I know that the custom rod market is crazy right now for ice fishing. Do a lot of you use custom rods for open water. I’m just not sure that a custom is that much better then the high end production rods out there. What are your thoughts IDO?
The difference in quality from a production ice rod to a custom ice rod is really significant and it’s what has made the custom ice rod market grow so much. The custom open water rods are more on par with the high end custom production rods. The benefit of going custom in open water is the choices you can make in the construction. And, ironically, in some cases the custom rods spec out against high end production rods at less money.
Dan
I use St Croix rods. Most of mine are Premiers and I have always been happy. there is no industry std on what constitutes a L, ML, M, MH or H rod and so I stick with one rod mfger.
I use St Croix rods. Most of mine are Premiers and I have always been happy. there is no industry std on what constitutes a L, ML, M, MH or H rod and so I stick with one rod mfger.
That is a very good point!
I use St Croix rods. Most of mine are Premiers and I have always been happy. there is no industry std on what constitutes a L, ML, M, MH or H rod and so I stick with one rod mfger. [/quote
I get your point.
Different classes from the same mfg like at croix will very as well. Different materials used in the blanks will result in different action.
What are the custom rod markets warranties like?
What are the custom rod markets warranties like?
For Tuned Up, it’s the same as our ice rod warranty. 5 Year manufacture, and Lifetime 50% replacement for accidents.
Dan
There is another post that is very similar to this. I use a lot of custom rods, but I build them to fill a gap in something specific that I need. Most of my high end rods are about as good as it gets for the applications I use them for.
I would not go custom unless you have a very specific need in a rod, then have a builder design it to your specs. A custom rod for just the purpose of having custom can leave you disappointed. But when they hit the mark perfectly for specific applications, you’ll be very pleased
Delete.
Thanks for the responses. I’ve been looking at having a couple musky rods built since they price out cheaper than the St. Croix Legend series. His ice rods are really well made. The few people I know who own his rods swear by them. I think I’ll maybe buy one this year to see if I like it more than my current jerk bait rod.
I have had custom rods commissioned as gifts. I’ll pick the rod, eyes, grips, thread colors, special inscriptions, their names ect. I’ll give them to special friends sometimes to mark special events or trips. My way of saying thank you.
As a rule I use St. Croix blanks but have used others also.
I like being able to talk to the person making my rod to go over exactly what I want for performance and design. So that’s an advantage to custom as well.
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