I've never handled a fly rod but like the looks of the reel seats I've seen on line, especially the ones with the wooden inserts. Can I use one as a spinning reel seat for a UL / L trout rod, or are they too thin?

You want the seat to fit your hand. Most fly seats are a bit too small for most, but you could certainly try one and see if you like it. It's also possible to buy spinning seats with wood inserts, or simply cut out the barrel and install one of your own.

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Most of the fly seats I've seen have pieces that are to small to fit the thickness of a spinning reel's foot, also they are usually too short to fit a spinning reel foot. Rainshadow and Pac Bay make skeleton seats that you can order wood, cork or graphite inserts in to match your mood.

Uhm Yeah, I figured the fly reel seat would be to small. I just think the fly reel seat skeletons are a lot more attractive than the spin reel seat skeletons. It's a gift so I was trying to pretty it up with an all metal seat skeleton.

Thanks

I have to agree with you louis I wish the component manufacturers would pay attention too. I would love to see a nice spin seat made with the knurl rings and the nickle silver bodies anodise aluminum we get for fly rods both seats and butt caps

REC makes an aluminum spin seat with an oval shaped cutout that can be had in pewter finish. With a creative insert, that could be one very fine looking spin seat. Angler's Workshop has them. The cutout appears to be similar to the fly seats REC makes for G Loomis.

The few that I've tried have had the same problems as above. Even with my smallest UL reels, they only get the barest of toeholds. You can grind the tips of the reel foot (not an option for me if it will be for somebody else) or carefully work the seat insert to shave it down a bit for some more clearance.

I also dream of the day when spin guys have similar "jewelry grade" seats available.

Check out REC.

Jay

I have built more than a few fly/spin rods (and not the ones with the swap around handle) and had to make fly reel seats hold spinning reels better than they come straight off the assembly line. Lots of ppl like to Chick and duck fish with a fly reel and still be able to put on a spinning reel and cast. Now of course theses rods are guided for spinning reels and most C&D fishing is just a version of flipping so you can toss a loop around the 1st big spinning guide which would be the stripper guide on a fly only guide set up. I run Shimono stradic Reels and find the foot engagement into the reel seat hood limited but more than enough, You may gouge your reel feet at 1st so filing is one adaptive method.

You have to install the reel tightly working the feet in the best you can, then tighten the hoods down well, cast 5 or 10 times and retighten the locking rings again. I now have found a curved lathe chisle that I have refined (to 1/3 the slot width) to fit into the machined hood's reel foot slot and gentally pry it up and open a bit more. working the middle lightly at 1st, then one side and then the other ever so lightly until a pronounced hump is formed and centerd atop the slot. it is not any where near as high as hoods on a spinning reel seat that are specifically designed as such, but one has never failed and not a much filing is then needed, and you get double the original foot engagment, but I have also fished for years myself using a spinning reel in a fly rod reel seat and had no problems with reels loosening

I made a spinning rod for my wife with a fly reel seat. It is sort of a pewter color finish with blue ends. It looks and works great. No issues with the reel fitting either. I could post a photo or two in the photo section if you want.