For those who still don’t think that functionality can be accomplished with a desktop 3D printer, I ask you to look no further than to Casey Johnson, who goes by the handle “1nxtmonster”. He is known within the 3D printing community for designing very functional 3D printable products such as the 3D printed NERF Gun that caught our eye in December, and a 3D printed RC airplane. Now, however, he has unveiled what may be the world’s first ever fully 3D printed fishing rod and reel.
“I thought that designing a fishing rod would be a fun challenge, and I was excited to see if one would work,” 1nxtmonster tells 3DPrint.com. “The whole thing went from an idea to actually catching fish in one day, which is pretty neat.”
“The rod assembles very simply and easily,” 1nxtmonster explains. “Slide the round spool into the spool holder on the main rod body. The crank then gets pushed through the rod and spool. Make sure that the hole in the crank and the hole in the spool align, as this is what you tie the fishing line through to keep it from slipping. You can make it for left or right handed, but once you press the crank in it is really hard to pull out. I have [recently] updated the rod to include a hollow handle and threaded end cap so that you can stash some extra lures and hooks in the rod. “
In the mean time, you can download and 3D print all of the parts for this fishing rod and reel from Thingiverse.
What do you think about this design? Have you 3D printed one yet yourself? Any luck catching a fish on it? Discuss in the 3D printed fishing rod forum thread on 3DPB.com. Check out the video below showing 1nxtmonster actually catching and reeling in a fish using this unique pole.