First Butt Guide or Stripper position is measured from center of reel seat:

Fly 28 - 35"

UL Spin 18 - 25"

M Spin 22 - 28" and Heavy to 33”

Cast 16 - 24"

Surf 25 - 34"

Boat 22 - 28"

Spey and Spey/Spin combo 28 - 35”



GRIP SHAPES and FATIGUE -- Can’t recall where I got this; was in magazine I believe. Interesting nevertheless.

Using the standard grip styles, and rating from least tiring to most tiring, here are the results:

1. Cigar
2. Reversed half-wells
3. Western (reversed half-wells with smaller diameter front end)
4. Superfine (for lighter rods only)
5. Manuform
6. Full-wells and half-wells (Fenwick)




Hive

Thanks for that Mr. Hively. I appreciate this post. I printed it for my archives of info.
Jim

My personal rankings of grips, for what it's worth (best to worst):

1.) Cigar (ahhhhh)
2.) Fenwick (at least your thumb has a nice place to go!)
3.) Full Wells (grip up top for accuracy, down low for distance?!?)
4.) Reverse Half Wells (yuck...too damn small)
5.) Western (smaller diameter and less comfortable)
6.) Superfine (even more so)

My personal rankings of grips, for what it's worth (best to worst):

1.) Cigar (ahhhhh)
2.) Fenwick (at least your thumb has a nice place to go!)
3.) Full Wells (grip up top for accuracy, down low for distance?!?)
4.) Reverse Half Wells (yuck...too damn small)
5.) Western (smaller diameter and less comfortable)
6.) Superfine (even more so)

i'm kind of surprised at that list of grip shapes. cigar is classic, but i wonder if its choice is influenced by the same classic feelings regardless of how comfortable it might be

personally, i find the fenwick shape the best and i'm speaking specifically of smal stream trout fly rods. i'm even going to try a ritz style shape soon. odd that the manuform (sp?) was so low on that first list when it's designed to be anatomically proportioned for comfort. perhaps, like my feelings about the cigar (which i find comfortable, just not THAT much), the manuform is conversely influenced because quite frankly, it's the UGLIEST ;-)

it's all subjective, isn't it???

eric
fresno, ca.