11-23 SS Rod's Special Rods

  What goes into building a fishing rod that anybody would be thrilled to receive or anybody would be proud to give as a Christmas gift?

  You have all heard the old advertisement that said, “that little old winemaker”. Well I don’t know if he’s little or old, but I do know that Rod Bullinger is a terrific maker of custom fishing rods.  I called him up out of nowhere and had the following conversation with him.  “Give me an example, on a salmon rod, of what the cost is, how long does it take to make it and what kind of a person buys it? “A lot of the rods that I build for salmon are going to be around the $240-$350 price range. It seems like the rods that everybody wants are 9 ½ to 10 ½ feet here on the Columbia River. Almost everybody has been buying them. Some of them are guys who saved a year to buy a rod and others just lock in on them. I can build a rod to fit anybody’s price range. What are they made of? Most rods are graphite. What makes your rods so special, better? I try and build a rod individually, one at a time, and so rather than mass produce them, I take my time and build a rod around a rod. To get the most performance out of it, you fit everything individually so that it fits properly. A custom rod will last a fellow a lifetime if you take care of it.