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

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...

The art of building a custom fishing rod has many aspects: what guides should be used, what colors to wrap them, and which grip materials are ideal. But the most important factor – is blank selection. It can be quite overwhelming for even a seasoned builder to decide which blank...

Fishing rods are an essential tool for any angler. They come in various shapes, sizes, and materials, and some anglers even prefer to build their own DIY fishing rods. While DIY fishing rods offer a sense of pride and customization, they also require proper maintenance and repair to ensure optimal...