The Custom Fisherman

You just can’t beat experience when it comes to rod building. The more you know, the fewer mistakes you make, and the more enjoyable the rod building process becomes. This article was written by one of Mud Hole's instructors, Chris Feagan, and highlights some rod building tips that might not be obvious to new rod builders.

This is a great example of the benefits to building your own. In this article one of our rod builders demonstrates how to think outside of the box, and build one of the most enjoyable fishing rods you will ever use. It features minimalist components that yield huge fun no matter what fish tugs on the line!

Many fishermen building their first custom rod find themselves shocked about how many details go into the build. Because they have used pre-built retail fishing rods all their lives, they may have never stopped and considered their component options. In this article, we go over what to consider when choosing guides for your custom fishing rod.

Ice fishermen have very unique rod requirements in that they often need to be able to land fish in very tight surroundings. I guess that is another way of saying ice fishermen use really short rods. This article highlights what to look for in rod blanks when building a custom ice fishing rod.

For those who are new to rod building or fishing, deciding on what rod to use for a specific fishing application can seem overwhelming. This article provides an overview that describes the difference between rod power vs. rod action so you can make a more informed choice.

Rod building can be an enjoyable craft and hobby, and like anything else, the more you do it – the more you learn the little tricks to make the process of building your rod more efficient. This article highlights the top 5 common mistakes that eventually most rod builders will make, and how to correct them.

This article explains the differences between top producing fishing crankbaits, and how to use them in different scenarios.

In this article, nine-year veteran of the Walmart FLW Tour Jim Dillard discusses how he got into rod building and shares some of his tips.

Custom rod builders have been using, and debating, micro guides for several years. Once rare, these small rod guides are now more widespread than ever before, but is there good reason to use them? The short answer is yes, micro guides can improve your rod performance, if used in the right fishing application. This article highlights the pros and cons of micro guides.

Knowing the right tip-top size to replace the broken one on your rod seems like a simple task at first, but with all the different size numbers it can be a little overwhelming. This should clear up most of the confusion between the tube and ring size debacle.