So I made my first cabelas purchase after starting on some ~$100 rod blanks. I ordered a couple of the IM7s-662-2 for the dirt cheap cost of 21 dollars each and have to say that I'm extremely pleasantly surprised. These rods are definitely going to turn out fun, they're very light and the action screams "fish me for a good time." I'm not a big fan of the mass produced "big guy" companies, but my average cost per rod was hovering at $180 per and I thought it would be nice to make that alittle more manageable and do some poles for the family. Christmas comes up quick. These rods are also surprisingly straight, just as straight or better than a couple of my rainshadow blanks. It'll be nice to have a sub$100 rod of reasonably good quality to give out.

I did order a Fuji Light spinning real seat, and I'm completely confused with the profile of this thing. I seriously misjudged what I was looking at when I ordered this thing I think. Are these meant to be "hooded" with cork on the backside? It seems very unfinished and radical on the backside, and sort of uncomfortable to hold if that's how it should be. Anyone else had any experience with these?

Thanks,
H

Howard,
Is this a fly rod or a spinning rod? Your discription could be a 2 piece 2 wt fly or 2 power spinning blank.

Sorry, it's for a spinning rod.

Howard,
I assume your talking about a 16 mm DPSM reelseat, I don't use them much anymore due to their small diameter,which doesn't even fit my small hands(Use them only for fly rod reelseats). You can put them in any direction that seems the most comfortable for you, and you don't need to put anything in the cork grips. Sometime just decreasing the size or diameter of the cork transition to the reelseat will help your problem.I find decreasing the length of the reelseat to just enough to allow the reel to be installed makes a big difference in my comfort (less graphite, more comfy cork) . If you want to hide the threads because you don't like their look or feel you can order a Fuji quik-lock foregrip and cork from a sponsor to the left and see if that helps.
I think your noticing that Cabelas and other big outfit can at times have some good deals, but overall you will get a better deal from the sponsors to the left due to their knowledge base, component selection and savings in shipping costs from getting it all and right the first time.
Good luck on the rods. Hope I helped some.

No, he's talking about the Fuji IPS seat. Fuji do a preshaped cork grip section for the seat, as well as a full grip. It is also available in EVA. Shoot an e-mail to Bob at Custom Tackle Supply.
Personally, I find that the hump on the IPS is too far back with regard to where the reel stem sits, and the screw section is VERY small. A good idea, but needs to be refined.
The seat is compatible with the QuickLok foregrip.

Thanks Ted, that's exactly the one. Now that I realize what it is, I'll be sending it back. I like to turn my own handles, don't want to be locked in to someone elses handle shapes.
Much appreciated,

H

Just an FYI:

Consider the Cabelas TiCh/woven graphite cushioned reel seats the next time you're in the market. I find them tough to beat. They look great, come in several colors, and hold up well to a lot of abuse. All of mine go on spinning rods used for steelhead, but I think they would look nice on a fly rod with a fighting butt as well.

I've not seen anyone else with the TiCh barrel and nut on a woven graphite reel seat that fits well with spinning gear. Every other seat has a graphite tube, and I just don't think that it looks as good as the TiCh. But that's just my opinion...