Just got to thinking over the weekend....

On all the fly rods that I've built I have used inletted grips. Even inletted one of the grips myself and did a nice job. Don't know why I've always gone with inletted....

Most factory rods I see are inletted....but some aren't and that look is nice too.

Which do you guys prefer...and why?

Keith

The first few light fly rods I did were inletted too. Then, I used a downlocking seat, and I've never gone back to uplocking/inletted. The downlocking seats almost completely eliminate the butt portruding for the line to wrap around, AND, the balance almost always feels better to me. Obviously, bigger rods with fighting butts generally require an uplocking seat, but for everything that doesn't have a fighting butt, I use downlocking seats.

Keith,

I figure you are referring to uplock seats in general and the non-inletted look would be using a flush mount seat such as the Forecast A7 but I just had to add a few tidbits here.
It is true that the uplock, inletted look is most popular but i agree with Andy. The downlock seat does much more to balance the long rod. As a matter of fact, I recently built one of our 11'6" 6wt spey blanks with an inletted "downlock" seat and with that and a 5" rear grip, the rod balanced just in front of the seat!. Actually, the seat I used was an uplock (BUL5 Forecast) but I just inletted the rear grip. I also found that our FT 10'0" models balance pretty well at the grip by using downlock seats and a short grip of 6.5" or so.
I have built many rods with fighting butts and downlock seats. I like them this way as the fighting butt ends up only as long as you make it. Example, if you put an uplock seat on your 8wt and then a 2" fighting butt, when you tighten down the reel you plan to use, because of the threaded area and screwing the reel forward to tighten it, you end up with a 4" fighting butt! Technically, this translates to a shorter rod if you are measuring from where you will hold the rod.
Even though I like the downlock seat, there is a place for both in rod building. I find it much more important to balance the rod and much of the time the uplock seat does this well or even better than the downlock seat

Dan Craft
Dan Craft Enterprises.

i'm in a similar situation as andrew. started last august, stocked up on uplocking inletted seats and grips. OOPS. discovered downlocking cap and rings on rod number 3. wow. perfect for my small stream 3 and 4 weight rods.

eric
fresno, ca.

Keith:

I like the look of inletted, up-locking reel seats, as much as I like the look of down-locking seats. Problem is that there are not as many choices for down-locking as up-locking. I prefer down-locking for small stream fly rods. I would prefer down-locking for other, higher weight rods, but they are not available. The OEM reel seats are almost all uplocking. Must be a reason for that, though I do not know it. I do like inletting the reel seat into the grip, because it makes the combination about 1/2 inch shorter. The inletted fixed seat is hidden. I like that, too. Just wish there were more options.

Doug Weber
Weber Rod Works

Don't forget the cap and ring. Light and practical.

Keith,

For what it is worth, there are precedents among the classic American builders--Garrison comes first to mind, but there are plenty of others--who added a fighting butt to a downlocking seat. And what Dan mentions (inletted rear grip) is done by at last one modern bamboo maker on his single-handed rods with a fighting butt. I, too, am a fan of dowlocking seats after having spent two weeks last summer in the windy Yucatan cursing my fighting butt and uplocking seat every time I cast across the wind.

Times that I used the fighting butt to screw up decent casts: 1,000

Times that I used the fighting butt in battling fish: 1

Please note that (1) the above figures are directly related and (2) I'd blame my own mother for my bad casting, if given the chance.

On a related note, I believe Walton Powell advocated the use of the flush-mount, uplocking seat because it placed the weight of the reel nearer to the hand grasp, thus minimizing the perceived weight of the reel.

As far as uplocking,threaded barrel seats go,inletted definitely looks better IMHO,and most better quality uplocking seats are meant to be inletted.I definitely think it gives a much cleaner look.Even if I am using a flush mount model like a A7 or A8,I still prefer to recess them(a Dremel tool with a flex shaft and snading drum on it makes it a simple task).The only time I might not recess a flush mount seat is on a heavy saltwater rod or spey rod,where the hood was simply too large to put under the grip I had.

A downlocking(threaded) seat is obviously meant to be butted up to a flush grip(unless of course you are taking a uplocking seat and reversing it as Dan Mentions),as is any kind of slide band seat,whether it be upslide or downslide,would be butted up to a non recessed seat,with the exception of something like a Venneri up/down slide,which has a hood that is meant to be recessed,but can be used as either a upslide or downslide configuration.

I prefer threaded barrel uplocking(I prefer the look and they keep the reel off the ground better) seats on longer 4wts,and all rods 5wt and up,but for shorter 4wts and under rods,that will be cast more delicately at closer range,I much prefer slide band seats(downslide cap & ring seats are really nice and classic looking,but I prefer the flared wood butts on the upslide models like the Venneri upslide or Bellinger ULSB,as well as the Venneri up/down slide model)