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`
Top
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,
including popular brands such as G. Loomis, St. Croix, All Star,
Lamiglas, Calstar,
Seeker, Rogue, Graphite USA,
Rainshadow & Forecast, Pacific Bay, American Tackle,
Gatti, Sage, Winston, Scott, Thomas &
Thomas, and many more.
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.
Top
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 more. Such choices are not an option in commercially
made rods.
Top
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.
Top
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.
Top
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.
Top
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.
Top
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. Popular grip materials include:
-
Burl
Cork - a man-made cork composite that is very light, dense, aesthetically
appealing, and economical.
-
Natural
Cork - the standard for freshwater rods... light, firm, and supple.
However, high grade natural cork is now in short supply and becoming quite
expensive relative to other materials such as burl cork.
-
EVA
Foam - Ethylene Vinyle Acetate synthetic foam material. Available in
various grades and hardnesses, the more firm variety makes an excellent
and lightweight rod grip material. Not as resilient as Hypalon, but
considerably lighter in weight.
-
Hypalon
- While it is used in a variety of industrial applications, it has
long been used with good results in the form of rod grips. Somewhat heavy
and less firm than EVA,
but extremely resistant to sunlight, solvents and detergents.
-
Cork
Tape - Usually comprised of a composite of cork and rubber.
Primarily used for large diameter surf rods.
-
Quick
Grip - A hard vulcanized rubber that is applied as a heavy duty heat
shrink, usually on large diameter surf rods. Much more durable than
cork tape. May be somewhat less aesthetically appealing to some.
The
Rod Photos page shows some examples of many of these types of grip materials.
In
my other life 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.
Top
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.
Top
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.
Top
Thread Colors
Thread colors can be selected
from a nearly endless variety of metallic and non-metallic colors. Below
are some of the colors available.
Gudebrod
Nylon & NCP®
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
0002
White
|
6778
Lemon
Yellow
|
0209
Goldenrod
|
0200
Sunburst
|
0221
Orange
|
0257
Rust
|
0411
Hot
Pink
|
0326
Scarlet
|
0335
Candy
Apple
|
0206
Garnet
|
0337
Maroon
|
0468
Purple
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
0037
Light
Blue
|
0245
Royal
Blue
|
0246
Dark
Blue
|
0050
Cobalt
Blue
|
0272
Blue
Dun
|
0638
Teal
|
0105
Spring
Green
|
6779
Medium
Green
|
5896
Dark
Green
|
0290
Tan
|
0340
Gold
|
0541
Medium
Brown
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
5274
Chestnut
|
0396
Dark
Brown
|
1011
Gunmetal
|
0720
Medium
Gray
|
0441
Charcoal
|
0066
Navy
|
0001
Black
|
| Gudebrod
Trimar Silvertone Thread® |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
0001S
Black/
Silver
|
0002S
White/
Silver
|
0245S
Blue/
Silver
|
5896S
Green/
Silver
|
0541S
Brown/
Silver
|
0326S
Red/
Silver
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
| Gudebrod
Trimar Goldtone Thread® |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
0001G
Black/
Gold
|
0002G
White/
Gold
|
0245G
Blue/
Gold
|
5896G
Green/
Gold
|
0541G
Brown/
Gold
|
0326G
Red/
Gold
|
Gudebrod HT®
Metallic Thread |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
9002
Silver
|
9007
Pale
Gold
|
9000
Gold
|
9004
Ole
Gold
|
9009
Glitzy
Gold
|
9396
Copper
|
9540
Red
Bronze
|
9541
Bronze
|
9326
Red
|
9337
Dusty
Rose
|
9206
Fuchsia
|
9008
Burgundy
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
9468
Purple
|
9105
Lime
|
9358
Green
|
9050
Electric
Blue
|
9252
Aquamarine
|
9270
Aqua
|
9037
Ice
Blue
|
9245
Royal
Blue
|
9060
Rainbow
|
9003
Pearl
White
|
9005
Pewter
|
9001
Black
|
