Is it cheaper to build your own fishing rod?

Is it cheaper to build your own fishing rod?

Well, that depends on how much you spend on a fishing rod. If you typically buy $60 fishing rods then no, you can't build one cheaper. On the other hand if you fish for giant bluefin tuna or large sharks and spend $500 + on a good heavy trolling rod then YES, you can build one much cheaper and build it exactly how you want.

I build custom big game fishing rods and have a good idea how much it costs in components to build a good one. The biggest expense on a custom fishing rod is labor/time. The components can cost from $100 to $500 depending on what you want on the rod. Roller guides are more expensive, boat rod guides are less expensive.

Here is the beak down of the rod component costs.

• Fishing rod blank - $60 but you can spend $200+
• Heavy duty boat rod guides - $25.00 for a set of 7
• Heavy duty aluminum reel seat - $22.00
• EVA Grips - upper and lower $15.00 for both
• Butt Gimbal or fighting rubber butt - $7.00
• Guide Wrap Thread - $3.99 per spool - enough for several rods
• 2 Part Epoxy - $21.00 - will be enough for 10 rod builds
• Boat Tip top guide - $7.00
• Roller Tip Top - $20.00 +

You can build a nice heavy duty saltwater fishing rod for about $135.00. You could reduce that some by buying smaller guides for a lighter rod. The list above is for a heavy tuna fishing rod that could sell for $500+.

You don't need to spend $200 on a rod blank. I buy many for $50 - $80 that are super nice and heavy duty for tuna fishing. They are S-Glass/Composite.

Rod guides can range from $400 for Winthrop roller guides to $16.00 for CRB Turbo boat rod guide set. Reel seats can range from $6.00 for Fuji graphite to $50.00 for top of the line ALPS Aluminum reel seats.

Another note: buy everything at once, if you can, to save on shipping.