Billy’s Blog: A Visit to the Rod Forge Factory & Testing New Blanks

The highly anticipated new models for the Forge Composite series are finally available. While the entire series is not "complete," the five new additions to the Forge Composite series are some of the most requested models since the series launched earlier this year, and we can promise you they are...

I love so many aspects of building custom rods. While I focus heavily on decorative arts, I greatly emphasize functional arts, such as building rods that solve problems. Whether it be rod handle construction, guide layouts, or being intimately familiar with a particular fishing application and finding the correct blank...

The NERBs rolled into Winston-Salem on Thursday night, preparing for our Decorative Wraps class on Friday. This class featured nine students who wanted to learn the Art of making excellent Dec (Decorative) Wraps. There were 7 mentors to sit with each to ensure they were getting every bit of info...

The International Custom Rod Building Exposition, aka ICRBE, takes place in February in Winston-Salem, NC. This year, the event takes place on February 24-25.  My first show was as an attendee in 2005, and we’ve had a NERBs booth at the show all but three years since. I have to give...

I am pleased to announce the forthcoming launch of two new lines of blanks by Rod Forge. The first is the Forge Composite (FC) series (Now Available), with the second line set to be unveiled soon. This initiative aligns with Rod Forge and my vision to provide anglers with a...

Visiting a blank manufacturing facility and witnessing the process of creating a blank firsthand is undeniably an exhilarating experience for any custom rod builder. I was fortunate enough to have that chance and spent a whole week at the Rod Forge facility in Grand Prairie, TX, working on a fresh...