Over the last 5 years I have pondered the idea of going the custom route. During that time I have looked over lots of rod builders websites and have paid close attention to custom rod photos posted around the net. I was fortunate enough to be able tour a custom rod builders facility that was here in town before he relocated to Louisiana but didn't care for his build style. The problem was I still couldn't really find the exact look I wanted until the last year or so. After debating whether or not this was the right time to piece together some custom builds with a builder I decided to take the plunge late this past winter. After thinking about techniques that I fish a lot, as well as the missing pieces in my lineup I came up 3 that I wanted to have built from scratch. The first was something on the heavy end for bigger paddle tail swimbaits and jigs. The second was designed for more all around use. And the third was for small topwater poppers and jerkbaits. The first two were built on MHX Hi Mod blanks (874 and 843 MBR respectively) and the third was built on a standard MHX blanks (842 spin jig). I can now fish about anything I would want with these 3. The last rod was a custom built I bought (lightly used). This rod was built on a 682 K2 blank and using Fuji components. Perfect for panfish and small lures for bass.

If you are on the fence about going custom I would encourage you to try it. Seeing a pile of components transform into a completed rod is pretty awesome. Getting updates and pics from the builder along the way only adds to the anticipation. The amount of the input the user can provide really allows you get something unique that matches what you are looking for. From color to components, and from budge to higher end, there is something for almost everyone.

Here are some photos of everything:

Custom MHX Hi Mod 874 -

Custom MHX Hi Mod 843 MBR -

Custom MHX Sping Jig 842 trimmed to 6"10

Group shot of all 3

Custom 682 K2

Nice Rigs.

A-Jay

Beautiful set ups, Congrats!!

Thanks guys. Barring any bad weather the Curado/Custom and Core/Custom will get their first "go" this weekend.

Awesome set ups there John!  The builder did some nice work on those.  They all flow really well with the reels that are on them too.