I’m assuming Chris Stanton made this?

https://wrapdesigner.herokuapp.com/

Doesn’t seem to work correctly on phones but works for everything else.

I have had 3 lx7’s in which all of them have need service at one point. last year my 3rd lx7’s ducer stopped working and there was also a resistor burnt out on the circuit board. I drive to Marcum, paid over 100.00 in services fees plus bought another ducer. Was told the unit would be ready within 2 weeks but ended up taking 7 weeks in which I called every other day for the last two weeks looking for an update. When I finally got the unit back, it did not ready bottom. I ended up selling the unit on FB marketplace for 150.00, was honest with the buyer, where essentially I paid 50.00 to give away an lx7. I will never spend any money of mine with marcum ever again. The customer services was not the most responsive and maybe thier service department was really behind but when someone pays an additional 200.00 to fix a unit, which was not fixed, and then sells it for bottom dollar to get anything out of it sucks and was a complete waste of hundreds of dollars.

I would reach out to a builder named Chris Stanton on Facebook. I own a handful of rods in which he made the carbon blanks from scratch by hand and they are the best I’ve every used. I know that decorative wraps are what he is most known for but he also makes his own carbon blanks and carbon Fiber grips. He is a good dude and I’m sure he’s willing to answer your questions.

Ryan Wilson wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>sheppy wrote:</div>

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Ryan Wilson wrote:</div>
I really appreciate a well made custom rod. I own 3 TUCR’s and if I had to only buy stock rods, I’d use schooley’s. For me, I think the difference is the quality to quantity ratio. Sure, stock rods are wrapped by hand too but by foreign labor pumping out the numbers. Quality in craftsmanship only has to pass the lowest qualifications to pass.

A custom built rod is built by a single domestic person or a small team that has the ability to provide quality assurance because they aren’t mass producing them to fill daily quotas. That’s why it takes at least a month to get a custom rod to your door instead of going and buying a stock rod for 80 bucks. And, I can have it built exactly how I want it instead of having to modify a $80 stock rod.

Having said that, I honestly don’t care where something is made. The only things domestic on TUCR’s are the recoils and the labor and they are fantastic rods. What gets me though is seeing stock rod companies trying to get in on the “custom money” and charging 60-70-80-120 dollars for a rod that really isn’t that different from the $40 mass produced Chinese one sitting next to it. As a consumer, I don’t see many guys grabbing those $80 stock rods when they can buy 2-4 rods for the same price that gave the same form and function.

I think most of these higher-end stock rod companies are relying on there namesake and customer loyalty more than offering a reasonable priced product. Until then, I’ll stick with my TUCR’s. And in all reality, once one acquires the tools to do so, one can build there own custom rod for about $35. One could definitely get the tools and materials required to build there own rod for the price of a TUCR/TB or a higher-end stock rod.

If you are building an ice rod and only have 35.00 into the entire build, that means you bought cheap bottom of the barrel components. I’ve tried building rod(I don’t have the patience) and with the little time I put into it I know that you get what you pay for. Blanks are not the same or quality comparable and really is the same with all components. From what I can tell is that most ice rod builders are basically rod assemblers. Most ice rods being made/sold are basically cataloged part rods and there is little difference between the final products between many builders which is really too bad and kind of ruins the image for all builders. From the forums and FB groups that I read through, there really only is a handful of true CUSTOM rod builders out there. These are the builders that are innovating, advancing which ultimately benefits the sport of fishing. Builders like Kevin Johnson, Andy wolfram, Eric vossler and chris stanton. From the turned grips to carbon fiber work to the decorative wraps, these builders are producing functional art that performs. Hell… chris stanton even makes his own blanks from scratch! The thing is that these guys are coming up with new “technologies”, develop a following and then get ripped off and undercut by the bigger companies. It’s easy for the bigger companies to sit back and let the little guys invest their own money and do the R&D just to clone their work and sell it for less. These individuals deserve respect from the industry in which appears they get none. I think it’s safe to say that these guys are contributing to the success of the big box rod advancements over the years.

