  Selecting a Blank
Selecting which blank to build can be an almost frightening task for the beginning angler. If you have been fly-fishing for a while you probably know quite a bit about rod length, line weights and rod action. If not we will try to give you some general knowledge, which should help direct you in making your decision.
Rod Length
By far the most popular length in fly rods is a nine-foot rod. It doesn't matter what skill level you have, nine foot rods over the years have become an accepted length for versatility and ease of casting. Nine foot rods are the most popular rods sold by manufacturers in the world.
One may question why all the other rod lengths. Shorter rods are very useful if you fish in brushy creeks where a longer rod might get in the way. Longer rods may be come in handy when fishing from a float tube or when mending larger amounts of line while river fishing.
Line Weight
The most popular rod sold in the world by fly rod manufacturers in a nine foot five weight rod. This is an excellent choice as a primary rod, meaning a good place to start if you don't own anything else. It is our advice that when building a repertoire of fly rods collect either even weight rods or odd weight rods, having a 5 wt. and a 7 wt. is far more versatile that having a 5wt. and a 6 wt. Some of you may want to build your first fly rod that live in the Florida Keys, a place where a 5 wt. is just about useless because most of the saltwater game fish in the area will require an 8 wt. or larger. We will give you a general overview of what line weights mean and their general use.
The heavier the line weight the heavier the rod, making it effective in windy conditions and landing big fish. This does not mean that everyone should build a twelve weight rod, unless your primary target is Tarpon. We try to build a rod that is most suited for a particular situation.
Here are some general guidelines about line weights
0-3 weight rods - excellent secondary rods for the person who wants a lighter trout rod. Ultra light rods are great for smaller fish; they have a lot of flex allowing an enjoyable fight with smaller game.
4-6 weight rods - these rods are known as primary fly rods, because they have enough strength to cast into wind, but also have enough flex to really enjoy the fight of normal sized trout.
7 weight rods - this is the number one summer Steelhead rod when rivers have less volume, and is a great size for fishing off the beach for fish up to 10 pounds.
8-9 weight rods - winter Steelhead when the rivers have more volume and one needs a strong rod to be able to turn a fish in the heavier current. These rods are also great for Bonefish and smaller saltwater game fish.
10 weight rods - number one Permit rod, smaller saltwater game fish, and Alaska King Salmon.
11-12 weight rods - mainly used for fishing Tarpon, Dorado and other sizable saltwater species.
13 and above - these are the big kahunas for offshore Marlin, Sailfish and Shark.
Number of Sections
Over the last twenty some years a lot of refinement has gone into graphite rods. It used to be true that two piece rods were probably better that multiple piece or travel rods. Times have changed, and it is our opinion that three, or more piece rods allow the angler more options to travel, backpack and are basically just a lot handier to bring along to any possible fishing destination. We feel that there is no longer a compromise with owning multiple piece rods.
Action
The action of a fly rod does have a lot to do with personal preference. However, it is generally agreed that faster action rods can throw tighter loops allowing higher line speeds and greater distance. In the 0 to 4 weight rods slower rods may be more fun, having more flex and when distance is not the primary goal. You may want to go to your local fly shop and cast a few different rods to try to get a feel for what you like. All of the Sage rods have a description which may also help you determine what series you feel best suits your needs.
Picking a Reel Seat
The first step to making a custom fly rod starts with picking a reel seat. We have tried to make this step easier for you by grouping our reel seats by the recommended line weight that each seat is most suited. Within each category there will be different seats with different price points. German nickel silver seats are usually more expensive than aluminum seats and have finer threading, but both kinds are perfectly functional. Titanium seats and solid anodized aluminum seats are recommended for saltwater fishing. Many seats have different wood choices which are just a matter of personal preference.
Uplocking versus Downlocking Reel Seats
There are uplocking and downlocking reel seats, having either a “U” of a “D” before the model number. Uplocking seats are very popular and most manufacturers use them, downlocking seats are mostly used within the 0-3 wt. category. Uplocking seats have a metal hood which hides the upper foot of the reel inside the bottom of the cork grip. The lower foot of the reel hides in a metal retainer and is held in place by tightening up on the threaded bands. The advantage to an uplocking seat is that if the bottom of the rod is resting on the ground while chatting with you fellow angler, the reel is lifted up off of the dirt. Downlocking seats were traditionally used in bamboo rods, the reel fits into the end cap of the reel seat, the held in place by tightening a metal hood down over the top reel foot with the threaded bands.
