I’m thinking about putting a wood grip on a fly rod to build something that looks a little different, but I don't know how it would feel compared to cork grips in terms of weight and other factors. The rod is going to be 9 feet, 4 wt.
I would appreciate any input.
And, are they less likely to wear compared to corks? Do the feels of them differ much depending on what types of wood you use?

I make some of my own rod handles out of wood and they come out pretty nice. The feel of them is different, smooth rather than textured and you need to be aware of the fact the most wood will weigh a bit more than cork. The weight depends on the type wood and how large you make the handle. I have made a couple of spinning rod handles out of clear birch and maple that seem bit heavy but not too bad, I have a fly rod that I have I am building for myself that I am going to use red cedar to make a handle from. I finished a couple of rods that someone else started that had sumac handles that were fairly light and looked fabulous, the grain pattern on that wood is wonderful, I should have taken pictures but I was in a hurry to get them back.

One problem that I could see with wood is the finish wearing off after time, but a quick coat of varnish of some kind would cure that real quick.

I know that the handles themselve seem to add a little to the sensitivity of the rod, wood transmits the tap of a bite very well.

Also check out the photo page there are several new types of exotic burl cork out that look very nice

IMO they feel pretty good. I think on fly rods the firmer the grip the better. Also shape really DOES seem more important than surface texture when it comes to grippiness or slickness. On 9' rods I don't think a wood grips weight hurts you at all. It helps balance the rod!

I make all of my rods with wood handles. I think they look nicer and will never wear out like cork does. If the finish does wear out, just put a new one on. Cork swells and doesn't take long to see the pits. Of course, you could keep filling/sanding them. I use mostly birch burl and maple burl for handles because I like their fantastic grains and they are suprisingly light. For a 9' rod you wouldn't have much of a problem with balancing the rod. It is usually the shorter lengths, 7' and under where balancing gets tricky. Then you need to use smaller grips and lighter reel seat hardware. For 9' rods you could even get away with some denser exotics with uplocking recessed reel seats. The rod would be heavier overall (only a few ounces), but it would still be balanced. I don't find the extra weight a problem while casting all day long.

Good Luck!!

Wood is much heavier, but with a 9 foot rod and a lightweight reel you can balance things. I like a much smaller diameter grip in wood with very little contour.

I use a lot of wood grips on my 8 to 9 foot fly rods. I think they look better than cork, they don't really add that much weight and my customers love them. I get lots of comments about the exotic woods, the colors and the feel of the wood handles from customers.

Joe Douglas

I put a rosewood handle on an 8 foot flyrod. Looks great-finshed it with several thin coats of spar varnish. It does add a little extra weight over cork but not all that much.

Dave

If you're really that worried about the weight, here's a possible solution, and one that I've used several times. Bore your wood blank out to 5/8". Now, glue up about 7" of cork, just as if you were going to make a cork grip. Turn the cork down to an o.d. of 5/8". Leave the cork on it's mandrel. Using Rod Bond as your adhesive, epoxy the wood over the cork. Sometimes it takes a little light hand-reaming with a rat tail file to get everthing to fit well. (ONE NOTE--make sure that you get plenty of rod bond in the joint. Rod bond is so strong, and so workable, that if you have a little void between the cork and wood, the rod bond will fill it. And, if you happen to turn down to that spot, the rod bond will turn and finish just like the wood.) Once the rod bond has dried for a day or two, mount the cork/wood mandrel in the lathe and turn down to your desired o.d. I can't quantify exactly how much weight this saves, but if you're talking about some fairly heavy wood (i.e. the rosewood family), it could be enough to make it worthwhile. The same process will work with graphite arbors. You just have to figure out how to cover the oddly-colored arbors at the ends of the grip.

I love wood grips. Despite some of the supposed downfalls of wood grips, I've loved mine. In my experience, a well sanded and well finished wood grip feels as good as cork.