You clearly don’t know what your talking about when it comes to components. Yes, $35 is about all you need for a custom ice rod build. I’m only talking about rod components, not the equipment it takes for the entire process.

It’s fiberglass, cork, thread, epoxy, and wire, maybe carbon… How much do you expect it to cost? All of those things are very cheap. You don’t need a $30-$50 blank or a $40 set of guides for it to be “custom”. That’s just fools tax. You should have shopped around first instead of thinking your rods would have been better by spending more money on them. I’m sorry you think that “custom” implies a dollar amount spent. The most expensive part of a custom rod is the cost of labor. Considering I built them myself, hey guess what? I didn’t have to pay a 300% markup for them. I’d rather have a CUSTOM taper (you know, the entire reason rods are custom anyways. Just because you picked the thread color doesn’t mean it’s custom) than a $40 thing that doesn’t do what I want it to do anyways.

Building fishing rods is easy and cheap. You’re paying a custom builder for their time, not the components. A fancy weave or intricate handle doesn’t improve the fishability of any rod and that sure as hell isn’t what you’re paying for. You’re paying for it because it looks pretty not because the components are expensive or even that it’s hard to do. It just takes time. Time equals money. Cutting wedges in cork is dead simple. Applying glue is dead simple. Shaping cork on a lathe is dead simple. No custom builder is doing anything with carbon other than buying prebuilt carbon components or using carbon shrink tubing over cork or eva handles. Again, super cheap and easy.

What about this aren’t you understanding?

Ryan thinks that components are the same throughout when in fact there is a huge difference. Educate yourself! I sure hope your not trying to pawn off high quality with you bottom tier garbage! Rod building is an art form that functions. Your right with one thing, decorative thread art does not catch more fish but some builders don’t find building basic rods fun like they do with thread art. Lol… loser!

Ryan Wilson wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>sheppy wrote:</div>

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Ryan Wilson wrote:</div>
I really appreciate a well made custom rod. I own 3 TUCR’s and if I had to only buy stock rods, I’d use schooley’s. For me, I think the difference is the quality to quantity ratio. Sure, stock rods are wrapped by hand too but by foreign labor pumping out the numbers. Quality in craftsmanship only has to pass the lowest qualifications to pass.

A custom built rod is built by a single domestic person or a small team that has the ability to provide quality assurance because they aren’t mass producing them to fill daily quotas. That’s why it takes at least a month to get a custom rod to your door instead of going and buying a stock rod for 80 bucks. And, I can have it built exactly how I want it instead of having to modify a $80 stock rod.

Having said that, I honestly don’t care where something is made. The only things domestic on TUCR’s are the recoils and the labor and they are fantastic rods. What gets me though is seeing stock rod companies trying to get in on the “custom money” and charging 60-70-80-120 dollars for a rod that really isn’t that different from the $40 mass produced Chinese one sitting next to it. As a consumer, I don’t see many guys grabbing those $80 stock rods when they can buy 2-4 rods for the same price that gave the same form and function.

I think most of these higher-end stock rod companies are relying on there namesake and customer loyalty more than offering a reasonable priced product. Until then, I’ll stick with my TUCR’s. And in all reality, once one acquires the tools to do so, one can build there own custom rod for about $35. One could definitely get the tools and materials required to build there own rod for the price of a TUCR/TB or a higher-end stock rod.

If you are building an ice rod and only have 35.00 into the entire build, that means you bought cheap bottom of the barrel components. I’ve tried building rod(I don’t have the patience) and with the little time I put into it I know that you get what you pay for. Blanks are not the same or quality comparable and really is the same with all components. From what I can tell is that most ice rod builders are basically rod assemblers. Most ice rods being made/sold are basically cataloged part rods and there is little difference between the final products between many builders which is really too bad and kind of ruins the image for all builders. From the forums and FB groups that I read through, there really only is a handful of true CUSTOM rod builders out there. These are the builders that are innovating, advancing which ultimately benefits the sport of fishing. Builders like Kevin Johnson, Andy wolfram, Eric vossler and chris stanton. From the turned grips to carbon fiber work to the decorative wraps, these builders are producing functional art that performs. Hell… chris stanton even makes his own blanks from scratch! The thing is that these guys are coming up with new “technologies”, develop a following and then get ripped off and undercut by the bigger companies. It’s easy for the bigger companies to sit back and let the little guys invest their own money and do the R&D just to clone their work and sell it for less. These individuals deserve respect from the industry in which appears they get none. I think it’s safe to say that these guys are contributing to the success of the big box rod advancements over the years.

