Custom Fly Rod Components - Part 1 Drawing a Blank

Probably the two most commonly asked questions by potential customers are 1) "How much do your rods cost?" and 2) "Whose blanks do you use?"   The short answers to these questions is 1) "It depends on what blank I use." and 2) "I can use any blank you wish."

You see, as a custom fly rod builder, I can build a fly rod on any blank available, and the cost of the blank is the primary price driver on a rod.  Selecting the rod blank must be done before I can quote a price on the rod because in some cases the cost of the blank can represent more than 50% of the total price of the rod.  There are many factors that go into selecting the correct rod blank for a build, quality, action, warranty, color, and other personal preferences.  Without going into the details of the technical aspects of the graphite (modulus, scrim, resins, etc...) I will give you the rundown on my most commonly used blanks.

Without a doubt, Sage is the best known fly rod and blank manufacturer.  The quality of the Sage blanks coupled with their unlimited lifetime warranty make them hard to beat.  Sage blanks are produced at their Bainbridge Island, Washington facility. I have actually visited their facility several times and have done some lean manufacturing consulting work for Sage.  Their operation is top notch, and if money is no object they are my number one recommendation assuming that one of their models fits the action, length, number of pieces and color criteria the customer is looking for.  There are only two drawbacks with Sage blanks.  First, they are limited to only the length, weight, number of pieces and colors that their factory rods are produced on, If a customer specifically wants an 8 foot, 3 piece 5 weight, green rod,  he is out of luck with Sage.  The Accel blank is green, but only comes in 4 piece blanks, and 5 weights are only available in 8 foot 6 and 9 foot models.  The second drawback is price. Sage is the most expensive blanks on the marker and drive the starting price of a custom fly rod to $600 plus, depending on the model.

In my humble opinion, St. Croix blanks are the best option for the money.  The quality difference between them and Sage is undetectable as an end user.  Although they have a limited lifetime warranty (limited to manufacturing defects) if you take good care of your equipment, the price difference is significant.  The starting price for a custom fly rod built on a St. Croix blank is around $400.  They do have the same drawback regarding weight, length, number of pieces, and colors, but if a customer can be a little flexible in their selections, St. Croix blanks are a great option to build a superior fly rod.

CTS blanks are produced in New Zealand and the quality of their blanks is on par with Sage and St. Croix and backed by a limited lifetime warranty similar to St. Croix.  The major benefit of CTS is the variety of weight, length, number of pieces, and color combinations.  For example you can get a 5 weight blank in either 3 or 4 piece combinations, in 5 different lengths and 38 different colors.  If a customer is very specific in their requirements, I can usually find the exact combination in a CTS blank.  However, being in New Zealand the cost to acquire a blank puts the rod price in the $500 plus range.

Discount/Import Blanks
There are a wide variety of lower priced blanks available. Batson Forecast, MHX, H&H and others. These are good quality blanks, the technology and design is similar to that of the premier manufactures blanks of 5 or 10 years ago, but the price is significantly lower.  I personally have a 5 weight that I love and use a lot that is built on an MHX blank.  I have built many rods for customers on these blanks and they are very satisfied.  If a customers budget for a custom fly rod is in the $300 range, and are willing to forego the name brand blank, they can acquire a very functional and beautiful rod built on one of these blanks.

There are many other blank manufacturers available, and I am not limited to the ones I have outlined above.  I will work with a customer and provide as many options and information that they need in order to make the best blank selection for their preferences and budget.

Hopefully this answers at least some of your questions, but if you have specific questions regarding fly rod blanks you can comment below or email me directly at kb2flyrods@outlook.com.

Custom Fly Rod Components - A Series

As a Custom Fly Rod builder, I am committed to helping my customers select the best components for the rod that I am going to build for them.  Since most customers have not had a custom rod built before, they have a lot of questions and rely on the builder to help them.  I am going to write a series of blog posts that breakdown what selections need to be made, and provide some information that will help you when the time comes to make your selections.

There are essentially five major selections that need to be made.  The blank, the guides, the grip, the reel seat, and the decorations.  I will write a separate post that breaks down each individual selection.  

The first in the series will address the blank.  Selecting the correct blank is the most important decision, it will determine the performance of the rod and is the largest price driver of a custom rod.  Matching high quality guides, either single foot or snake guides with the blank is the next selection to be made, and I will address them in part two of the series.  In part three, I will discuss the types, and designs of the grips.  The reel seat including a discussion of the hardware and the insert will be the topic of part four.  The final part in the series will be a discussion of the different decorations and inscriptions that are available on custom fly rods.

My hope in writing this series is that you, as the customer will be better informed when it comes to making these selections when you have your custom fly rod built by me or by another competent fly rod builder.

So stay tuned, Part One - Drawing a Blank will be posted in a few days.

Popcorn Fart Creek and Other Little Known Hot Spots

For one reason or another, all throughout my life my brothers, friends and I have always nicknamed some of our favorite hunting and fishing spots, as I am sure many other folks have.  I have elk hunted at a place we called 'Area 51' because we new the elk were in there because of the amount of sign, but never actually saw one.  Another area I have hunted is called 'The Grassy Knoll'.  We had many other names, 'The Beaver Pond Draw', 'The Hidden Draw', 'The Nike Site', and many others that we could refer to, and unless you were part of our group, you wouldn't have a clue where we were talking about.  

