There is no shortage of rod-building information online. A new builder can spend hours watching demonstrations, scrolling through social media groups, or listening to experienced craftsmen discuss guide trains, decorative wraps, grips, reel seats, and blank selection. However, watching someone perform a technique on a screen is not the same as sitting down at a rod wrapper and trying it yourself.
That difference is at the heart of the 2026 Mastering Rod Building Seminar, which will be held August 14–16 at the Orange Beach Event Center at The Wharf in Orange Beach, Alabama. The third annual event will bring rod builders, product manufacturers, instructors, and vendors together for a weekend of seminars, hands-on demonstrations, product education, and informal conversations.
Registration costs $75 and includes access to the full weekend of seminars, hands-on learning opportunities, meals, event-only vendor discounts, and a welcome bag valued at more than $100. Each welcome bag includes a set of Fuji Gold SiC guides and a matching tip top, with attendees choosing between casting and spinning components when registering.
Although the event has developed into a destination gathering that attracts builders from across the country, Anglers Resource’s Jack Baron said it began on a much smaller scale.
“We used to host it at Donnie Paul’s bar, and it was just a handful of local people—maybe 20 or 30,” Baron said. “Now, we have people show up from all over. We’ve had people come from California and New Jersey, along with builders from throughout the Southeast.”
The seminar eventually outgrew its original location and then exceeded the available meeting space at the hotel that hosted the 2025 gathering. With roughly 80 people already registered for this year’s event at the time of Baron’s interview, the move to the much larger Orange Beach Event Center gives organizers room to expand the educational program, accommodate vendors, and provide attendees with more opportunities to work with rod-building tools and equipment.
“It should be the best year yet,” Baron said.
A Seminar for Every Experience Level
An event called the Mastering Rod Building Seminar may sound intimidating to someone who has built only one or two rods—or who has not built one at all. Baron said the weekend is intentionally organized to serve builders at several different experience levels.
“It’s kind of for everybody,” he said. “We try to tailor the schedule in a way that doesn’t put the hardest, most ‘drinking from a fire hose’ topics first.”
A person who recently completed a beginner’s class can attend to strengthen basic skills, learn how different components work together, and better understand the reasoning behind techniques they may have been taught to follow. More experienced builders can explore specialized decorative work, refine guide placement, improve rod performance, and discuss technical questions with people who have spent decades in the industry.
Baron pointed to veteran rod builder Bill Falconer as an example. Despite having approximately 30 years of rod-building experience, Falconer attended several presentations at the previous seminar and came away excited about what he had learned.
“If somebody who has been around it for that long can still learn something, it really is for everybody,” Baron said.
The 2026 program will cover both the visual craftsmanship and technical performance of a custom fishing rod. Mike Garone is scheduled to lead sessions on decorative wraps and on balancing decorative features with the need to keep a fishing rod light, functional, and high-performing. James Ormsby will present an introduction to weaving, followed by an opportunity for attendees to try the technique themselves.
Falconer will lead a guide-train setup and layout session, including a question-and-answer period and practical tips for dialing in guide placement. KC Abney of Boondoggle Rods will discuss the compatibility of grips, reel seats, winding checks, and other trim components—an area that can quickly become confusing because of the number of available sizes, materials, and combinations.
Representatives from Foundation Outdoor Group and Batson Enterprises are also scheduled to discuss new products, programs, and developments within their companies. Those conversations may be especially valuable to builders who are considering turning their hobby into a small business or opening wholesale accounts with rod-building suppliers.
The instructors and company representatives will not simply deliver their presentations and leave. Baron said most will remain at the seminar throughout the weekend, attend one another’s sessions, answer questions, and spend time with participants during meals and social portions of the event.
“It’s definitely more intimate and friendly—more like a hangout,” he said. “There is structure because we have a schedule, but it’s not like a class where you have to sit and take notes all day. You can learn as you go, and you have the opportunity to ask questions.”
Learn It, Then Try It
Hands-on learning will receive a greater emphasis in 2026 because of feedback Anglers Resource received after previous seminars. Past participants appreciated watching experienced builders demonstrate techniques, but many wanted the opportunity to immediately put those lessons into practice.
“It’s great to be able to see somebody do it, but until you try it, it’s just not as impactful,” Baron said.
Rod wrappers will be available so attendees can listen to an instructor explain a decorative wrap or weaving technique and then sit down to attempt it while the information is still fresh. Instead of returning home a week later and trying to remember every step, participants will be able to ask instructors what they are doing wrong, receive personal feedback, and make adjustments on the spot. Having several types of wrappers available will also let builders compare equipment before deciding what best fits their working style.
Guide spacing and layout demonstrations will take the hands-on approach beyond thread work. Attendees will be able to compare a properly arranged guide train with one that has not been optimized and then cast the rods side by side. The demonstration will show how changing guide locations can affect casting distance, line flow, feel, and the overall performance of the finished rod.
Direct Access to the Rod-Building Industry
For many attendees, the most valuable part of the weekend may be the time spent outside the formal seminar schedule.
Custom rod building is a relatively small industry, and an event such as this gives hobbyists and professional builders direct access to people who design, manufacture, distribute, and use the components found on their workbenches. Instead of posting a question online and sorting through conflicting answers, an attendee can speak directly with the people behind familiar products.
Baron said past participants have consistently praised the opportunity to spend time with company owners, product experts, and builders such as Bill Batson, Bob McKamey, Falconer, and others who have accumulated decades of experience.
“You can ask the people who are making and selling the product how to use it and why you would use one thing over something else,” Baron said. “Everybody is super friendly. They want you to succeed, and there really aren’t any stupid questions.”
Baron believes meeting builders face-to-face gives newcomers a great way to not just learn, but build relationships in the community. The relaxed portions of the weekend are designed to encourage those connections. Registration for the 2026 Mastering Rod Building Seminar includes breakfast, lunch, and dinner on Saturday, followed by breakfast and lunch on Sunday. The Saturday evening meal gives attendees another opportunity to talk with presenters, vendors, and fellow builders without the pressure of standing up to ask a question during a formal presentation.
A Weekend at The Wharf
The Orange Beach Event Center provides considerably more space than previous venues, along with audiovisual equipment that will allow attendees to closely follow detailed demonstrations on a large screen. The expanded space will also give participating vendors more room to display components, equipment, and new products.
Attendees will have access to event-only deals on rod-building supplies, and Baron said the value of the components in the welcome bag alone exceeds the $75 registration price.
The venue is located at The Wharf, a shopping, dining, and entertainment development at 4671 Wharf Parkway West. Anglers Resource has arranged a discounted room block at a nearby hotel located approximately a one-minute walk from the venue. Restaurants and other attractions are also within walking distance, making it possible for visitors to spend the weekend at The Wharf without driving between the hotel, seminar, and meals.
For builders traveling with family—or those interested in extending their stay—the Orange Beach area also offers access to Gulf Coast beaches, charter fishing, inshore fishing, and other outdoor activities.
The destination is a bonus, but Baron said the strongest reason to attend remains the chance to learn directly from knowledgeable people who are eager to help others improve.
Whether someone is preparing to build a first rod, trying to master decorative weaving, troubleshooting guide placement, or considering a rod-building business, the 2026 Mastering Rod Building Seminar offers something that videos and social media posts cannot fully reproduce: the opportunity to watch an expert, try the process, ask a question, and receive an answer based on the work sitting directly in front of them.
“It’s really about getting a taste of the community and getting firsthand instruction from people who want to help,” Baron said. “And Orange Beach is beautiful, so it’s going to be a good time regardless.”