You clearly don’t know what your talking about when it comes to components. Yes, $35 is about all you need for a custom ice rod build. I’m only talking about rod components, not the equipment it takes for the entire process.

It’s fiberglass, cork, thread, epoxy, and wire, maybe carbon… How much do you expect it to cost? All of those things are very cheap. You don’t need a $30-$50 blank or a $40 set of guides for it to be “custom”. That’s just fools tax. You should have shopped around first instead of thinking your rods would have been better by spending more money on them. I’m sorry you think that “custom” implies a dollar amount spent. The most expensive part of a custom rod is the cost of labor. Considering I built them myself, hey guess what? I didn’t have to pay a 300% markup for them. I’d rather have a CUSTOM taper (you know, the entire reason rods are custom anyways. Just because you picked the thread color doesn’t mean it’s custom) than a $40 thing that doesn’t do what I want it to do anyways.

Building fishing rods is easy and cheap. You’re paying a custom builder for their time, not the components. A fancy weave or intricate handle doesn’t improve the fishability of any rod and that sure as hell isn’t what you’re paying for. You’re paying for it because it looks pretty not because the components are expensive or even that it’s hard to do. It just takes time. Time equals money. Cutting wedges in cork is dead simple. Applying glue is dead simple. Shaping cork on a lathe is dead simple. No custom builder is doing anything with carbon other than buying prebuilt carbon components or using carbon shrink tubing over cork or eva handles. Again, super cheap and easy.

What about this aren’t you understanding?

Lol!!! Go do some more research then Come back and say that. You are the one that’s clueless!

Ryan Wilson wrote:

I really appreciate a well made custom rod. I own 3 TUCR’s and if I had to only buy stock rods, I’d use schooley’s. For me, I think the difference is the quality to quantity ratio. Sure, stock rods are wrapped by hand too but by foreign labor pumping out the numbers. Quality in craftsmanship only has to pass the lowest qualifications to pass.

A custom built rod is built by a single domestic person or a small team that has the ability to provide quality assurance because they aren’t mass producing them to fill daily quotas. That’s why it takes at least a month to get a custom rod to your door instead of going and buying a stock rod for 80 bucks. And, I can have it built exactly how I want it instead of having to modify a $80 stock rod.

Having said that, I honestly don’t care where something is made. The only things domestic on TUCR’s are the recoils and the labor and they are fantastic rods. What gets me though is seeing stock rod companies trying to get in on the “custom money” and charging 60-70-80-120 dollars for a rod that really isn’t that different from the $40 mass produced Chinese one sitting next to it. As a consumer, I don’t see many guys grabbing those $80 stock rods when they can buy 2-4 rods for the same price that gave the same form and function.

I think most of these higher-end stock rod companies are relying on there namesake and customer loyalty more than offering a reasonable priced product. Until then, I’ll stick with my TUCR’s. And in all reality, once one acquires the tools to do so, one can build there own custom rod for about $35. One could definitely get the tools and materials required to build there own rod for the price of a TUCR/TB or a higher-end stock rod.

