I'm in the process of putting together a spinning rod and have a question about attaching the spinning reel seat with threads up or threads down. I was advised by a reputable manufacturer to put the reel seat "threads down" to avoid holding the threads while fishing. I'm a bit confused by this. Does this mean literally threads toward the butt, or does this mean down locking, which would mean threads toward the tip top? Help appreciated.

John Gertz

John, I like the threads toward the butt for spinning rods, your hand is at the front of the reel seat when spin casting so your not griping the treads.

No right or wrong way. It's strictly personal preference. I generally prefer the threads on the butt end for the same reason that Tim does

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've changed over the years and now put the threads to the front.

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Tom, what's the advantage of putting the threads toward the tip? I was told to put the threads down, which made me wonder if that meant down locking (threads toward the tip), or literally threads down toward the butt? I can't reach the person who suggested this until next week and would like to install the reel seat and handle this weekend. I was hoping someone here could help me clear up what was meant by threads down. I assume it means threads toward the butt, but then the down locking question popped in my head and here I am. Thanks again for the help with direction on this.

John

Either way will work just fine. I find that by putting the threads to the front your palm heel will rest on the rear hood and grip, instead of the threads.

The key for me is in shaping the rear grip to perfectly match the OD of the seat where the seat and grip meet. I then turn a slight convex area just a bit behind that junction so the heel of the hand rests comfortably and securely in that area. It allows me to hold the rod/reel very securely with less effort that had previously been required.

The money and research I spent on the ergonomics article really changed the way I think about fishing rod handles. In my opinion, most are not very good and this is particularly true of most commercially made rods. I'm not saying they don't or won't work - just that there is tremendous room for improvement. My owqn rods built in the last few years are markedly more comfortable than those I built 10 to 20 years ago. In fact, I no longer bother fishing those older rods. When they were built and I was using them regularly, I thought they were just fine and plenty comfortable. But I didn't know how uncomfortable they actually were until I learned how to build handles that fit my hand better.

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I'd suggest this - temporarily mount the reel seat on snug fitting masking tape bushings. Go out and cast the rod a bit then flip the seat and try it again. Spend 10 to 15 minutes with it each way and see what you think. Go with what feels best to you. Do keep in mind that unless you alter the length of the butt grip, flipping the seat one way versus the other results in a butt grip that is effectively one inch longer, or shorter, depending on which way you have the seat positioned.

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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/10/2008 10:59AM by Tom Kirkman.

I agree again with Tom and for the same reason on my spinning rods i put the tread to the front,but instead of spinning reel seat i use blank exposed baitcasting reel seat (after i cut the trigger).
This reel seat fit more easy on the blank in the right place,so i don't need to use arbor ,just to glue the reel seat.

One thing that I have come across is that when mounting the reel seat with the threads "up", if you are using a casting aid for spinning reels, it gets in the way of mounting the casting aid in a semi permanant position. You would need to remove the casting aid to unscrew the locking nut on the reel seat to remove the reel. Not really pertinent to the topic but a heads up for those who use the casting aid. Otherwise, I like the feel of the reel seat threads up.