The next thing about rod building I want to learn is how to size the grips to the user. Length of cork to put the reel the right distance from the butt, and anything else there is to learn about this aspect of rod building. Haven't made progress searching- perhaps not using the right terms. Any guidance on finding the info is appreciated. Thanks,



Pesco Ergo Sum

There really isn't any wrong way to do it, that's what custom rods are all about, making it like you or the customer likes. That said for long gripped salmon/steelhead rods that will be held by the angler I like to have the grip at or a little shorter than the distance from the hold the angler likes to the end of his elbow.
Any longer really doesn't improve anything and can start hanging up in clothing etc. during use.
Other type rods sometimes have different length grips due to the presentation used and if the grip will interfere with it. Topwater fishing comes to mind, I like a shorter grip for this and jerkbaits so the grip isn't hitting my arm above the wrist during the presentation.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/08/2007 01:03AM by Spencer Phipps.

I'm with Spencer! Whatever is preferred and most comfortable for the user. Depends on their fishing style, length of arms, hands, etc. There is no Right or Wrong or standard.

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!!

Two issues back of the Rod Maker Mag has some good advice on working with grips to make them fit to the clients hand size.

Right/Wrong - Style/Function. There can be some differences of opinion on this subject.

What the angler wants and how it fits will also be impacted by the word correct/incorrect in some cases. Cases in point - 1. Stand-ups for use in belted harnesses 2. Swim bain for under arm tuck 3. Spey fly rods 4. Split grips for blank contact with heel of hand 4. Position of fore grip for haeavy weight fly rods.

Diameter, Shape, Length, Surface and Placement can all have a lot to do with a well thought out grip. The ergonometrics concepts covered in the Rodmaker Issue pointed out that custom builders could really improve their product by attention to detail for grips.

The standards for production rods remains very low in most cases and it opens the door for those who understand and will work with a customer to get the optimim grip set up.

Bruce you are quite wise to recognize this as an area that many builders tend to place low priority.

Gon Fishn

Another rod worth mentioning is Surf Rods,Very long rods capable of throwing weight a long way. Was given a surf rod and after casting it realised that the butt section had been shortened by 4-6 Inches. I added about 9 inches to make it comfortable for me. It has added Quite a bit of Distance to the cast

This is one of the reasons why I like to build my own rods. I have the unusual ergonomic combination of very long arms and wide shoulders, 6’4” tall with 36 sleeve, and small hands, size medium glove. Doing some dry fitting and test casting can get you dialed in on what is most comfortable.

Another good tactic if you are building a rod for a customer is to have them bring in their favorite factory rods and try to get them to explain what they like and don’t like about them.

I agree barry...I'm 6'5'' with a 37 inch sleeve, I like my rods with a long but and when people use one of my personal rods thety hate them because they can't handle the long grips.

But for buildign a rod for somebody else I measure from their wrist to their elbow and subtract 2 or 3 inches and mount the reelseat here making sure thebottom is the measured distance from the butt. Thats usually works for baitcastign and spinnging rods. Fly rods are a different Issue all together.

I read about how to size a grip to someones hand using play-doh. What they did was get a client to pick up different sizes of dowell rod till the found one that was a comfortable size. Then go down 1/2 inch in size and take play-doh and roll it out to a 1/4inch then roll it on the dowel rod and get them to grip the play-doh covered dowell. Then you'll have an idea where and how to taper it to fit their hand.

I copied the article Ked is referring to into a Word file some time ago. I got it off of Fly Anglers on Line, I believe. It's written by Stephen H. McGarthwaite and it does a great job of describing how to fit a fly rod grip to a person's hand. If anyone is interested in seeing the article, drop me an email and I'll send it to you.

Another way to analyze the customer's "real" grip pattern is to look at the grips on his current rods. See where the most wear is, and the most discoloration from his hand oils. That'll tell you where he actually grips the rod, and it may even not match what he tells you he wants. Now, that may be because his current grips don't fit him, or it may be because he doesn't realize what he really does with his hands. But most customers know what they want, and one of the reasons they come to you is because they can't get it in the stores.

It's called consultative selling, or something like that. You need to listen to him and give him some ideas, but not confuse him. A neat thing to do is pre-build some grips in different sizes and shapes on some spare pieces of blanks, so he can mess with them and feel the differences. Not a lot of chances to do that in the sporting goods stores, because the grips are attached to the rods there, and that affects how the grip feels in his hands. This way, it's just his hand and the grip.

Uncle Russ
Calico Creek Rods

There have been some ergonomic articles dancing around such things, but it really depends heavily on the person size, their preferences, and the rod style. You can nail down arm lengths and hand size perhaps, and maybe even rod type (trolling, standup, spinning. harnessed or not, etc). Personal preferences, however, are all over the place. The hardest thing I found about trying to build a surprise rod as a gift was not being able to really ask the guy what he liked. Think I nailed it, but only thru a lot of digging with people who knew his past equipment really well. Turned out he likes much longer rear grips than I am comfortable with, and it is because he fishes with the butt primarily under his forearm, rather than butt in gutt as I usually do. I could have so easily built the grips to ot work well for his fishing style.