If you are building an ice rod and only have 35.00 into the entire build, that means you bought cheap bottom of the barrel components. I’ve tried building rod(I don’t have the patience) and with the little time I put into it I know that you get what you pay for. Blanks are not the same or quality comparable and really is the same with all components. From what I can tell is that most ice rod builders are basically rod assemblers. Most ice rods being made/sold are basically cataloged part rods and there is little difference between the final products between many builders which is really too bad and kind of ruins the image for all builders. From the forums and FB groups that I read through, there really only is a handful of true CUSTOM rod builders out there. These are the builders that are innovating, advancing which ultimately benefits the sport of fishing. Builders like Kevin Johnson, Andy wolfram, Eric vossler and chris stanton. From the turned grips to carbon fiber work to the decorative wraps, these builders are producing functional art that performs. Hell… chris stanton even makes his own blanks from scratch! The thing is that these guys are coming up with new “technologies”, develop a following and then get ripped off and undercut by the bigger companies. It’s easy for the bigger companies to sit back and let the little guys invest their own money and do the R&D just to clone their work and sell it for less. These individuals deserve respect from the industry in which appears they get none. I think it’s safe to say that these guys are contributing to the success of the big box rod advancements over the years.

Corey sunderman wrote:

Sheppy- the program is no longer available to the public he sold it to a rod building company I beleive

Wow, I did not know that. Good for Chris!

I’m certainly not an expert with rod building but have built a few rods. I used a web program that was created by Chris Stanton which contained “factory/production” spacing details for a few different manufacturers. I don’t recall what the website was called but you might want to reach out to chris on Facebook, he also has a wealth of knowledge and builds beautiful rods. Just a thought

Rodwork wrote:

This is the measurements I took off of the blank.

Tip 0.035
1″ 0.038
2″ 0.040
3″ 0.041
4″ 0.043
5″ 0.045
6″ 0.048
7″ 0.050
8″ 0.054
9″ 0.057
10″ 0.067
11″ 0.078
12″ 0.087
13″ 0.090
14″ 0.092
15″ 0.097
16″ 0.101
17″ 0.104
18″ 0.105
19″ 0.110
20″ 0.111
21″ 0.114
22″ 0.115
23″ 0.115
24″ 0.115
25″ 0.115
26″ 0.115
27″ 0.115
28″ 0.115
29″ 0.115
30″ 0.115
31″ 0.115
32″ 0.115
33″ 0.115
34″ 0.115
35″ 0.115
36″ 0.115

hope this helps

You took the measurements? Hmm.. pretty sure that file of the screenshot you provided was made by Pierce custom rods and Chris Stanton.

With all the issues people have brought to this forum about their Marcum flashers and the shuttle, why doesn’t Marcum give us any insight? Since Marcum is part of “Ice Force” and IDO, you would think they would want to clarify some of our concerns?

I bought a 56” hybrid from a builder and that rod is deadly awesome! Noodle front half with solid backbone (two blanks bonded together making one). What I bought is basically a DH drifter but has closed off thread work. I use it both ice fishing and vertically fishing suspended crappies off the side of the boat (vertically fishing open water is the intent of he rod). Highly recommend them! I’m assuming you can find info about the rods details on the DH website or you can find Chris Stanton on Facebook and ask him about the rod (I had chris make me one). As far as the “shaking” have not experienced that with this rod.

Rodwork wrote:

It sounds like most of the stuff was covered by everyone. I like to add wax to the mandrel to prevent the glue from sticking to it. I turn the handle on my lathe but you can also chuck it up in a drill.

Will you share some pictures of your work?

Dusty Gesinger wrote:

They look pretty, but isn’t that just added weight?

I’m no expert when it comes to making fishing rods but I have tried. I would think that the added finish needed to cover the wrap might add some weight but nothing significant. I mainly use 26” rods with 3” grips and would guess that the added weight from the decorative wrap is nothing compared to the added blank weight you would get from a 28” or longer rod or having a locking reel seat. I do have a couple of open water rods that have wraps similar to this and the added weight on those are minimal and hard to notice. I was only asking who makes these because I have never seen wraps like these on ice rods before and the reason for that is because they are very hard to do on ice rod blanks.

Mike Klein wrote:

Jr’s also sell parts
Dh blanks are not special can be bought you anyone. Just up charges them and sells blanks. Mud hole, American tackle, Jr and many more most Blanks are made same place just different names. Even the so called high end are cheap blanks.

