I've never balanced a spinning or casting rod with weight in the butt. In the past, I've always ended up with the natural balance within 1-2" of the front hood. It seemed silly to add weight, in those circumstances.

But, this rod is a 3C70MHF, dedicated solely for pitching jigs/worms/etc. So, once I put the final coat of expoxy on it, the balance point was about 6" in front of the front hood. After quite a bit of fly-tier's lead wire, I've moved my balance to a point about 1" in front of the front hood. However, I've run out of room under the butt cap for more lead. Which of the following should I do?

Leave it with the balance at 1" in front of the front hood, calling it good enough.

Add more weight INSIDE the end of the blank to move the balance point to the reel (or even further back). I guess I could use rod bond and lead fishing weights for this. I suppose I could also find a short hunk of metal rod for this application.

What do you think?

One of the things I've purchased for minor balancing is a Glazing compound by DAP (Depot,Lowes). You pick up a small can you realize its pretty heavy stuff and in putty form. By plugging the inside of the blank with a cork stopper that fits loose, you can pack in the glazing compund as you push the cork stopper further into the blank. It works great when you need that last 1/4 to 1/2 oz on the very butt end of a rod.

You might even want a little more "weight" in front of the reel. For the most part while pitching your hand is either palming the reel or holding the line in front of the reel. With the balance a little tip heavy it will not seem so bad when pitching. You will be more accurate with a little tip heavy balance, also it will allow you to pendulum and long range pitch a little easier. It is easier to control the rod with your index and middle finger than it is with your thumb. I always like a little feeling in my fingers. You can do this by balancing the rod a little forward of the reel. All of my pitchin sticks are balancing about 3-3.5in in front of the reel. I can pitch all day without any fatigue at all, and a spiral wrap will help a lot also. Bryan.

If you want to use the wire for the butt insert, try a farm store for some 1/8" solid wire solder. It's fat, heavy, and can be flattened with a hammer and rolled up for an insert. Probably cheaper than the flytying wire.

Really, 1" in front of the hood is pretty nice for balance. I think a tad bit of tip heaviness is just about right for sensitivity, get it too butt heavy and you may be hating it. Fish it for a spell and see, the ultimate test is in the fishing and it can be pretty tough to tell in the living room.

I would say that I an just the opposite of Brian. I balance all my pitching rods so that they are tip light/ butt heavy.
They pitch further, are more sensitive to lighter bites, and are less fatiguing during the day.
After 20 years of playing with this I find tip light rods perform better.
I use tungsten weights. Lead is a deadening substance.
For that reason I use tungsten, because it is harder, and transmits vibration better.
It is also heavier and therefore I am able to keep the weight closer to he butt.
Put them inside the blank with the pointed end facing the butt.
If you are using a telescoping handle and have the points forward the upper section can get wedged onto the weight.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/12/2006 08:31PM by Steve Gardner.

Steve,
Don't you mean Tungsten or Bismuth for weight? Titanium is light, they make guides out of it. Are you balancing in the horizontal position or in the fishing position?

Spencer post corrected . Thank you for catching my brain cramp



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/12/2006 08:33PM by Steve Gardner.

Andy,

Neutral in the hand is the best feeling for me, others may like a little one way or the other. Mock it up where you think it's right and then use your own hand as the fulcrum... rarely will your hand balance in the same spot as hanging the rod. (And be sure you have a the reel spooled with line when you do this! ) I don't like adding extra weight either but in certain applications it is a giant plus. You could always use a bigger section of exotic burl in your split grips... that way it's heavier but you don't feel like you are "weighting" the rod.

A little epoxy and a tungsten weight works very well for this.

Keith

Andy,

I do this very often with my walleye jigging rods. I put a piece of foam rod, the kind used for weather stripping, inside of the blank. I add lead shot until I get the balance the way I want it. The smaller the shot, the better it works. I use size 9 shotgun shot. Pour out the lead and mix with epoxy. Spoon mixture back in. Finish out the butt cap.