Choosing a Cork Grip
We have our corks organized by line weights. In general Ultra Fine grips are usually matched with 0-3 wt. rods. Reverse Half Wells grips are usually found on 4-6 wt. rods. Full Wells cork grips are usually used on 7wt. rods and above. If you are building with an uplocking seat, the inletting has to match the reel seat. First pick which shape cork to use then match it to the number reel seat you are using.
For example if you are building on a 9 foot 5 wt. blank with a U-20 reel seat, a RHW-20 (Reverse Half Wells inletted for a U-20 reel seat) is correct. All uplocking seats have a coordinating inletted cork. If you want to use a downlocking seat you should make sure to order whichever shape you like with no inlet, because the reel seat sits flush against the bottom of the cork. Modified Wells and Cigar shaped corks are usually only used with downlocking reel seats, they can not be inletted due to their tapers.
Determining a Guide Set
Determining which guides to use on a rod can be fun. Think about the last fly rod that you bought off the rack. The sales person did not ask you what kind of stripping guides you wanted on that 11 wt. The sales person did not ask you what kind of snake guides you wanted on your new 5 wt. This is because the factory usually chooses the most cost effective solutions to adorn their rods. There may be nothing wrong with standard chrome snakes and stripping guides, but you can afford to upgrade this area and end up with a much more appealing toy.
Ordering Hook Keepers and Winding Checks and Tip Tops
These three items do not come in our guide sets, because there is a little bit more information needed to make sure you get the right components.
Hook Keepers
Usually one chooses a hook keeper to matches the color of the guides, i.e. chrome hook keepers are usually used with chrome color guides. Although the hook keeper is a functional item it is usually matched to the guide set for aesthetic purposes. Small is by far the most popular size in standard style hook keepers. When building a larger weight rod using the Fuji brand, you may wish to choose a large hook keeper.
Winding Checks
The winding check is a metal ring which rides right on top of the cork and serves as a finishing ring. It makes the grip section look complete and helps to protect the rod from getting moisture into the cork. Winding checks come in many different sizes and only one is correct for each rod. If your order includes blank(s) and components, we will take the time to size out the correct winding check.
If you are trying to order a winding check for a repair or for a blank that was just lying around teasing you to be built, you need to find a micrometer and measure the blank’s outer diameter, O.D., right above the top of the cork. If your measurement reads 0.038”, you need to order the winding check with the next largest size. The winding check will be centered on the blank above the cork grip and glued on with rod builders epoxy. A thread wrap is placed flush with the check and up to the bottom foot of the hook keeper. Finish epoxy is put on the wrap. Any gap that existed between the O.D. of the blank and the I.D. of the winding check will be filled in with epoxy, and will be covered with thread and epoxy so that it won’t show.
Tip Tops
If you buy your blank and components from us just pick out which style tip top you want and we will make sure that it fits your blank properly. If you have your blank already, many manufacturers list the appropriate size tip top allowing you to order what size has been recommended.
Picking out Rod Wrapping Thread
Nylon thread is intended for graphite or fiberglass blanks, silk thread is used on bamboo rods and their repairs. When wrapping with nylon thread we use epoxy for the finish, when building or repairing bamboo rods with silk, varnish is usually used.
Color preserver is not used by many manufacturers any longer because thread is more colorfast than in the past and leaves the wraps opaque rather than translucent. The wraps you see on the expensive graphite rods have the epoxy over the thread without the use of color preserver. These translucent wraps will darken up and pick up some of the color of the blank.
The color one wraps with is in the eyes of the beholder. This may be part of the fun of not having the decision determined by the factory.
Selecting the Epoxies
Many of us have built fly rods for a living and Flex Coat products have not let us down. They are ultra high quality and will allow you to get as good as or better than a factory finish. Many of the major fly rod manufacturers use their products.
Should I use Light or Regular finish?
Light finish requires two coats, 24 hours apart. It allows you the opportunity to sand or cut off an imperfection and reapply epoxy. The regular finish has worked for years, requies only a single coat. Light formula may give you a little more control over the results, but its application requires at least twice the amount of time.
Choosing a Rod Tube and Rod Bag
These are safety items. We want this experience to be one that you enjoy and feel like doing again and again for you and yours. However, when a blank gets broken before it is becomes a rod, it is not a happy day. Get yourself a rod bag and rod tube from the start, and bad things will not happen to good people.
Ordering a Book on Rod Building
We have an extensive list of books available for many different purposes. If you are looking for one book that can efficiently walk you through the fly rod building process, try Handcrafting a Graphite Fly Rod by L.A. Garcia. He uses the Flex Coat products and the photos are good quality. This book comes spiral bound and is real easy to use.
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