| STEP 1 - CHOOSE A BLANK Ordering a custom fly rod begins with the selection of the right blank for your individual fishing needs. The choice of blank is the most important decision affecting your fly rod. I'll offer my knowledge and experience with fly rods, in various fishing conditions, to assist in any way I can. I can acquire any current production Beulah, CTS, Sage, St. Croix, Thomas & Thomas or Winston blank. You may notice that many photos on this site are rods built on Dan Craft blanks, a small blank maker in central Oregon. I was a confirmed Sage fisher for many years until discovering these blanks, almost ten years ago. Blanks from manufacturers like Sage and Winston are of superb quality, but Dan Craft Five Rivers blanks are their performance equal, and substantially less expensive. His blank models cover a wide range of casting styles and one or another will suit most anglers. Dan Craft rods are not available in fly shops for test casting, so I make available my personal rods for casting and fishing. Many of my customers have utilized this program. I will ship you one or more of my Dan Craft rods. In return, you pay the shipping both ways and a $200 deposit. The deposit is 100% refundable or can be credited against your order of a custom rod. You may keep the test rods for a week or two to allow time to test cast or fish with them. |
| STEP 2 - COMPONENTS You can view website photos of potential reel seats, guides and grips. Those quality components pictured are readily available. If you have other reel seats or guide sets in mind, I'm happy to obtain them for you. As components are discussed, we can trade high quality photos via email to help you choose. |
| STEP 3 - COSMETICS We'll discuss thread colors, and other cosmetic applications. Your name or any short phrase can be added to the left side of the rod opposite the blank info label, at no extra charge. Various styles of hook-keepers are included or can be omitted. Extra cost options include fighting butts (on fresh-water rods), custom decals and feather inlays. |
| Dave Crowther 31 Diamond Basin Road Cody, WY 82414 Home: 307-587-3950 Cell: 307-250-3118 Email: dave-crowther@hotmail.com |
| Warranty and Service For a warranty, I stand behind my work 100%. Any problem arising due to my work will be fixed at no charge. It becomes a little more complicated with the blank manufacturer's warranty. Most require that you send in the entire broken rod (with their service charge). They will fit a replacement section to the rod, and either return the rod to you, or forward it to me. I will then move the guides from the broken section to the new section. My charges generally range from $30 to $50 depending on the number of guides, for moving guides and restoring the finish to original condition. Extenuating circumstances have arisen, where I chose not to charge for moving the guides and re-finishing. |
 |  |  |  |  |
| General Range of Custom Fly Rod Prices As a general rule, the selected blank has the biggest impact on the final price of a custom rod. Here are a few range examples for custom fly rods built on various premium fly rod blanks. Dan Craft FT, FTXL & Signature V : $460 - $480 freshwater ; $480 - $520 saltwater Sage Z-axis & ZXL: $590 - $610+ freshwater ; $610 - $640+ saltwater Winston BIIt, BIIx & BII-MX : $610 - $630 freshwater ; $630 - $660 saltwater |