What's the ideal balance point on a fly rod? If it matters, I'm building a 10' 5wt switch and my concern is that the extra materials will mess things up. The corollary then is a question that has recently been asked (for other than fly rods), should one make the effort to balance a fly rod by adding mass?
Thanks
Steve

Steven,
There are a number of experienced rod builders that advocate adding weight to the butt of rods to balance them. But here is a dissenting point of view. Adding unnecessary weight to the rod, anywhere on the rod, is almost always a mistake. The added weight means that it will take more effort to overcome the inertia that the weight creates when using the rod, especially when casting. The added weight will also lower the efficiency and therefore the sensitivity of the rod. Admittedly it lowers the efficiency much less when added at the butt of the rod but it still lowers it some. I think that the best way to balance a rod is to add as little weight toward the tip of the rod in the way of guides and wraps as possible and then let it go at that.

Do the balancing with the reel. If you need more weight in the butt, use a heavier reel, if you need less weight, use a lighter reel.

You are in luck. The longer 10 foot rod is very tip heavy, except in the switch configuration, which moves the handle up the blank and more hardware behind the hand. I would never add weight to a rod except with heavier hardware. Wood fighting butts add weight. Nickle silver is very heavy stuff, but not recommended for a salt water rod. You can get reels in a wide variety of weights, and this is the means to achieve optimal balance. Some of the nicer salt reels are comparatively heavy, so again you are in luck.

Sorry fair reader,
Let me clarify my question. What I'm looking for is what is the best balance point of the setup (reel and all). The following rationale is what I need reviewed. If the balance point if just forward of my casting hand then forecasting is easier but a fighting fish now has a slight advantage in that my rod's balance point now works against me. If the balance point is to the rear of my hand then the reverse is true. Line pickup, backcast, and fish fighting are a little easier but the forescast's speed of response and power suffer a little. The last option is to have the balance point right under my hand but I think that's just a cop out for not being able to decide which of the other two options is best. All of this is complicated by the fact that I'm building a switch rod and I'm completely unsure of the proper balance point for two handing. If the balance point is to the front of the single hand, then the bias is definitely toward the forward hand when two handing. If it's behind the single hand then it's considerably biased towards the rear hand and I'm not sure which is the better situation. Certainly some will argue that adding any mass is just a bad idea but I'm trying to figure out if it would be worth the performance hit.
Steve

Typically my rods all balance right in the center of the hand. Buy I would not add weight to make a slight correction.

When casting or playing a fish the balance point is dynamic and changes with the length of line either off or on the reel.

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

I do what Gerry does - adjust the size/weight of my reel. Or... you can build a dual moveable hood reelseat and simply adjust the location of your reel fore or aft to get the balance you desire.

I like the balance point to fall no farther forward than the front edge of the grip. That's my personal preference in this situation. Others may prefer something different.

...........

Stan makes a very good point. On a casting or spinning rod it is not going to make much difference but on a fly rod it could be significant. You are spinning your wheels trying to balance a fly rod because of the weight of the line. And even if the rod were balanced with a given amount of line out it would still be dynamic because of the changing inertia of the line when casting.

If it were me, I would attempt to balance the rod to cast one-handed, balancing right in front of the single hand and keeping the rig as light as possible. The two handed cast will take care of itself. The leverage you can exert with both hands on the foregrip of a five weight rod is much greater than any fish can exert! Now if it were a 12 weight rod for big tarpon you might have a reasonable concern. Bob Meiser should give you some feedback on what angler's prefer with the switch rod.

Gent's, these are all valid points, but the one I personaly would be most concernd with is the overall weight. A heavy rod will wear you out quicker and at that point balance is no longer an issue. Balance the rod with a quality reel and you'll be fine.