My buddy and I own a small halibut and salmon Charter business in Alaska. The truth is we got too old to handle the heat here in South Texas during the summer (we love it except for the summer). I noticed over the last four or five years that my customer, esp. the ladies and kids, were having trouble hauling halibut in. I am thinking about building a six foot boat or halibut rod with a split girp in order to give these customers better leverage on getting these fish onboard. If any of you have any ideas out there let me know. It may save me some time and material.

Big John
Rio Hondo, Texas
Blessed are those who can give without remembering and take without forgetting

How would a split grip give someone leverage when fighting a 300# fish? I'd make a long foregrip, tell them to stick the foregrip there and fight the fish that way.

I guess i didn't state my idea right, which my wife would say was usual. I use a 14 inch grip-reel seat- and thought bout skipping about eight inches a start my foregrip. Sorry about me not being very clear Billy. I guess i could just use a longer foregrip. Maybe I was thinking about making a rod a little different from the others,
Thanks

Big John
Rio Hondo, Texas
Blessed are those who can give without remembering and take without forgetting

I have built a few Halibut rods for use off British Columbia and the guides say that the spiral wrapped rods are the only ones the customer wants to use after one fish. Our fish are typically less than 100#. Some of the charters also have a welded rod holder and use slick butt rear grips and allow the customer to leave the rod in the holder to reel the fish up. One charter has asked me to build a set of spiral wrapped rods for his boat. He thinks he will have a competitive edge over other charters with conventionsl set ups.

Joe Milligan
Seattle

I'll second the use of a spiral wrap. It just makes fighting a fish so very much easier. Night and day difference on fish of that size.

................

Sprial wrap.........never have built one but now may be the time. Great idea guys.....I think I will build a few to stock one of my boats. I know there is a lot of informantion on the net about guide placement. Thanks for the thought guys.

Big John
Rio Hondo, Texas
Blessed are those who can give without remembering and take without forgetting

I'll third the idea of a spiral wrap, this will make a huge difference for all anglers. The spiral wrap really reduces angler fatigue on big heavy fish. Using a split grip for halibut would be for aesthetic purposes only I would think, but still a cool idea for being different. Billy V is right though you would want a longer foregrip for leverage. Try the spiral you will like it.

Scott G
Philly

John,
By split grip are you suggesting moving the fore grip further up the rod separate from the reel seat? If so you may require a stouter blank as you will have moved the fulcrum forward onto a slimmer portion of the blank taper.

Stan Grace
Helena, MT
"Our best is none too good"

The spiral wrap IMHO is the only way to fish for big fish such as Halibut. The two rods I carry when targeting Halibut are built this way: One is built by Don Morton and the other one is built by John Knight. One has All American Acid Wrap roller guides and the other one has Forecast Zirconium UD style guides. They both have a gimbal , Forecast 8" Slick Butt, AHD24M Hvy duty Aluminum Reel Seat, 16" EVA Foregrip ( This is great for leaning on the gunnel ) Both the blanks used are the Forecast E-Glass/ Toughsticks w/solid glass tip. I have landed alot of halibut with these rods, there is a big difference with the spiral wrap design. Mark Crouse is currently finishing up another one to add to my quiver, this one is not a spiral wrap but still will see alot of action also. I know alot of Guides in Alaska are also using this set up with our Solid Glass Blanks ( They are indestuctable but heavy..) I can hardly wait till Halibut season again this year in the Great Northwest..
Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions.
Bill Batson
CEO
Batson Enterprises
Rainshadow/Forecast products..
877-875-2381
batson@batsoneneterprises.com
www.batsonenterprises.com

What a great bunch of ideas. I am going to go with a sprial wrap. Already have a plan and will start after Christmas. Thanks everybody. Hope every one has a Merry Christmas.


Big John
Rio Hondo, Texas
Blessed are those who can give without remembering and take without forgetting

Capt. John Blair - Some RodMaker Magazine (RMM) References for building Spiral Wrap Rods [RMM-Volume (Issue)] include:

RMM-6(5) – “Spiral Wrap Transitions” by Tom Kirkman

RMM-8(2) – “The Simple Spiral Wrap: The Bumper System” by Bill Colby. The 2 photographs and the 2 illustrations tell it all

Go to the RMM website to order Back-Issues ($7)
[www.rodmakermagazine.com]

This is a small investment in the success of your business, the satisfaction of your customers, and the success of your rod-building projects.

IMO, -Cliff Hall+++ Merry Christmas, from Gainesville, FL-USA*****

Thanks for the resources Clif and the rest of you guys. I am not a Capt. anymore. Can't pass the physical because of IDDM. I will order several back issues and start from there.

Big John
Rio Hondo, Texas
Blessed are those who can give without remembering and take without forgetting

Big John - Some professional titles still apply, even in retirement. And some men still stand tall, even when sitting down. Best Wishes, Capt. -Cliff Hall+++ cmkmhall@ufl.edu