I searched but.. nada....
I have never used slip rings before. A few questions. Do you trust them to hold reel on in rugged conditions? Can reel be adjusted up and down the handle? Are there other options like skeleton seats? and how did you go about it. The ones I orderd are 8' an 10' for light spin.
Thanks again.. Greg

They hold the reel very well if used for light fishing (panfish). When used with heavier lures and fighting bigger fish they tend to twist on the reel after a while because of wear on the cork. To counter this you can simply tape them down with electrical tape.

Dan Grulke

Or you can just forgo the rings since you'll need the elcetrical tape anyway - works fine for freshwater fish. Was in the boat with a buddy who landed a 31.4 pound flathead cat this past June with just electrical tape holding the reel in place - your hands are also there when reeling in a fish so it helps the support! They make for the lightest style of reel seat - especially a tennessee split grip - the very lightest of all then. Good luck with your choices. Chuck Ungs

Greg I tried a Tennessee handle on a spin rod for myself 10 years ago. Liked the handle, look, feel and the lightness. The slip rings were a pain. I was always having to tape one or both or they were gougeing in to the cork grip. At a sport show a builder laughed at my plight and told me to cut the slip rings off and simply tape the reel on with a couple of 1/2 " strips of waterproof adhesive tape. I have done this and it works great. I have three rods with Tenn. handles now. My favorite is a 5'6 SC111 two piece. I put Titan guides on it and use a small Cetus SB500 reel. I use it mostly for bass and panfish here in Iowa but it has held up well against Walleye and an ocassional Northern in Canada. I like the 1/2 " waterproof adhesive tape better than elctrician tape. Good fishing. Steve

Well this dosent sound good, If they were for me i wouldnt care about tape. Thought maybe a fly guy might have an idea as to some type of sleeve? Dumping a canoe in rapids is a constant threat. That reel gotta stay on.
Thanks for the input !!

i really like the aluminum rings! if you turn down your grip so the rings fit tight and then sand a flat spot on the grip where the reel foot will sit they are very strong. i just spent 15 minutes taking a reel off a rod with aluminum rings. i don't care for the graphite rings as much. either ring or tape the reel shouldn't come off falling out of the boat. good luck.

As long as there's a flat spot on the cork like Stan said, I have never had problems with fly seats sliding around.

Round barrel ones, on the other hand, are an utter pain in the you know what.

Scott Kinney
The Longest Cast Fly Rods
[www.thelongestcast.com]

I am presently thinking about a combination ultralight spinner/fly rod with a Jann's Netcraft Tennessee handle and graphite rings. The idea of taping at different locations on the handle is not appealing. Also as one who has recovered a dropped fly reel from a stream by retreiving all the line and backing, dropping another reel is not appealing. So what I hear you saying, Stan and Scott, is that I need to flatten the handle and/or replace the rings with aluminum. The rings do seem kind of large and I was thinking about having to shim under the reel seat. Thanks for your imput.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/11/2005 09:00AM by Owen McLean.

Or just use a spin cushioned seat. or fly seat that fits the reel.

I've never held a rod with slip rings that I trusted (slip rings...well... slip on occassion) and the idea of taping a reel to a grip is repulsive to me. I will not build a rod with slip rings or bareback for taping. I'm not saying there is anything inherently wrong with either, it is just my personal preference.

To keep slip rings where you want them without slippage, thread 10lb. (or heavier) monofiliment line through the rings after securing the reel with them. Then tie a Duncan Loop knot around one end of the line with the other. Tighten the knot on the line, then tighten the loop to hold the rings together. If you do as Stan Mclean wrote, as I build for rings, the friction between ring & cork keeps everything in place. Ralph

If at first you don't succeed, go fishing, then try, try again.

I have used the graphite rings on a carbon fiber handle before. What I do is slip a thin piece of rubber between the handle and the ring oppoiste of the reel. I use mine for bass fishing mostly, but in season of fishing, I have not had the rings slip loose at all.

Bill.. How would you mount a cushioned reel seat? or any seat on cork? rod bond?
You guys are the greatest!!
Thanks

Greg, I think Bill was responding to my post and telling me to forego the Tennessee handle and just mount a conventional reel seat. Though he didn't specify whether I should mount it in the rear to work with the fly reel or in the front to work with the spinning reel or just build two rods and configure one as a spinning rod and one as a fly rod.

You could either make two handles on pieces of scrap blank as two butt sections or mount as a fly seat with a spin handle that could be screwed into it and then use as a spin rod.

Greg,

Another option is a sliding reel seat from Rick's Rods (not a sponsor) in Denver, CO. They are old Phillipson seats that slide anywhere you want them on your tennessee handle and tighten down when you put your reel in. They are lightweight and come in anodized colors as well as straight aluminum. If you search under Steve Kartalia (sp?) on the photo page (or it might be on the old photo site) you can see an example. I used one on a spin/fly combo and it works great.

Carrington

This is the one Greg is talking about
[www.ricksrods.com]

Go to your hardware store and get a length of shrink tube in the size next up from your seat. Cut off the length you want and shrink them down to fit. I generally buy a brass tube the appropriate diameter, soap it, and shrink them on the tube, as I don't want to scorch my grip. The tubing is very thin, can be cut much wider than any commercial ring, and are easily replaced. They have some stretch, so they will accomodate different feet.

If I am in the middle of a stream somewhere and want to switch reels, how do I shrink the tube?