The
Art and Science of Custom Fishing Rods...
Function
always takes precedence over form. With that said, it is possible to combine high function and exquisite
form when it comes to custom fishing rods. Kunz's
Reel Rods are functional artwork. I work closely with my
customers to design each rod to meet their specific needs.
Each
rod is crafted to the highest standards of quality and workmanship... every
detail is considered. Whether
you prefer mild or wild, I can craft a rod that reflects your personality and
taste while also meeting your specific functional performance requirements.
Like checkering on a fine firearm, the custom artistry employed my fishing
rods results in highly personalized fishing instruments of heirloom quality.
Read
on to find out about attributes of a custom crafted Reel Rod that you will
not find in an off-the-shelf rod, no matter what the price.
The Science
The Art
The
science of custom fishing rods...
Blanks
Components
Spine
Guide
Placement
Spiral
/ Acid Guide Placement... What is it?
Sensitivity
Grip
Construction
Casting
Distance
Rod
Balance`
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Rod
Blanks
There are a nearly endless variety of
rod blanks available to the custom rod builder. If needed, a
blank can be modified (shortened or extended) to suit particular needs
if the desired action isn't otherwise available. I have
virtually all brands of blanks available to me.
The
following is some terminology used to describe rod blanks:
- Action
-
Where most of the initial flex in a rod blank takes place. Fast Action
rods will flex mostly in the upper 1/3rd of their length. Moderate Action
rods in the upper 1/2 of their length. Slow Action rods flex along their
entire length. See
Graphic Here.
Modulus
Or with regard to the fibers used
to make fishing rods, "Modulus of Elasticity," refers to the
relationship between stress and strain. In more simple terms
relative to rod building, it usually defines the stiffness to weight
ratio of the fibers used to construct the rod blank. Generally
speaking, the higher the modulus of the fiber used to make the
blank, the lighter the resulting blank can be for any given
stiffness because less material is needed to create the desired
action (e.g. 57 million modulus graphite is stiffer than 44 million
modulus). Because of this, higher modulus rods may also be
less tolerant of abuse than lower modulus rods.
Power
Generally used to describe a rod
or blank's stiffness or resistance to bending. Usually
described as Ultralight, Light, Medium, Medium/Heavy, Heavy,
etc. This property is also reflected in the lure and line
ratings of the rod.
Spine
Also called the "Effective
Spine", this is an effect in the blank that is created by several
manufacturing anomalies. The result is that the rod blank will favor
bending along a particular axis when load is applied. When
building any rod, I identify the spine and align the guides and reel
seat accordingly to create the desired action.
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Component
Selection
I select from the highest quality
components available on the market today. Moreover, I will
recommend components that meet your needs (both functionally and
aesthetically) at the most reasonable price possible. Brands
include Fuji, REC, Struble, Aftco, American Tackle, Pacific Bay,
Lakeland, and many others. Such choices are not an option in commercially
made rods.
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Spine
All
rod blanks have a preferred stress curve. This stress curve (commonly
called the spine) can be oriented to provide you with optimum tracking on the
cast, or it may be set up so that you have maximum
response and hooks setting power, depending on your needs. Commercial rod
manufacturers can't really take the time to do this. They aren't
building rods specific for the individual.
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Guide
Placement
Each
rod blank is unique. Because of this, I do not use generic guide placement charts to place guides
on the rod. Instead, each guide is carefully selected and placed for
maximum rod performance according to established scientific principles to provide optimal stress distribution, maximum casting distance, and
maximum sensitivity. Proper
guide placement minimizes the stress on the line as well as the rod blank when battling that
trophy fish.
Each guide foot is ground to a fine taper,
polished to a fine finish, and carefully fitted to
the rod individually. This prevents damage to the blank caused by a
rough or improperly aligned guide foot. Under-wrapping the guides is
generally not necessary when guide feet are prepared properly.
Stress distribution testing is conducted on each
rod to assure stress is distributed uniformly on the blank and the line.
Casting tests are used to fine tune the placement of the guides in the butt
section to assure maximum casting distance with the type of reel, line, and
lure sizes that will be used. This is the essence of a custom fishing
rod.
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Spiral
Guide Placement (also
known as Acid Wrap)
Spiral
(or Acid) wrapped casting rods combine the stability and sensitivity of spinning rods,
with the hook setting and fish fighting power of casting rods. In this
configuration, the first three guides (double foot guides) will transition the
line to the underside of the rod where it remains out to the tip. In
this orientation, single foot guides can often be used in the tip section,
resulting in a lighter, more sensitive tip compared to double foot guides used
on most commercial rods.
Spiral
guide placement is physically the best guide placement for casting rods to
minimize stress to the line and rod blank and to maximize sensitivity.