Absolutely not true. For any kind of blank, you get what you pay for. There’s different types of fiberglass used as well as carbon. DH and V-Line charge more because they are selling blue dot blanks which are made from Korean carbon(far superior that Chinese carbon) but costs a lot more. If you compare side by side an exspensive fiberglass blank to an inexpensive fiberglass blank there is a huge difference. The reason why I know this is because I used to work for a blank manufacture and build rods.

For the person that initial made the post, there are three builders that really are dominating the craft right now and are being inovative: Lonnie Murphy, Chris Stanton and Andy Wolfram. More than likely most, if not all, Rod builders in the Midwest know who these three and would agree with my statement. I would suggest finding them on Facebook and reaching out. Lonnie is the head builder at Thorne bros and is the reeson why “new school noodle” rods exist. Andy and Chris do thier own thing and turn out incredible award winning work. Just my 2 cents…

11bluenose wrote:

Hello. I’m looking for suggestions for a rod blank. Normally fishing outside, 6 to 12 feet in pothole prairie lakes and targeting walleye. Lakes I’m in are thick with pike. For every walleye caught I catch a pike. Most days I end up fishing a medium heavy rod to handle the pike. I’m seeing the <strong class=”ido-tag-strong”>walleye on the flasher but having trouble detecting the bite with the medium heavy rod (Ugly Stick gx2). I’ve down sized lures but the pike are still all over whatever I drop down. Just getting into building my own rods. Does anyone have any suggestions for a blank that has enough backbone to handle 10-15 pound <strong class=”ido-tag-strong”>pike but has enough tip sensitivity to feel and see the <em class=”ido-tag-em”>walleye bite. $50 budget for the blank. I love fighting the <em class=”ido-tag-em”>pike but feel like I’m missing walleye too often with my current set up.

Read this thread: https://www.in-depthoutdoors.com/community/forums/topic/gettin-the-itch-custom-rods/. There’s a contact in there that I would suggest getting ahold of. Good luck!

Andrew Rice wrote:

I’m a noob to custom ice rods. I see different styles of eyelets made out of various materials. What are the differences and advantages?

I’m thinking about getting a rod specific for Lake Winnipeg walleye. So I’m trying to learn what I can before I buy.

Thanks!

I went to a rod building class in Wisconsin where a gentleman named Chris Stanton was one of the instructors. Chris has written a few rod building apps/aides and is all about growing the rod building community. I would suggest finding him through facebook or MudHole(he is a field staffer) and ask him questions directly. Just a suggestion, might save you a headache or two!

IceAsylum wrote:

I’m impressed with the work they have put into designing and fabricating this unit. Can’t be cheap to make. But small market and the other disadvantages have already been stated.
For those that have condisending remarks have you ever tried to take an idea to market? I give an “A” for there efforts, unfortunately probably won’t take off.

Well said!

I would suggest looking up Chris Stanton on Facebook. He wrote an app that does exactly what your asking for and is also very knowledgeable. Chris is a great guy and I know that he is willing to help people out and wants to help grow the rod building community. He does wrap rods for himself, DH Customs and also works with MudHole. This is a creaditable source!

Trevor

BigWerm wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>sheppy wrote:</div>
you should leave the location out.

Spoiler alert! When James does his spot on the spot he’s not showing where they fished that day, but the type of structure/area that can be similarly productive. A quick google maps search shows consecutive similar areas from Wabasha, MN to North Buena Vista, IA which is about 155 miles apart. I think you’ll be alright. They’ve done tons of shows on Leech, Pool 4, Mille Lacs etc. and despite being significantly smaller areas, all those bodies of water still hold plenty of fish.

I never said that a specific location was given during the “spot on spot” segment of the perch show. If you watch the first 5 minutes of the episode, IDO gives up the exact state and city where there at. The spot on spot segments fine tuned their location that much more. I think it would be a different story if IDO told the viewer that they were in Wisconsin fishing the Mississippi and not include the city. BigWerm I get your point, but until you become a local and understand the history with this bite, Mille lacs, leech and most other bites do not conpair.

