To start, I don't or haven't built any spinning or casting rods. But, after looking at the Gardner grip I thought one might be able to take a solid foam core cut a groove down one side that matches the blank diameter, then shrink wrap the core and carbon fiber sleeve to the blank giving you an exposed blank the length of the grip. Seems like you could put the sleeve under or over the blank as long as you allowed for the thickness of the sleeve. Just the ramblings of a sick mind but it might work. Kip

It would work. Give it a go and see how it comes out. There are lots of possibilities with the foam-core, carbon skinned stuff.

.............

Kip,

I have been working on this very idea for about 6 to 8 months. I have two guys trying this type of rods right now.
The only problem is most people want some type of reel seat, this is what I have been spending most my time on this type of set up.

Lynn Williams

Kip;
It will and does work just fine!

Lynn,
I am finishing up a grip right now kind of a like Steves, but with a reelseat. I'll post a pic this week

Scott Sheets
www.smsrods.com



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/27/2008 01:46PM by Scott Sheets.

Just my .02 but isnt Steves Ideas about handles to add sensitivity by putting a hard tex tube against a "hard" graphite blank to convey the lightest tick a fish could deliver and try to amplify that to the fisherman. I would believe anything foam or cork related would be a dampner and only purpose should be for comfort and not sensitivity.. I saw his stuff at the Icrbe and was amazed by the amount his rods resonated up the blank to the handle...Just awesome..but I am biased being also a Tournament bass fisherman where the competion and the win is more important than how we did it. If you dont get a check no one really cares. I think trying to mimick the look of his design is like taking a porshe and putting a lawn tractor engine in it...It looks the same but isnt quite right...

Jason Kesckes. Aint no fish'n like bass fish'n

Jason,

Re-read the post. they are talking about plowing out a groove for the blank to rest in, that puts the blank right on top against your flesh and nerve endings. Not covering it with foam or cork. The only thing that would be between your hand and the blank would be a carbonfiber sleeve and epoxy. I'd think you would be able to feel the fish look at your bait.

Bill in WV

There is a lot of change on the way - Steve G. had one of these in his hands at High Point.

Casting and spinning models of this were in the Swampland Booth in High Point for display purposes.

The blank is one piece, no added rear grip the blank is belled up by spiral winding and forms a hollow chamber which is the grip.

These are production rods only and blanks are not being sold.

There really is no prediction where all of this will take the rods of the future.

Increased rod sensitivity and weight reduction is on the targets of all bass fishermen and many many production rod companies.

Somebody is going to get very very wealthy!

When the picture opens click on it for a close up view.

[www.rodsbyairrus.com]

Gon Fishn



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/27/2008 03:51PM by Bill Stevens.

Bill;
I did indeed hold one of these rods, very nice for a production rod.

But I do not believe they are one piece. I spent some time looking at them and I believe the back swelled up part is butted up to the reel seat. Not sure if the main blank slips into the back part or they just butt up to each other with a sleeve to epoxy them together or what.
What did not make sense to me was for them to go through all the design work to increase sensitivity, and then put EVA on the butt partially deadening any increase they achieved.

William you are right about the post, but still by adding the foam or cork, you are still deadening the feel. as the cork and foam will absorb some of the vibrations.

If you have received the latest issue of Rod Maker, there is an article in there that addresses the answer to this.

Thanks Scott, I am interested to see what you have come up with.

Lynn Williams

Steve's newer design, featured in the current issue of RodMaker, may be the lightest yet. What's there is needed and what's needed is there. Nothing more, nothing less. It's an idea made possible with the carbon skin technique but still hard to believe that no one had come up with it prior.

.................

Steve: The AIRRUS is a one piece assembly identified by the terms "continuous filament winding process". I have no doubt that you could have one of your new design micros built in great numbers in a foreign land. If you don't it will only be a short time till someone does! Maybe you will be on TV in an opposing slot to Bobby Knight and E21 on ESPN at next years Classic. If you are I will buy one spinning rod and one casting rod if you will let me have your autograph!

Steve,

Understand and agree!! Jason, I re-read your post and understand now that you were talking about Steve's grip having nothin inside but air. I digress and appologize. Steve, I didn't get a chance to handle your rod, but I did the one Pat VinZant had. It felt like you were holding almost nothing. I'm not sure but I believe his tubing was Texalium, I may be mistaken. Is your's Texalium or graphite. I would say that the woven graphite would be lighter than the Texalium. Of course I speculate this without ever comparing them side by side. If your's is graphite, and the blank is touching inside the tubing, then I bet you can feel the fish look at your bait!!! LOL!! Incidently, doesn't having so much sensitivity end up in missing some fish? I say this because I know that Smallmouth will tail slap a bait to stun it then come back and suck it in. Of course I don't know how far you travel for tournaments, so you may not target Smalley's much.

Bill in WV

William;
I use the graphite type tubing. Personally I don’t like the tex. It’s hard to get clean edges with out a lot of little fibers sticking out when you cut or sand it. I too have not weighed the two, but know some of the graphite I use is lighter, because it is lighter then the graphite I can buy from the vendors on the board, also tend to think the aluminum coating hast to add weight
The other reason I chose graphite is that the two materials being similar (Graphite blank Graphite handle) causes less lose of vibration that happens when you have two dissimilar materials.
I base this on information derived from Emory’s many posts about when, going from one type of material to another a certain amount of the vibrations actually bounce back the toward the source causing lose of resonances to the contact point (my hand)

I seldom get to go small mouth fishing, but have learned to hesitate before setting the hook on slack line techniques even with large mouth. My rods are so sensitive if I react to quickly I don’t always give the fish time to inhale the bait completely.
Most of my fishing is in NC but I competed on Pickwick, Wheeler in Alabama, and Smith Mountain Lake in Virginia. Which have some nice small populations?

Thanks for the tip on tail slapping; I had never heard that before.

Steve,

No problem!! That, in my opinion, is what it's all about, sharing information. I believe I got that from Kevin VanDam at a seminar here in WV that I attended back in the late 90's. Incidently, that's why I got out of tournament fishing, and I know you'll understand what I'm talking about here. Tournament fisherman WILL NOT share information, unless you are a good buddy, and they still will not share the whole story. They do this for fear that it may get them beat in a tournament. Any time you have money to win, you're gonna get this. I didn't get into club fishing to win money, I got into it to learn. I quickly found out that it's the wrong venue for that, sadly.

Bill in WV

William; I belong to a local bass club also and have to say that this club is the total opposite of what you've experienced.
The guys in my club will not only share information. They will share it before we have the tournament at the regular club meeting a week before. So every one does better.

The attitude ofthe club is; when we raise the level of each member’s skill, it raises the whole clubs and those who like the competition will continue to improve, again raising the bar.
The results of this attitude have in the last year allowed us to win the NC 6 man FLW Bass Federation regional with one of our members going onto win the state finals and myself placing 16. I can truly say this club functions as a tight gripped unit and team.

But I also admit that this is a rarity from what I’ve heard from other clubs.

Steve,

Then you are a proud member of the lucky few. Here in WV, guys will cut your throut for a 12" fish. I sure wish that I could have found a club like that here. But unfortunately, they're all like that here. Like I said when there's money to be won, everyone is tight lipped here.

Bill in WV

William you could start one like that.

Steve,

Very true! Unfortunately, I've been disabled since 2004 with diabetes and spinal arthritis, and just can't stand or sit on a boat for an 8 hour day of fishing anymore. Most of our fishing was done on the Monongahela and Ohio rivers, and running the rivers with barge traffic and in rolling water in bad weather just kills my back. Plus, I don't have a boat anymore.

Bill in WV