.

Thanks again!

[DinkADunk]

Handles are fairly easy to make and only the shaping needs to be done in the garage. Besides, there really aren't preformed grips for ice rods (Thorne's scrap bin however is a good source of cheap cork). Everything else about rod making can be an inside endevor. I like using the winter time to make rods, tie flies, and make muskie bucktails. If you want an easy project try building a spinning or casting rod for bass or walleye. You can easily find kits (Cabela's, Mudhole, Jan's Netcraft, etc) for fairly cheap with preformed grips and all the right guides. Ice rods are a fairly interesting design challange because there is a lack of products designed for ice rods (guides that won't choke off a spinning reel). Anhow, here's a link to a previous thread that goes into a little more detail of some ice rods I built last winter Ice Rods

[slipperybob]

That gives me an idea!!!

Maybe when the wifey wants to go garage sale shopping, I'll buy some of those old fishing rods...

[Jigginfireman]

I can relate to what everyone else is saying. I have made many rods out of fly rod tips. They are a great way to start out rod crafting. When you have a couple under your belt you will be hooked. I have been rod crafting for the last 4 years now. I know what I want in a rod and how to I want to craft it. Lots of help was given to me from the boys over at Thorne Bros. They are very helpful and willing to share their expeirences. I am finding it hard to come up with quality rod blanks(graphite) that will suit my needs. I have contacted several suppliers and rod building companies with no luck. Like stated before, if you don't order in bulk the companies will not make them for you. I know I have been using fiberglass blanks to make many of my rods, because they are available to me in my area. I like fiberglass but would prefer graphite. I like to site fish and trying to find a short blank with a good tip section and a stiff back bone in a graphite blank is next to impossible to find. Good luck and enjoy a new hobbie.

[DinkADunk]

Brian, Thorne Brothers will sell you their icerod blanks (they have 6 or 8 different ones). They are around 42" long and you just cut the butt section off to suite the rod you want to make, very fine ice rod blanks. Batson is watching the market and may come out with some product which would be good