On all of the Fuji type reelseats I've seen on factory rods, the threaded end points toward the butt. Even St Croix latest rods with the bronze colored NPS reelseat has the threads toward the butt. However, on casting rods, because of the trigger, the threads point toward the tip.

But on the cover of the latest RodMaker magazine, the spinning rod on the right has a NPS looking reelseat with the thread end pointed towards the tip. And in my latest Mud Hole catalog, the Fuji type seats depicted in their handle assembly photos were also shown pointing towards the tip.

Is there actually a preferred direction for the threaded end to point? If I mount a spinning reel in an 18MM Fuji NPS reelseat, it seems more comfortable to me with the threads at the butt end. This allows my thumb and pointer finger to lay/wrap around the tapered smooth end towards the front. I'm trying to understand why some are mounted with the threaded end towards the tip? Thanks.

It's a matter of personal preference. I find that seat more comfortable mounted opposite the way you do. I like the sloping rear to auto-locate my hand, which mounting it that way tends to do.

Again, all personal preference - the seat will hold the reel either way and you can alter the butt grip length to get exactly the distance between the butt and the reel you want.

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Up to you! I like the threads to the rear on my spinning rods but some customer's prefer them to the rear. I think that it's a matter of comfort and depends a lot on how you hold the reel.

Mike

Mike Barkley Wrote:
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> Up to you! I like the threads to the rear on my
> spinning rods but some customer's prefer them to
> the rear. I think that it's a matter of comfort
> and depends a lot on how you hold the reel.


Mike, which way do you prefer vs the customer - I can't tell?

Forward on all my personal rods and 90% thatt I build. I usually don't use fore frips (or very tiny ones) and the reel foot is usually between my ring and pinkie finger which places my thumb or forefinger on the blank. Just personal preference and fishing style

Mike

I always put the threads forward. After a while I find my hand starts to hurt from holding the rod tightly. MHO

I put the threads forward on all my spinning seats also. If I do it the other way around, the heel of my hand ALWAYS loosens the nut. I have no idea why this happens, but it always does with an uplocking seat.

Further, when the seat is mounted in a downlocking position (threads forward), I can turn my cork to the exact o.d. of the rear hood, so that that it's a nice smooth transition under the palm and heel of my hand. The NPS seats accomplish this smooth transition even better.

I'm still pretty new to building rods, but the loosening reel seat is not new to me. That particular issue was part of the reason I started building rods. My right arm got injured a 20-some years ago, so now I cast left handed, and then switch hands. I constantly had to tighten up my reel. So when I built my first rod, I made it downlocking. It seems to have solved that problem for me. Since then I put them all downlocking. But does that screw up people who don't switch hands? I'ld kinda like to know before I put together my first rod for money.