Hello:
I am new to the sport and want to get a good outfit for brakish and light saltwater fishing. I bought an Orvis Battenkill Large Arbor III on eBay and I'm looking for a nice 7 weight rod to go along with it. (Preferrably a four pc.)
I wonder if anybody has had any experience with building their own rod from a blank. There's a site where you can get G Loomis blanks pretty cheap and they sell kits for finishing them. What kind of quality can I expect from a rod that I finish myself specially if I've never done this before?
The blank and the kit runs about $150 for a rod that could cost twice that if bought already finished. Would I be better off just buying a $150 to $200 rod like a Temple Fork Saltwater, Redington RS2 or Wayfarer, or St. Croix Imperial? Which of the finish rods do you recommend? They also sell Elk Horn kits which have a warranty (the G Loomis blanks don't), but I've never heard of them. Does anybody have any experience with these rods?
Finally, how do I know that the blanks are genuine since the website says that they don't have labels? Any guidance will be highly appreciated.
thanks,
Imanuel
I am new to the sport and want to get a good outfit for brakish and light saltwater fishing. I bought an Orvis Battenkill Large Arbor III on eBay and I'm looking for a nice 7 weight rod to go along with it. (Preferrably a four pc.)
I wonder if anybody has had any experience with building their own rod from a blank. There's a site where you can get G Loomis blanks pretty cheap and they sell kits for finishing them. What kind of quality can I expect from a rod that I finish myself specially if I've never done this before?
The blank and the kit runs about $150 for a rod that could cost twice that if bought already finished. Would I be better off just buying a $150 to $200 rod like a Temple Fork Saltwater, Redington RS2 or Wayfarer, or St. Croix Imperial? Which of the finish rods do you recommend? They also sell Elk Horn kits which have a warranty (the G Loomis blanks don't), but I've never heard of them. Does anybody have any experience with these rods?
Finally, how do I know that the blanks are genuine since the website says that they don't have labels? Any guidance will be highly appreciated.
thanks,
Imanuel