BigWerm wrote:

Great show guys, those were some pigs! I guess I don’t understand how a catch and release show at the end of ice season on the backwaters of the longest river in the country is exploiting a resource, but maybe that’s just me!

That’s easy for you to say when you live in Minnesota.

This fishery was somewhat of a hidden gem. The show pointed out exactly what to do and how to fish the fishery. I understand that the Mississippi is massive and that there are numerous holes/spots like the one in the show. I also understand that ice conditions are not optimal but any one capable can be part of this fishery. Unfortunately, we all know that selective harvest is not practiced by everyone and that people also want a bite that easy “pickings”. In depth outdoors has a big presents in the fishing world and now this “little” gem of a fishery, has been seen by, I’m guessing by tens of thousands of, people all across the mid west.

For what it’s worth, I think that if you want to get specific, like the show did, you should leave the location out. You could still reference the lake mapping charts and show where you are and talk about structure, etc. but if you do that you should leave out specific cities and lake names.

My 2 cents.

Some fisheries should not be exploited to the public and the perch bite in todays show is one of them. Not sure what’s worse, exploiting this perch fishery on today’s show or the St.Croix sturgeon fishery.

Mat Peirce wrote:

I hate to say it but there are some shady things that have taken place, especially the last couple of years between folks building ice rods.

Could you elaborate more on this?

There are “Custom” rod builders everywhere. “Custom” is an abused word when it comes to most rod builds. I personally don’t build rod but I have bought a lot of rods from many builders through southern and central Minnesota. The one thing that I’ve noticed is that most builders are selling the exact same product, there cataloged built rods. Like I said before, I do not build rods but from talking to rod builders MudHole and Sportmans Direct are making up a high percentage of most “Custom” rods. IMO, the only way you’ll survive is by providing a product thats innovative, different and hard for others to rip off. I have run into three builders so far, that have fit this criteria and it seems all other builders are doing the same thing.

Also, the three builders that I referred to earlier, for two of the three builders, rod building is not there main source of income. I know that they put a lot of time into each rod and they are not trying to be the next TUCR, Thorne Bros. or Dh Custom Rods. These builders for a niche and thats their only focus.

Hope I didn’t offend any builders out there but this has been my experience so far.

Good Luck!

Any pictures? I’m interested

Mine fired up first pull and idles just fine. As soon as I start cutting, after it warms up, the motor will stall out unless I run it on half choke. It’s been like this since day one, I’m sure it needs a tune up but when the auger is running properly, the thing rips.

Hands down Chris Stanton. His rods are unbelievable and fairly priced. He’s using DH blanks but I’m not exactly sure what other components he’s using. I’ve never seen anything before like what he’s doing. Chris will be getting my money from here on out! This is the rod I bought from him a few weeks ago.

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Where are you located?

Fishtrekker wrote:

I would just buy another power cord off their website. It could just as simple as that and you would be back up and running. Sounds like a loose connection to me though or even a possibly short. Any damage to the power cord itself?

That was my second though. Before I called marcum I whipped out my multimeter and did a continuity test on both wires from the battery terminal end to the plug end and that passed. When check continuity I also was flexing the cable thinking there might be a break under the insulation but my meter kept buzzing meaning there was continuity the whole time. I never tried a different ducer. Maybe I’ll try to find another ducer and give that a try. If it’s not that then there is positively something wrong in the unit.

Mat Peirce wrote:

2nd that, you’ll be 100% satisfied with whatever Chris builds you – thats a given. Great guy and a stand up member of the rod building community.

If you ever do decide to start building on your own feel free to join the linked FB group and post any questions you may have – There are a ton of knowledgeable and helpful members in that group willing to bring folks up to speed.

Thanks Mat!

Dusty Gesinger wrote:

Did you tell Marcum the new battery didn’t do it?

I questioned marcum and told them it was brand new. The answer I got was “you must have bought a defective battery”. I didn’t agree with their response but couldn’t prove that the battery was good either.