Folks:

I remember reading recently on the board about how the 1/2 wells and cigar grips were just not quite right for even small fly rods. Went back and searched but could not find the thread. Something about hand comfort.

So I wonder if I ought not to install a full wells grip on this somewhat delicate blank.

Until now I have reserved my saltwater rods for full wells handles, and 1/2 wells on the fresh water blanks (at least those for 6 wt or less) probably more out of a sense of what other folks did than anything else.

My cork grips are pre-made - I haven't done the rings for at least 30 years.

If it makes a difference, I wear XL gloves, although with somewhat long fingers.

Any comments welcome, then I'll dig out the epoxy and get going!

Whit

Comfort is all that matters. My 4F864 has a preformed Struble modified wells aka Fenwick and a downlocking PacBay D5 seat. I turned about 1/32" or so off the Struble diameter to make it fit my hand better. I love it.

Philip,
Fly rod grips is a topic where you will find many opinions. If you are not making your own grips, then you are pretty much stuck with cigar, full-wells, and reversed half-wells. Which you use is pretty much up to you in terms of comfort and aesthetics.

I make my own and recently have moved from using reversed half-wells grips to the Ritz-Gordon grip found in a copy of Rodmaker Magazine. I also make my grips a bit longer than normal. My grips are typically 8" instead of 7" and I have made a few that are 8.5". I have modifed the Ritz-Gordon to have a well at the butt and flaring that out a bit. I think the extra material at the butt gives extra protection for recessed reel seats.

You need to decide what you like. For a light rod, I doubt if you will need the extra well at the front. Good luck with your project.

Mike Blomme

i like fenwick style grips on my light rods, 3 and 4 weights. you can find them preformed, and you could even shape them down a tad if needed.

eric
fresno, ca.

I have small hands and find the reverse half wells,western,and cigar shaped grips to be comfortable on lighter line rods,provided they aren't too thick for me.I also think these styles of grip tend to look the best on light fly rods so I am willing to give up a tad bit of comfort for a nicer look.

The Fenwick style is very comfy in the hand,but I've never liked the look myself.

On heavier fly rods I really like the feel and look of a full wells grip and I have found that a small diameter full wells grip is actually the most comfortable in my hand.I've put a few small(6 1/2"-7" and smaller diameter) full wells grips on some light fly rods and loved the way they feel.They don't look quite as good on a light rod as a reverse half wells to me,but they are more comfy in the hand.I think if the reverse half wells grips were really uncomfy for me I would use the small full wells a lot more often,but I don't mind the feel of the reverse half wells or superfine grips on lighter rods(6wt and under).

Built a full wells grip on an 8' 6" five piece blank and made it 8 inches long and thinned it down to fit my hand. Most comfortable grip I have used, just be sure you scale it down to match the light rod.

Thanks Guys:

I think I might try a preformed full wells, then If I feel lucky turn it down a bit.

Whit

I've probaly built several hunderd fly rods over the years and I find the full wells grip to be the most comfortable and best all around grip you can use even on the lightest of fly rods. The mistake some people make is they make the grip too large in diameter and they have a hard time feeling the rod load so their casting suffers and they end up blaming the blank when in fact it's the grip. To fit most peoples hands a 71/2 inch length is a very good starting point that way you can add or subtract a ring to suit.