Like most I’ve heard of the usual stars of the custom rod building world who are constantly rammed down your throat by there legions of followers on the many carp forums out there but DK Rods was a brand that had simply slipped under my radar. I have to admit that until about six months ago, The name, Darren Knowler, was one that I didn’t associate with custom rod building, but after doing a bit of research into this discreet, one man company's background, I soon discovered that Darren had an admirable pedigree and his brands reputation for fine quality rods was on a level par with many of the better known rod builders.

A few weeks ago UKMA had a lengthy chat with Darren and after a very informative conversation, we were invited down to deepest Kent, to the production rooms of Darren Knowler Rods to watch and experience first hand, exactly what goes into the manufacture of a custom built rod.

Over these two features we will be enlightening you into the components and skills that go into the production of these exquisitely finished rods, giving you an insight that man never gets to see, so here we go with part one of this two part feature.

The Birth of a DK Custom Built Rod
Part One

When first considering buying a set of custom build rods, there are many factors that have to be taken into consideration. Deciding what make of blank and length of rod is best suited to your style of fishing. Then you have to choose what size of guides will best suit your style of fishing? In most situations this is decision is made based upon the distances you will be casting with the rods but in most situations it is purely a based around cosmetics. Last but not least you have three different butt sections options. 

You can choose from full duplon, full cork, Japanese shrink wrap or an abbreviated butt section but this is not critical to the rods performance this is a cosmetic feature based on an individuals personal requirements. Once you have made your final selection of components for your rod, with the chosen blank, guides, real seat and butt section option finally selected and confirmed, this is the time that Darren works his magic and gets the production process under way.

Phase One

This very first job is locating the exact position of the spine of the blank. The spine is basically the joint in the blank that if it is not in the correct position when the guides and reel seat are attached, will cause the blank to twist. This un-natural twist will dramatically affect the rods action especially when casting and playing fish and will severely affect the rods all round performance and reliability. So once the spine has been located by simply rolling and bending the blank, Darren then placed a piece of masking tape around the blank and places a mark with a permanent marker, as a guide to the spines location.

Phase Two

The next task is to position the guides and establish the spacing between the guides required to get the best performance from your chosen blank. This is done by using a tried and tested template that Darren has made many years ago and still works perfectly today. The guides are held into position using masking tape on one side to establish location and alignment is perfect. Darren chooses to mounts the guides on the direct opposite side of the blanks spine but they can be mounted directly on the spine it’s purely down to individual rod maker’s preference and is not critical to the rods finished performance.

Phase Three

Once he is totally happy with the guides positioning, the section of blank with guides attached is loaded into the lathe and made ready for the whipping process. Darren has learned from years of rod building that if you roughly grind the external point of one of the guide’s legs this eliminates any possible guide twist and gives the whipping a secure surface to grip. All guides are fixed in place by whipping the ground leg to the blank, then once all the guides are in position the temporary tape is then removed from the second leg and these are then whipped securely to the blank, leaving them ready for the final varnishing.

Phase Four

As I have opted for full cork handles the process of making the Pro-Grade cork fit securely to the 3lb Test Curve Harrison Torrix blank is a time consuming labour of love. The cylindrical cork sleeve has to be cut into four sections to enable the specially designed internal sanding rod to make each section fit perfectly and most importantly symmetrically. I watched in awe as Darren made fine adjustments by hand to produce as close a perfect fit as possible, leaving enough room for an ample coating of adhesion to form the cork to the blank permanently. The rod is now ready for the reel seat to be fitted before the last piece is fitted and glued in place.

Phase Five

The most critical and possibly most awkward part of the assembly of butt section or handle is to get the reel seat fitted centrally with no movement what so-ever. If the reel seat has even the slightest of movement, this could and will create week spot in the handle and could possible lead to the rod breaking during casting. So time after time I watched as Darren meticulously added and trimmed spacers that he built up using masking tape to create a perfect foundation for the Fuji DPS18 reel seat to be housed on. The once in position the final piece of cork fitted in front of the reel seat to finish the handle of and give the job a very authentic look.

Phase Six

The remaining finishing touches to the handle were the addition of the Stainless steel butt cap that is only a show piece but no self respecting tackle tart would be seen dead without them. One last piece of shiny stuff to finish the cork of nicely is the decorative stainless ring at the front, which is mounted into the front of the cork and is designed to protect the cork from damage and finish the job off with a touch of class. You can also have personalized markings including your name, rod numbers and coloured tips on all whippings, which are features totally aimed at the tackle tarts out there, so I obviously opted for all of the above.

Phase Seven

This is the final stage of the project and one of the most critical as a poor finishing could potentially totally ruin days of hard work and leave a well made rod looking a little worse for wear. The first coat of epoxy resin coat is diluted down using acetone or nail varnish remover to us mere mortals. This is to ensure that no air is trapped in the whipping or around the guides and once dry offers a perfect undercoat and seals the rod completely, leaving it ready for the final and finishing coat. The second coat of epoxy resin is 100% pure and once fully dried out gives the DK Rods a luxurious finish that is widely respected with in the industry.

Footnote

Whilst in Darren’s workshop, I learned more about custom rod building in the few hours I was there, than I had in the 37 plus years previous that I have been a part of this joyous sport. The precise skills Darren has perfected over the years he has been a rod maker, is a joy to watch. His simplistic yet precise approach to all the trades and skills he has to incorporate in the making of one of his rods made for one of the most pleasurable features I have done for UKMA in over 4 years.

Darren is definitely a craftsman with full confidence in his product and his abilities as a rod maker. So that UKMA can confirm the rods perform as well as they look, three shiny new Torrix 3lb test curve, Darren Knowler's rods are on a van and heading north as we speak. UKMA will be taking them out on the bank over the next few weeks and will be following up this feature with part two of ‘The birth of a DK custom built rod’ and hopefully we will be showing you how well the rods performed doing what they were designed to do, playing and landing big fish.

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