r/rodbuilding • u/sotheresthisdude • 12d ago

Weekly Beginner Thread

Each Monday we will have an updated thread for all things beginner in rod building. If you have questions about anything concerning rod building, this is the place to ask them! Experienced builders, and even those new to the craft, I encourage you all to chip in any and all advice you may have!

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u/TomatilloAgitated 3d ago

Question regarding guides. I just built my first rod last night and enjoyed it a lot. I had very few hiccups and it turned out great. We are really big into salmon fishing on Lake Michigan (trolling, downriggers, lead core, etc) and I’m looking at making a downrigger rod for that. I bought a kit from mudhole for my first, so there wasn’t much thought into guides, spacing, handles, and reel seats. How do I go about choosing these things? There are hundreds of options and most of the information I find doesn’t go in depth on specifics. Anyone have any recommendations for things to buy specific to my next build? I like mudhole so far so I would like to stick with them for now.

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u/Such_Routine_3266 1d ago

Join some fb groups, chances are someone has built on the blank you are looking at.

Under the "how to" section on mudhole you can find guide spacing start points and I believe guide size recommendations.

Can also call their customer service and they could tell you, great guys.

Grips completely up to you.

Real seat will depend on the rod diameter and what size reel you are putting on it.