My favorite all time name we came up with was 'Popcorn Fart Creek'.  One summer we found a great little fishing hole on Crab Creek, where an old bridge on a farm road crossed.  We fished this hole many times that summer and always had great luck.  However, the next summer, the first time we decided to go fishing there, we were shocked when we arrived and found no water at all in the hole.  You see, Crab Creek has a tendency to go underground in certain areas and reappear further down stream, and this apparently is what had happened that year.  That fishing hole was forever named that day when, while staring with disappointment at our previously great spot, a friend of mine said, "crap, it's dryer than a popcorn fart."  Several years later, the creek reappeared in that spot and I am quite certain people thought we were crazy when they heard us say "let's go fishing at Popcorn Fart Creek."

I am sure many of you have nicknamed some of your favorite hunting and fishing spots.  You don't have to tell us where it is, but I would love to here the different names you have come up with and how it happened.

Mythbusting - Custom versus Factory Fly Rods

MYTH #1 - Custom Fly Rods Are Very Expensive.

Many people assume that having a custom fly rod built is purely a luxury item only obtainable by millionaires who spend their time on catered, guided trips to the blue ribbon streams.  This couldn't be further from the truth.  Many custom fly rod builders, including myself can create a rod built to your specifications and preferences for a price very similar to that of a factory rod built on the exact same blank.  Often times, if blanks go on sale or we are able to find one on ebay for lower than normal pricing, one can acquire a custom fly rod below the price of a factory rod at a big box store.

Custom Built Matching Grip, Reel Seat and Fighting Butt

MYTH #2 - Only Factory Rods Come With a Warranty

Wrong again.  Custom fly rod builders use the exact same blanks that the factory rods are built on. The manufacturers extend the same warranty on their blanks as they do on their finished rods.  If a manufacturer extends an unlimited lifetime warranty on their rods, this also applies to their blanks. Many other blank only manufacturers extend limited lifetime warranties on there blanks, that is to say if something breaks due to a defect in their blank, it will be replaced at no charge.  Typically this involves the end customer contacting the blank manufacturer directly and explaining it is a custom built rod.  The blank manufacturer will send the replacement blank or section to the rod builder to do the repairs.  I cannot speak for all custom builders, but in these cases, I do the repair at no charge except shipping.

Custom Reel Seat Insert and Hand Machined Hardware

MYTH#3 - High End Fly Rod Companies Produce the Best Rods

I take complete exception to this.  I have toured the factory of one of the best known fly rod companies in the world.  While their 'assemblers' are good, they are good only at repeating the same process over and over again.  Custom rod builders spend countless hours mastering their ability to make one of a kind bench built works of art, and are completely obsessed with the details and take an immense amount of pride in the work.  The components used to build factory rods are mass produced and procured at a price point based upon cost reductions and pure profits.  I, as well as most custom builders will use superior hardware.  In my case I machine my own reel seat hardware to exacting tolerances, and make my own reel seat inserts from many types of materials including exotic woods, acrylic and even elk and deer antler.  The options available on one of my fly rods are only limited by your imagination and my abilities.

Custom Grip with Hand Checkered Walnut Inlay

The next time you are in need of a new fly rod (yes, new fly rods are a need), consider contacting a Custom Fly Rod Builder.  Having a personalized, one of a kind rod built by a custom rod builder will yield one that you helped design, performs as good as any factory rod, is backed by the same warranty, and might even save you a few dollars to boot.  

I can do better......

Every time I finish a fly rod, I say to myself, 'I can do better.'  And on every rod after, I honestly try and do that.  This philosophy holds true for all aspects of fly fishing for me.  After every cast, I think, 'I can do better' and I honestly try and do that.  Same for fly tying, same even for every knot I tie.  Every time I catch a fish, I say to myself, 'I can catch a bigger one', and I honestly try and do that.  

There is a great scene from A River Runs Through It, when after watching his brother land a large fish while being swept downstream in the current to avoid losing it, where Norman says, "At that moment, I knew, surely and clearly...that I was witnessing perfection."  Not to sound so arrogant as to challenge the literary greatness of Norman Maclean, but I do not believe perfection exists in fly fishing.  At least I hope it doesn't, because that would mean it is achievable, and if I could achieve perfection in fly fishing, what would be the point continuing after it is achieved, which would mean there is an end to it. 

Maybe the only thing perfect is the river

I guess my point here is that my obsession with everything fly fishing is a journey to achieve perfection when I know it cannot be achieved, which is OK with me.

Are all of the fly rods I build perfect, no.  Will I ever build the perfect fly rod, no.  Do I honestly try and achieve perfection when building a fly rod, YES!

Here is one of my favorite fly rods I have ever built, but still not perfect.

KB2 Custom Fly Rods - It's About Catchin' Fish and Makin' Stuff

I started fishing at a very early age, mostly gear fishing for Walleye, Bass, Trout and others in the lakes and rivers in Eastern Washington.  My wife and I were fortunate enough to buy property in North Idaho on one of the tributaries of the beautiful St. Joe River called Big Creek.  I spent most of my time in the first couple of years building a cabin, but every once in a while I would take a little time to go fly fishing. 

Our Cabin on Big Creek

Since that time, my obsession has grown to include tying my own flies, and building my own fly rods.  It has now evolved into the creation of KB2 Custom Fly Rods.  



For me fly fishing represents all that I enjoy in life.  Spending time with my family and friends, enjoying the beautiful outdoors, the excitement of the hunt while trying to entice a chunky 'westslope cuttie' to my fly, and for the stories we can tell.  KB2 Custom Fly Rods is a natural evolution, because now I can bring my professional aspirations in line with my love of fly fishing.

A Beautiful Westslope Cutthroat from Big Creek

I will use this blog to discuss the ins and outs of fly rods, and all other aspects of fly fishing.  If you have any questions about rods, or other topics you would like me to discuss, drop me I line, I have never been afraid to share my opinion. 

Regards and Tight Lines, 

Karl Webber 
kb2customflyrods.webstarts.com/ 
Email: kb2flyrods@outlook.com