Rod Components

Blanks

At Bighorn Rodworks we have access to a veritable plethora of blanks from numerous manufacturers….from graphite (carbon fiber) to fiberglass to linen. Our go-to blank manufacturer is North Fork Composites in Woodland, WA. Gary Loomis (yes, as in GLoomis) and his team at North Fork Composites design and manufacture these blanks in-house, in the USA. These graphite blanks are slate gray in color, feature a clear coat gloss finish, have a fast action, and come in a wide variety of sizes/weights. For some of our builds we also utilize high quality graphite blanks manufactured in Korea and sourced through a distributor in St. Louis, MO. These are medium action blanks and come from the factory with a black matte finish. We can add a clear coat gloss finish to these blanks if you prefer a gloss finish as opposed to a matte finish.

Spey rod blanks
High quality custom spey rod reel seats

Reel seats

We utilize reel seats from two companies who manufacture their seats start-to-finish in the USA. Reel seat hardware has improved by leaps and bounds in the last few years and our suppliers are offering reel seats with numerous colors of dyed wood and acrylic inserts, in addition to natural wood, machined aluminum, and carbon fiber inserts. Our suppliers are now offering reel seats that are capable of adjusting the location of your reel along the length of
the seat enabling the angler to find that “sweet spot” and balance the weight of the reel and rod precisely; if this is a little more complicated than you want to get, fret not, we still build rods with traditional reel seats.

We want to work with you in designing the exact custom rod that you want, right down to the reel seat color and style.

Line guides

Our rods come standard with handsome low profile wire stripping guides near the grip and “snake foot” style guides on up towards the rod tip. Our stripping guides, and snake foot guides, are constructed of stainless steel and electro-plated to provide an ultra-hard finish that will not chip, not rub off, and not breakdown under harsh freshwater or saltwater environmental conditions. These electro-plated guides are also available in “single foot” styles for a little different look, if you so desire. We offer these guides in two finishes: Ash/gray and Chrome/silver.

And if you really want a unique appearance you might consider upgrading to agate stripping guides on your custom build. These guides are constructed one at a time by artisan craftsmen in Europe and come in a variety of colors. The inner ring of these guides is hand-bezeled natural agate stone. Each guide is set in either chrome or darkened nickel silver and features a low profile frame. Every agate guide is unique and comes from the manufacturer with its very own serial number; these agate guides are works of art in of themselves.

Agate fly rod line guides for spey

Grips

One of the Bighorn Rodworks signatures is our custom cork grips. We design, construct, and shape all of our own grips, always. We combine a number of different cork types (grade “AAA” natural cork, colored burl, natural burl, burnt cork, rubberized cork) to achieve these unique and functional rod grips. The lower grips on our double-hand rods are treated with several coats of clear spar varnish for superior durability; the upper grips on our double-hand rods, and the grips on all of our single-hand rods, are treated with specialized cork sealant to prevent chipping and infiltration of dirt/grime while maintaining that cushy cork “feel” under the hand.