I am going to be building my first boat rod. I got a ATC ATX 30-50# 7 ft blank was going to use a 12" rear grip and was wondering what the recomended foregrip lenght would be. I will be using EVA. Have an idea but was wondering what was the most common size was. Sorry to be a pain again and I appreciate everyones help.

John, I'd probably use a 6 - 8 inch

Regards......Doug@
TCRds

I'm with Doug. If you are going to use a butt that long, it is a boat rod (as you stated already) and not a stand-up rod. Boat rods won't require a long foregrip. The 8-12" range should serve you well. I'd opt for a 10" probably. Best of luck with your project!

Jay

John, Check out the triangle shaped foregrip in a 5" or 6" length. Ed

Hi John,

First I like to commend you on the choice in blanks. (ATC of course, what else would I say) I thought I would give you my opinion here. I have built quite a few these types of rods but the grip lengths can vary according to the type of rod and the manner in which it is used. I assume the blank you purchased is an AXLB70H which has a 30-50# line rating. As for the rear grip, I would tend to use an overall butt length of 12" including the butt cap. (this would make the grip around 10-11" depending on the butt-cap length) Sometimes guys who high-stick a rod prefer longer butts or maybe they are just tall with long arms but they like an overall length of 13". I will tend to go shorter only on shorter, heavier rods but with the 7' length I would stick with 12". The foregrip can also vary, but for a longer rod with a line rating of 30-50# I would go with a 10-12" grip but definetly no shorter then 10". Rods that may be used for larger fish with the possibilty of prolonged battles should give you the option to reach higher to change your leverage or high-stick as needed.

Just in case my explanation confused you, with regards to high-sticking. If the fish is away from the boat, I will hold my rod tip high in the air to keep a maximum load on the rod and as it moves closer to me I will lower it a bit but still keep the load on the rod. I do this depending on the size of the fish or type of the battle and because of the way I tend to fight my fish. (Out of bad habit, I still sometimes high-stick the rod when the fish is all the way to the boat, this can result in premature rod breakage so its not recomended)

Good luck with rod and I hope you catch the fish your looking for.

Darrin Heim
American Tackle Company

Thanks a bunch everyone. Darrin I am really happy with the blank. I originally ordered it 3-4 months ago for an offshore trip I was making and it was backordered. Oddly enough it was shipped the day after my trip. Unfortunate coincidence. Better late thannever though. I ordered the 8" tapered grips yesterday and hope to get them i the next coupla days. Will let you know how it turns out. Ed I have never seen the triangle shaped grips before.might have to try them on one of the 2 rods.