build or buy?what would you do?

i want to add a 8wt flyrod to my collection. i have been reading about building rods lately and it sounds cool. i would use a american tackle matrix blank. american tackle says it has a limited lifetime warranty(anyone ever used it)all the thing needed add up to $150-+.
my current flyrod is a templefork outfitters series 1 5wt. i broke it once,TFO got me a replacement back super fast no hassle. for the cost of building a rod i could get a 8wt TFO series 1 and a reel and be confident in the warranty.

so would you try to build a custom rod or go with a trusted quality company?

is this your first fly rod? are you new to fly fishing? If so, buy a cheaper(but good) rod first.

i have been fly fishing for +5 years. for panfish and smaller bass. i have a spot that i believe i can get some serious stiper action,so i want a heavier rod.

i suggest you buy, then redo the thread art to give it your own custom flavor. best of both worlds.
but check with the store because this could void the warranty.

I would build one. I have been building rods for 15-20 years and it isn't hard to build a nicer rod than you could buy for the same price.

If you haven't already I would take a look at https://www.rodbuilding.org/list.php?2 You can find out all you ever wanted to know about rodbuilding here.

These are a few of my personal rods I've built over the years.

WOW! Museum pieces! :beer:

swcr said:

I would build one. I have been building rods for 15-20 years and it isn't hard to build a nicer rod than you could buy for the same price.

If you haven't already I would take a look at https://www.rodbuilding.org/list.php?2 You can find out all you ever wanted to know about rodbuilding here.

These are a few of my personal rods I've built over the years.

Click to expand...

WOW...these are some really nice rods. Very nice indeed!

Thanks, I like my rods to look nice but they're all designed to be fished and get fished regularly.

With a few tools and some patience it's easy to learn to build nice rods. To me it's a great way to relax when not fishing and I enjoy fishing with a rod that I built.

If you want to practice some before building your 8 wt you might want to strip and rebuild an old rod. These are a couple of rods I picked up at a yard sale and rebuilt for a couple of my young nephews.









These rebuilds probably cost me about $15 each as I reused the original grips and reel seats and just cleaned them up. So all I had into them other than my time was new guides, some thread, color preserver and finish.

If you have the time and patience, build. I have been building rods for about 10 years. The only bad thing about it is that it is highly addictive. One other thing, do not do it to save money - you won't!!! I thought I was at first and then started buying more and more expensive blanks, guides, etc than I would have ever bought on a factory rod. It is a lot of fun and fishing with a rod you built is great.

Scott