Good Afternoon,
I am looking for a source to buy (or instructions to build ) a spin-fly combination handle. I would assume that two identical female ferrells would be placed at either end wirh a spinning seat on one end and a fly seat on the other. Would you use a dowel between the seats?

You're thinking along the right lines. In fact, there will be quite a few of these in Charlotte for sale so you can see how at least one builder attacked the problem.

You only need one seat, with a grip on just one end. Position the seat on the rear for fly, to the front for spin. This is how many of the old Japanese convertible rods were made in the 50's and 60's. You just have to decide on a grip shape that is comfortable for both.

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

Another approach is the Tennessee handle. You just shift the position of the reel.

Get hold of Ramond Adams RCAdams1957@msn.com , he can fix you up . He recently made a beauty. [www.rodbuilding.org]


Mike (Southgate, MI)
If I don't want to, I don't have to and nobody can make me (except my wife) cuz I'm RETIRED!!

I like the Tennessee handle, either with slip rings or an old style Philipson reel seat that slides the length of the cork. No ferrules, very comfortable as either spin or fly, and easier to assemble with less parts to buy or to potentially fail in the future.

Ron,

Sammy Mickel has a booth at the National Rod Builders Show every year. HIs Yellow Jacket rods do quite well. This year he wanted to offer a spin/fly combo. We did some brainstorming on the most economical yet most functional way to do. What we decided was that having the handle built on a section of tubing or scrap blank section and then fitted in either end with an identical female ferrule would be the simplest way to go about things.

If you like, you can build the handle with a long grip, then the seat and then a short 1 or 2 inch grip after that. In the fly position, this gives you a normal set up coupled with a very short fighting butt. In the spinning position, that fighting butt becomes a short foregrip. On very light rods, you can probably dispense with that short grip - you won't need a fighting butt nor a foregrip on such light rods.

For the long grip, a simple cigar shape functions well both as a fly rod grip and as the butt grip on a spinning rod.

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

i have built two of these. one used a fly reel seat from pac bay (a8) with an aluminum ferrule epoxied inside the end of the reel seat. i then built a
extension handle on a piece of fiberglass blank and epoxied the male ferrule onto the front end of the handle. works very well, except for one thing. i assumed a spinning reel foot would fit the pac bay reel seat and it does not. i had to grind my reel foot to fit. you could do the same thing with a spinning seat. on the second rod i made a long handle with a phillipson style sliding reel seat and i just reposition it for spin or fly. the phillipson style seats may be hard to find. i got mine from someone on this board but there is a guy in denver that sells all kinds of phillipson stuff and i can't for the life of me remember his name. (thats helpful isn't it?)

It is Rick's Rods in Denver. You can google it up for Phillipson stuff!

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

Ron,
Take a look in the photo section and type in my name in the gallery section. I recently completed one almost exactly as you described. I used a female ferrule on each end and a male ferrule on an extended butt and another on the rod. The handle can be switched around to make either rod configuration.

Ron,
I sent you an email.

Mike B.
Thanks for your fine comments about my rod!

Raymond Adams
Eventually, all things merge, and a river runs through it..