I have a customer who is looking for a fly rod for fresh and saltwater applications. He wants a wood insert reelseat but I have never seen a saltwater fly rod with a wood insert seat on it. Can I use one for this rod or do i need to stick to the aluminum or graphite seat and what seat should I use? Being from kansas I have very little saltwater experience.

Richard Stone

Richard there are many options. You can use wood inserts in the salt, but they should be sealed with PermaGloss, Tru-Oil, or Cyano Acrylate adhesives (CA). If your customer wants a metal reel seat, you can get them from Struble, Bellinger, and REC. At a lower price point, you can get them from Pac Bay, Batson, and Perfection. You can select all metal, metal with wood, cork, or woven graphite inserts. You can also get graphite reel seats which are nearly indestructible, but not as aesthetically pleasing (IMHO). Depending on the species sought, channel lock reel seats are a good bet for saltwater flyfishing. Some of our sponsors at the left such as Angler's Workshop or Custom Tackle can supply you with both assistance as well as good products. I hope this helps.

Mike Blomme

Is this guy from a salty state, or is he just getting a rod for a trip to Florida? As a guy who's not lived away from saltwater in the last 11 years (I'm in the CG) I'd not want to mess with a wood insert on a salt rod. It's doable for sure, but so is using standard guides and bronze hooks. Like Mike said above, it's doable, but in my personal opinion, I'd find out if this guy wants it because it's pretty and doesn't appreciate what salt can do to a rod, or if he knows what he's asking. JMO.

Jeff

for lots of use in a saltwater rod, you can go with a stabilized wood. it is impregnated with resin and you will have no problems.

Get the best of both worlds, titanium and wood, from Struble Mfg. a sponsor. See the seat here: [www.strublemfg.com]

I'd go with what Jeff said - I personally would not go with wood. BTW, I my opinion, I would NEVER go with Titanium again. Before I built my own,I had Kerry Burkheimer build me 3 rods with Struble Ti seats and they eat aluminum reel feet for lunch. Chews them up. Stay with the more gentle Al.
Herb

Hi Richard,

I may be too late here but wanted to plug our seats. We have our new Window Seats that have an outer body constructed of aluminum with insert options with of graphite, wood, & aluminum. Graphite is a great option for SW rods and the aluminum insert can be engraved to add a personal touch to a "custom rod", however I would feel fine using our wood insert for fresh or salt. I am going to build a rod for fishing rockfish in the salt and will be using the coralwood insert without hesitation. If you haven't decided on a seat yet, please consider them.

Best Regards,

Darrin Heim
American Tackle Company

Those windowed seats look fantastic too.