Custom Rods – What’s The Catch?

There’s a famous saying “You get what you pay for” and nothing could be truer where rods are concerned.

In today’s rod market there is a plethora of rods available to suit all styles of fishing from carp and barbel to float and quiver tips.  We are lucky today to have so many good quality rods available at reasonable prices.

So why should you be tempted away from the mainstream rods in the marketplace for something so expensive?

Well let’s take a good look at the facts.  Most modern carbon fibre rods are mass produced from factories in China.  They are all much of a much ness. A vast array of rods based essentially on the same blanks.  Now I have used some great factory produced rods and they certainly get the job done.  However having used a custom built Harrison Torrix barbel rod, I can tell you that everything I have used before has been eclipsed by this rod.

What are you getting for your money?  A hand built British blank made to the highest standards.  Couple that with the exacting craftsmanship of a highly qualified and well respected rod builder and you have one of the finest, most pleasing items of tackle you will ever own.  What you are left with is a tool perfectly designed for the job.  No matter what your target species, these Harrison rods are built to maximise not only the pleasure in using and playing fish, but in their superior design and quality, so they won’t let you down when you need them the most.

I have realised over the last couple of seasons one of the major benefits of owning one of these rods: they are so sensitive in the tip. Every knock, tap and tremble is registered and I am beginning to recognise the tell tale indications that mean the barbel are in the swim and foraging. You can’t put a value on that. It’s made a huge difference to my fishing. Then of course you have the playing qualities. It bends right through to the butt. The reserves of power are just phenomenal. I think I could stop a hippo with one of these. Admittedly you don’t get many hippo’s in the south, but when I venture on to the Limpopo, it will come in handy. What amazes me though is how a rod can have such tremendous power and yet be so sensitive. The finish is excellent and the build quality is second to none.

Now it’s worth pointing out at this juncture that a good quality, off the shelf barbel rod will set you back around £100-£125.  Not too bad I hear you say.  However a custom built rod is only around a starting price of £230.  That’s not really much more when you take into account the superior quality and workmanship involved.

Custom rods won’t get you more bites, but they may well register more bites due to their sensitivity and will certainly help you bank more fish.  They are designed to be sensitive in the tip to help bite indication and yet have an amazing reserve of power for those really hard fitting fish, particularly when fishing near snags.  One of the most important factors is through the quality of the blanks that they do not ‘lock-up’.  In other words they bend right through to the butt and so minimise the risk of hook pulls and line breaks to big, lunging fish, especially whilst in the margins.

It’s a bit like wanting a Ferrari but buying a TVR.   There are some tremendous factory, mass produced rods on the market at very reasonable prices.  However for that bit extra, you’re getting a tool that outclasses the others many times over.

I can only say I am delighted with my custom built Torrix.  It was produced for me by the highly respected rod builder Ian Tucker.  The quality and craftsmanship coupled with the pride he takes are second to none.  For me it’s a rod to be treasured throughout my angling life and I know it won’t let me down when I really need it the most.  My thinking is simple – why not treat yourself to the Rolls Royce of fishing rods?  As a certain advert says “you’re worth it”!

Ian Tucker Custom Built Rods

Ian Tucker has retired from rod building as is not taking any further orders.