Guys,

On a baitcaster split grip, what length of cork would you recommend directly behind the reel seat. I'm lookiing at 1" to the front of the seat, with an overall length of 13" to the rear of the spool centre? The butt grip is to be 3.5".

Thanks in advance.

Simon C. Joseph

what type and lebgth of rod are you building?

Steve,

It's a 6' light / medium casting rod. I'll be throwing lures between 0.5-1.5oz.

SImon

I make it long enough so my hand feels comfortable when holding the rod. For myself, that length is 3-1/2 to 4 inches. I made one shorter on the first split grip I did and had to change it out. The end of the cork hit in the middle of my palm and was very annoying. I would base it on how you hold the rod and make sure there is enough of the grip to be completely under your hand.

This is totally a custom feature and should be for the fisherman and the task at hand. The way the fisherman holds the rod and the shape is all important. I have some bass fishermen who highly desire the heel of their hand be in contact with the blank - they have two points they can choose - exposed blank seat recess or heel of hand - in some cases they want both. Most sensitive for feel and lightweight option is to delete foregrip altogether and trim front of reel seat.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/03/2006 08:27AM by Bill Stevens.

Like Mike and Bill said. That is an individual preference! That's why it's a "custom" rod. Make it the comfort level of the user!

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 know for me, when I palm my reels, I put the trigger between my pinky finger and ring finger usually. With that type of grip on the rod, you almost don't need any cork at all. However, I usually use about 3" to 3 1/2" behind the seat. Don't worry about what everyone else does. Look at how you grip your rod, and what is important to you in the function of your grip. And then like the saying goes, form follows function.

TJ

I listened to two pro bass fishermen argue last week about the "correct" way to hold a rod. This stuff lasted for about 1/2 hour and proved to be very interesting to me. One held the reel "palmed" and the other held it furthur back using the trigger. It ended up with the one palming the reel giving in to the other guy who maintained that he could make about 100 more casts per hour by not shifting hand position during the cast and retrieve motion. I build for both of them and the rear cork lengths and shapes are quite different. Neither one of them can find what they "want" in a retail discount shop. I am in no position to tell anyone what is the "correct" length or shape.

Gon Fishn

On the split grip baitcasters I've built for a tournament basser, I used a 3 1/2 grip directly behind the reelseat, and the rearmost cork was about 2 inches or so. Total overall "rear grip" length - from buttcap to back of reel seat is 10 inches. On a 6' rod, that ends up balancing it very well, and provides great hooksetting power. It's all personal preference, but I see some rods on the photo board called split grip, and they barely have any exposed blank between the butt grip and the grip behind the reelseat. I think it looks godawfull ugly, and it minimizes the benefits of a split grip in the first place. But as has been noted, it's all personal preference - there are NO rules!

Simon,
I build mine nearly exactly the way Rich just stated. I'm working on a 7' CTS bass rod as we speak and was curious as to my measurements. And, I've built several this way and it works very well.

butt cork/burl end 1 1/2"
grip cork/burl 3 1/2"
reel seat center 11" from the butt end
split area 5"
no foregrip

Tim hit the nail on the head, but so to others who posted reponces, This switch hand contraversy has been going on for a long time as many can not see one possible benefit that even if they do switch hands they do not avail themselves of....
One good aspect to palming the reel is that with the hand up, and on top of the reel this allows you to touch the line as it enters the reel, all the vibration comes up the line thus touching it can be just as advantagous as having an exposed blank reel seat or a plam touching bare blank, we used to build in hard plastic sensor rings into the grip where you held the rod. This is a major atvantage of palming a reel and thus the shape of these low profile reels to accomodate palming.( Form follows function) So everything has its time a place, Whats 100 casts more an hour if your working a worm too fast and can't touch the line to get the best feel possible. You have to sort of reverse engineer things and go back to the fish you target and the specific technique used to capture the fish. So both style grips are useful, the 100 cast model to run and gun, (which alot of ppl don't do of like to), just to find fish who chase a bait Conversely, what fisherman who runs and guns, just missing a fish does not toss a worm back in there to get the fish they just missed? Those tourney bass fisherman Bill spoke of had one similar qualifing factor "Greed" more casts, more fish. more money. I don't like thinking in those terms but can well understand them. That conversation should have came out a draw as both aspect and techniques have there time and place, given a corresponding rational. And if workng slow worms would start to pay off regularly big time, Palm-boy would have won the conversation. I think thr thick of this tale is that a rod with a rear grip can accomodate both techniques and thus most versitile, to pleasure fisherman and the Gordon Geecko Greed-is-good- fisherman.

Simon;
On my 7’ med. Casting rod I have no for grip. Trimmed the threads that hold the hood on, to shorten handle. From center of reel to butt is 11” grip behind handle is 2-3/4” Butt grip is 1-3/4. Rod is balanced perfectly and casts like a dream.

Just grab one of your rods now with the reel you're going to use and mark the grip where you run out of hand, I too vote for no foregrip. For me using 2 1/2 inch cork on both ends of the rear grip works well if I'm doing any two hand casting.