How to start rodbuilding?

Every early winter, we get the same question: “Where do I start?” The answer fits into three simple steps: pick the right blank, kit it out without hassle, then dive in with a clear step-by-step to nail your first build.

The real starting point: the blank

The blank is the soul of the rod. Action, power, length, use—everything flows from it. A well-designed handle and sensible guides only make sense if they match the right blank. Starting from the blank guarantees a rod that fits your fishing, not a generic spec sheet.

How to choose?

Lean on real-world feedback first. The community answers fast and straight: if ten rodbuilders who’ve built it tell you a Statement 724 is deadly for bottom contact, there’s a good chance it’s true. And if you prefer advice tailored to you, get in touch. We pick up the phone, we answer emails. At Rodhouse our techs have a simple rule: recommend the blank that fits your fishing. Not the priciest, not the blingiest, not the one with the biggest international reputation. Anglers talking to anglers, with a clear goal: that you succeed… and come back to see us.

Easy outfitting: handles & guides

Ready-to-build packs

Once the blank is chosen, it’s time to outfit it. To make your life easier, we designed packs: matched handles and guides built to get you straight to the point. Clean, efficient, and technical enough to turn out a first rod you’ll be proud of—without spending three days hesitating between fifteen near-identical references.

We finalize the cart together

If you want us to sanity-check your choices, we can take the lead on your cart during a phone appointment and finalize it with you. We do this every day—and we enjoy it. The goal is that you spend more time building than doubting.

Tutorials: what really matters

No need to reinvent the wheel—tutorials already exist everywhere. Focus on the fundamentals and do them cleanly. Glue a handle, find the spine (we can even mark it on the blank for you), make even wraps, then finish without overcoating. Nail these four points and you’ve covered 90% of the journey.

Our tutorials: https://rodhouse.com/en/pages/tutorials

The shortest path to start: the “school” kit

The SB 604 SM blank (NFC)

To get started, we’ve prepped a small “school” blank: the SB 604 SM from NFC, a US-style bass blank that’s perfect for a build that’s both basic and technical—at a modest cost. It’s a real blank, not a toy: you’ll fish it and catch fish. Above all, it’s an ideal platform to learn with confidence.

Learning objective

This blank is a teaching pretext. We guide you with a step-by-step that covers every construction phase. Plan on roughly ten hours to go from a carbon tube to your first finished rod. Once you’ve cleared that step, you’ve got the keys: find and mark the spine, glue the handle, make neat wraps, apply a clean finish. After that, you’re autonomous.

What you’ll be able to do after

Once you’ve built this rod, you’ll know everything you need for the next one. You’ll have the feel, the right habits, and the eye to line things up cleanly. It’s exactly the blank we use in our trainings because it puts the focus in the right place: the moves that matter.

Take action

Choose your blank, add the handle and guide packs, and—if needed—book a call with one of our technicians to finalize the cart live. Then kick off with the SB 604 SM and follow the step-by-step tutorial. And when the finish has cured… come show us the result: we love seeing your first builds.

Rodhouse Team