Mastering Rod Building

Author: Bill Falconer

Discover the art and craft of rod building with host Bill Falconer. Get insider tips from experienced rod builders, industry insiders, and experienced anglers on building custom fishing rods with the latest trends. Learn how to match technique-specific fishing rods with different fishing conditions and how to maintain and repair them.
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Language: en-us

Genres: Education, How To, Sports, Wilderness

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Rod Recipes – Surf Casting Rods with Tommy Farmer
Tuesday, 24 February, 2026

In this episode of the Mastering Rod Building Podcast, Bill Falconer talks with Tommy Farmer of Carolina Cast Pro about building true long-distance surf casting setups for big red drum—rods, reels, rigs, and the casting mechanics behind them.Tommy shares how a 1996 trip to Cape Point, including landing a 45-inch drum and watching champion caster Mike Langston bomb a cast, sparked his path into competitive distance casting and surf fishing.They break down the real-world system: why overhead (revolving-spool) reels outcast spinning when set up right, why Tommy prefers 20–25 lb mono with a 50–60 lb shock leader, and how compact fish-finder “8-and-bait” rigs help maximize distance without helicoptering.On the rod-building side, Tommy explains why heavy surf rods need leverage (longer handles set to the angler), how guide placement can change how a blank loads, and the five fundamentals he teaches: footwork, body rotation, arms, acceleration, and the importance of 45 degrees.Mastering Rod Building is brought to you by Anglers Resource — your source for genuine Fuji Tackle components.Where to buy genuine FUJI®️ rod components (Area Distributors)Japan: FIRST Corporation — https://first-fuji.co.jp/ • mail@first-fuji.co.jpAmerican Continent (North & South America): Anglers Resource — https://anglersresource.net/ • info@anglersresource.netOceania: Frogleys Offshore — https://fujitackle.com.au • enquiries@frogleysoffshore.com.auSpain/Czech/Finland/Sweden/Estonia/Latvia/Poland/Denmark/Belgium/Germany/Netherlands/Ireland/Luxembourg/France/Portugal/UK/Norway/Belarus/Ukraine/Russia:: CALICO S.A. (Kalikunnan) — https://kalikunnan.com/ • fuji@calico.esEurope: MAJORA Intelligent Fishing (FUJI Tackle Italy) — https://www.fujitackle.it • info@fujitackle.itAsia: KOWA Company, Ltd. — fujitackle@kowa.co.jp