-
It
eliminates twisting of the rod under load because the guides are on the
underside of the blank.
-
It
eliminates side-to-side stress on the guides that occurs with traditional
casting rod guide placement..
-
It
can allow fewer, smaller, and lower frame guides in the tip section.
This results in greater sensitivity and a crisp feel.
Contrary
to what you might think, there is no loss in casting distance from a
properly built spiral wrapped casting rod. These are only available from
custom builders... Try one and you'll never go back.
Spiral
wrapping works great on most bait casting, live bait, jigging, mooching, and
trolling rods. Even surf rods and heavy offshore big game rods can
benefit from this guide placement method.
Notice,
in this photo (click
here) how the guides are placed such that, when the rod is stressed, the
line only contacts the base or top of the guide ring. This is an example
of a proper spiral guide placement designed for a specific rod and reel...
something that you can't get from a mass-produced rod.
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Sensitivity
Sensitivity
is a function of the weight and stiffness of the rod. The stiffer and
lighter the rod, the more sensitive to vibration it will be. A rod can
be made more or less sensitive depending on how it is built. For
instance, lighter guides on the tip section will create a more sensitive tip
because of the weight reduction. Single foot guides are
dramatically lighter than double foot guides on the tip section because they
require half the thread and finish that would be required for securing double foot
guides.
The grip material plays a
significant role in transmitting
vibration to the anglers hand. The lighter and more dense the grip material, the
more effective it will be at transmitting vibration. Also, the method
for attaching the reel seat to the blank can make a big difference in the
sensitivity of the rod. When done properly, the reel seat is attached
with methods that minimize weight while maximizing the strength of the
bond. Reel seats may have
a section of exposed blank to allow the finger to actually contact the blank
while fishing.
While
sensitivity is important, it is only one aspect of the overall rod
action. With custom rods, the goal is to design a rod with the
action that is most appropriate for its intended use. For some
applications a stiffer blank is not necessarily appropriate. For example, for sturgeon
fishing and other live bait applications, a soft and flexible tip
is often preferred so that soft bites can be visually detected and so that
there is minimal resistance on the bait. In this example, the overall
rod action becomes more important than sensitivity per se. These subtle nuances will be considered and discussed when selecting your rod blank to
assure a proper fit to your fishing application.
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Grip
Construction
Grips may be designed for
specific attributes that the angler is in search of. These include
lightness of weight, durability, sensitivity, comfort, and aesthetic appeal. Most often,
the angler is in search of several of these properties.
The
Rod Photos page shows some examples of many of the available types of grip materials.
In my
other life (the one that actually pays the bills) I am involved in the field of occupational ergonomics. I design grips to fit the angler... so the angler doesn't have
to fit the grips. I take into consideration such things as the size of
the anglers hand, the length of the forearm, and the type of grasp the angler
prefers when holding the rod for casting and reeling.
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Casting
Distance
Casting
distance can be maximized with the proper guide placement. Whenever
possible, I will request that customers provide me with the reel loaded with the line that will be used
on the rod being built so that the guides can be placed in the optimum position
for maximum performance.
This involves test casting and adjusting guide position and size appropriately so that
distance-robbing line slap and bunching is minimized, shock leader knots (if
used) are passed easily through the guides, and casting distance is
maximized. Particularly with spinning rods, you will rarely find an
off-the shelf rod that performs as well as a properly built custom rod
designed in this manner. The smooth and noiseless efficiency of casting a custom built
spinning rod is truly a thing of beauty.
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Rod
Balance
Depending
on the style of fishing, rod balance can play a significant role on the
fatigue you feel after a long day's fishing. By understanding your
fishing style, I can do a lot to reduce strain and stress by properly
balancing the rod. A steelhead fisherman, for instance, would gain
tremendous benefit from a properly balanced rod, even if it meant adding a bit
of weight to the butt to put the rod in proper balance. The stress on
the muscles of the hand and forearm can otherwise become quite significant, possibly even causing one to cut the day short because of
fatigue.
The Art
Browse the photos on my Rod
Photos page to see examples of the artwork that can be incorporated into
your custom rod. Such options include:
-
Geometric cross wraps in the butt section of
the rod.
-
Holographic tiger wraps in the butt section
that display a color-shifting illusion.
-
Fancy guide wraps with multi-colored thread
inlays.
-
Woven initials or images.
-
Marblized decoration on the butt section or
even over the guide wraps.
-
Elegant inlays incorporated into either foam or
cork grips.
-
Custom decals printed in metallic colors.
-
Custom blank colors are available from some
blank manufacturers.
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Thread Colors
Thread colors can be selected from a nearly endless
variety of metallic and non-metallic colors.
