first of all Ive never had a custom fishing rod built and was wondering what the advantage of going to someone to build you one ,especially with all the rods that are on the market .would it be cheaper? more sensitive? the reason i was asking i see a local guy who always has an ad in the paper every week and always wondered what the benefits.

for me it is about having a rod you feel comfortable with ; i have two swimbait rods that are custom , i have split grip eva grips on them and i had them made how I WANT THEM , i checked pretty much every swimbait rod manuf. out there and did not like any of their grips . i didn't want a foregrip and wanted the rod ALL black . so that's how i had my rods made . i have another swimbait rod that i'm gonna have made pretty soon , it is gonna have split grip eva grips but a really small rear grip ( just enough to have some of my hand on cause i palm my reels ) , a LONG handle (17''-19'') , Fuji ACS reel seat , and be spiral wrapped . now you will NEVER find that in a factory rod !!!! that is why you go custom !! you get exactly what you want in a rod , not what you want to "settle on" . yeah , they are more money , but when you have in your hand the rod you only dreamed about , you will never "settle" on a factory rod again , i know i won't .....

pgersumky... what blanks do you use?

pgersumky... what blanks do you use?

been having my swimbait rods made with rainshadow blanks (ISWB945 and ISWB946) but my new swimbait rod ( the one in this post i mentioned) is gonna be built off a Reaction Strike super magnum musky blank that is rated for 4-16 oz. baits !!! i think i am gonna go with micro guides also  ... but some other rods i am gonna have built are also gonna be built on the rainshadow blanks . they are very good blanks . i want to have made a 7'6'' medium powered -moderate fast action rod to be used for crankbaits that will be built just like the swimbait rod . and also a 7'6'' medium heavy-fast action frog rod , both built with micro guides , minimal eva split grips , FUJI ACS reel seats , and are spiral wrapped ... 

here is a picture of my two swimbait rods , the one with the silver reel ( REVO TORO 51) is rated for 3-8 oz. baits and the one with the black reel ( REVO SX ) is rated for 2-6 oz. baits , i now have a REVO INSHORE on it . btw , they are both 7'10'' rods .

Did Larry over at G blanks make those rods for you?  They are very nice setups.

Those are some good looking SwimB8 sticks. Like the all black components.

If you really know what you want or have a builder take the time to educate you on options, a custom rod can change your mind about ever owning a factory rod again. Aesthetics completely aside, being able to spec grip diameters, shapes, sizes, lengths, material... having the ability to use any blank and even be able to modifiy it if needed to tailor the power/action for any purpose... having it balance to a specific reel, not to mention component choices, spiral wraps, etc.... well you get the idea.

Here is the catch and why I say "if you really know what you want" because for some people, the perfect rod is already available in a factory rod. (most factory rods are decent, although guide spacing and fit/finish are the common complaints)

Picking your colors and specifying which guides a builder uses, is not a custom rod... I hate it when I see ads for "custom rods" and that's what it is. :-X

A good custom builder can take into account details that a mass producer just can't. Hand size, arm length, specific use of the rod....just to name a few. Mass producers have to market to the "Average" angler. With the wide variety of components available, you can get a custom rod at a surprisingly affordable price. You can also upgrade as budget allows.

Did Larry over at G blanks make those rods for you? They are very nice setups.

George Blancus builds the rods while Larry Mitchell does the foot work for him. I currently own 3, and will go for more,  I send him the reels to be used and we go over every detail on the phone step by step.  George builds a very nice rod, and for me the all black on black is killer. And the Rainshadow RX8+ is an awsome blank.

If you really know what you want or have a builder take the time to educate you on options, a custom rod can change your mind about ever owning a factory rod again. Aesthetics completely aside, being able to spec grip diameters, shapes, sizes, lengths, material... having the ability to use any blank and even be able to modifiy it if needed to tailor the power/action for any purpose... having it balance to a specific reel, not to mention component choices, spiral wraps, etc.... well you get the idea.

Here is the catch and why I say "if you really know what you want" because for some people, the perfect rod is already available in a factory rod. (most factory rods are decent, although guide spacing and fit/finish are the common complaints)

Picking your colors and specifying which guides a builder uses, is not a custom rod... I hate it when I see ads for "custom rods" and that's what it is. :-X

x100

the rods i posted were made by G-blanks . but now i'm stepping up my swimbait rods so those two will be replaced by "full" custom rods !! i agree that with the choice of factory rods out there you can pretty much get want you want in a factory rod , BUT , when it comes to specialty rods like swimbait rods , to get exactly what you want and to get options that are not offered ANYWHERE , you have to go custom !!

G Blanks are awesome! I have seven of them including a swimbait rod.

Plus .. you can get a split grip Loomis.  I love mine made on a 783 GLX blank.  Paired with my Steez, it is a dream to fish.  I'll try to post a pic later ..

G Blanks are awesome! I have seven of them including a swimbait rod.

Did you have them custom made to your specs or did you just order them off the rack ?

i really couldn't see some one order a rod from g-blanks "off the shelf" , that would be pointless in my opinion . for the same cost (or just a little more ) you can have it built HOW YOU WANT IT !!! that is the whole reason behind going custom .........