Considering their generally superior hand skills, it seems odd that more women are not involved in custom rod building. Then again, there may be more than is often assumed. There are roughly 300 women listed on the current RodMaker Magazine subscriber list. Now that’s only about 2% of the total, but it still represents far…

Dear Rodmaker, I do not think it is fair that  rod builders in Canada have to pay half again as much for your magazine as rod builders in the U.S. Why don’t you lower your price and get more Canadian subscribers? Until you do I will pass on a subscription. Name Withheld Fair enough. This…

What if you gave a party and nobody came? Well, it would obviously be a huge disappointment after going to a lot of work and trouble. And yet, this happens more often than not where rod building events and gatherings are concerned. The #1 problem in getting rod builders out to an event or gathering…

Back in the early to mid 1980’s I met three rod builders who would later become directly responsible for the creation of RodMaker Magazine. Buddy Owens was one of the first custom builders I ever met. By anyone’s standards he would have to be considered a very talented and top flight rod builder. The first…

Today I signed off on the final proof for the volume 13 #5 issue of RodMaker Magazine. This issue, which will mail on October 1st and which most subscribers will receive towards the end of October, is the LARGEST in our 14 year history. Generally, most RodMaker issues have contained anywhere from 4 to 6…

The largest collection of custom rod building photos on the internet can be found at www.rodbuilding.org/photopost.  Over 10,000 photos of all manner of custom rods, decorative wraps, rod building tools, etc., etc., can be found there. That’s right – over 10,000 custom rod photos! At the bottom of each photo is a comment box. Due…

The past decade has brought what seems a plethora of possible aesthetic enhancements for custom rods. This has caused a big change from years past when decorative thread work was the main, if not sole means, of personalizing a custom rod. And yet, amid so many newer cosmetic techniques and methods, decorative thread work remains…

News columnists have recently lamented the end of what they term the “age of civility.” Many point to the boorish behavior and immature conduct found on so many public forums and blogs as proof that the internet has been the overriding factor in the loss of such civility. I would contend that the internet itself…

That’s right – buy 1 get 1 FREE.  The regular price for a RodMaker Magazine back issue is $7.95. From today until this coming Tuesday, that same $7.95 will buy you 2 issues of RodMaker. And… I’ll throw in the postage for free too! There is no limit to how many issues you can order,…

“You really do have a BIG building” remarked a visiting rod builder recently. And he’s right – it is a big place, too big for just publishing a magazine or building fishing rods. But a lot more goes on around here in these 8,000 square feet than most imagine. For instance, one of the companies…