News
Does Price Always Equal Performance?
In custom rod building, one of the most common assumptions is that a higher price automatically means better performance. It is an easy trap to fall into, especially when premium materials and cutt...
Mud Hole's 50 Year Anniversary
It’s hard to believe, but 2026 marks 50 years of Mud Hole Custom Tackle sharing the very best of custom rod building with anglers around the world. What began in 1976 as a small New Jersey tackle s...
Mud Hole Custom Tackle has long been recognized as a leader in rod-building innovation, but their influence reaches far beyond the workshop. Their commitment to strengthening local communities, sup...
Products
One-Piece vs. Multi-Piece Rods: Is There Really a Performance Difference?
Spend enough time around serious anglers or custom rod builders and this question always seems to come up. Are one-piece rods truly better, or have multi-piece rods closed the gap enough that the d...
Debate: Is Rod Building about Performance or Personal Expression?
Spend any time around custom rod builders and you will hear it almost immediately. Some builders swear that performance is everything. Others will tell you that if a rod does not reflect your perso...
Are Graphite Reel Seats Really Graphite?
Spend any amount of time around rod building or browsing components and you will see the word “graphite” used everywhere. Graphite reel seats, graphite frames, graphite handles. It sounds technical...
Rod Recipes
Bass are known for their strength, speed, and aggressive strikes, and the pre-spawn and springtime period brings some of the best opportunities of the entire year. As water temperatures rise, both ...
Smallmouth bass are known for their strength, speed, and aerial displays, but their behavior can shift throughout the year, forcing anglers to stay versatile and prepared for changing conditions. U...
New Saltwater Rod Kits & Saltwater Guide Kits
The offshore rod building world just got a serious upgrade. American Tackle has officially released its new Saltwater Guide Kits, giving builders a streamlined way to outfit rods with specifically ...
Tips & Tricks
Does Balance Matter More than Sensitivity?
If you want to start a debate among rod builders, custom rod enthusiasts, or serious anglers, ask a simple question: What's more important, balance or sensitivity? For many anglers, the answer com...
How Clean is Clean Enough? Over-Obsessing on Finish Perfection
If you spend enough time around custom rod builders, eventually you’ll hear someone point out a tiny speck of dust trapped in finish that nobody else would ever notice. Maybe it’s a micro bubble ne...
Setting Up a Spiral Wrap Guide Train
In the world of custom rod building, few techniques generate as much curiosity and debate as the spiral wrap guide train, often referred to as the “acid wrap.” At first glance, it looks unconventio...