I have heard that wood grips bring out more sensitivity that cork grips. I was wondering if making the fore grip out of wood be better than cork. I know cork adds the most comfort for sensitivity. That is why I would use wood fore grips but keep cork rear grips for comfort. But wood adds weight to and I was wondering also if it would mess with the action of the blank. The fore grip is only going to be 2.5 inches. Any thoughts will be appreciated.

You have answered all of your questions.
If you like the wood fore grip - go for it.
Wood can be a very pretty grip. It also does work well at the expense of some weight.

Take care
Roger

Smething to think about - on the rods you build what purpose does the foregrip serve and when you you grasp it?

No, wood will not bring out more sensitivity than cork. In fact, wood will be one of the worst things you can use if you're interested in sensitivity from a vibration standpoint. Heavy wood stands are often used on lathes and other machinery precisely because they excel at deadening vibration. It's the nature of the beast.

For more sensitivity, stick to lightweight, rigid materials. If, that is in fact, what you're after.

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If you're worried about weight, overbore your grip and insert a Flexcoat arbor in it. I use wood grips a LOT and find it very comfortable. Like Bill said, why use a fore grip? It doesn't really serve any purpose other than a trolling rod or for fighting very large fish. I always use either an epoxy ramp or a wood or acrylic "button" about a half inch

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!!

We make wood rear grips, reel inserts and foregrips depending on what oiur customers want. Many find that wood is more comfortable in their hands than work or plastics. Not science to it - it just "feels better". We never argue.

The "issues" (see I'm becoming politically correct) around weight /vs/ sensitivity don't matter, unless you have a particular need for either the lightest possbile weight, or you subscribe to one of the many theories of sensitivity. If not, then wood is not only practical, but beautiful. Ever seen the offshore rods from the "old days"? Bamboo, and woods grips that when cleaned up are really neat, not to say beautiful, espcially from a functional standpoint.

Mike's spot on - overbore the grip if need be (depends on the design) and insert a foam arbor. Some of the designs lend themselves to different kinds of wood, and some of those are actually relatively lighter in weight than others.

Foregrips - well, some say they are useless appendages unless you're fighting big fish. I'll submit that this depends on your fishing-fighting style. If you routinely "walk the rod" you might like a foregrip as an anchor point for your front hand. Then there's the unique foregrip with hand grooves used by the west coasters that help in the handoff or rods along the rails of a headboat to avoid tangles. And as for fighthing big fish, well, it'd be nice to have a foregrip if you are lucky enough to latch onto an outsize fish with even a light outfit. How 'bout a 20 or 30lbs red drum while you're going after SW trout? Or a nice cobia while you're plugging for blues of spanish?

Our customers usually ask for foregrips for just these reasons, and what's interesting is that they each have different requirements for length and shape. We always assume they know something we don't. As for mixing and matching materials, absolutely - that's one of the whole points of building custom rods, isn't it?

Uncle Russ
Calico Creek Rods

He has already stated that he is after greater sensitivity so we can approach his question from that perspective. No, the wood will not create a more sensitive rod than one where you would use cork instead.

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Why is cork most often used under small machinery, motors, etc to deaden vibration and for sound proofing to deaden sound (vibrations) Is there any scientific validity and can/has it vever been tested? Not saying that it isn't sensitive but is there any validity or does it rank along with spine and other belief. We always talk about grip sensitivity but, offhand, I can't recall EVER having my hand wrapped around a grip when I'm fishing. Maybe while fighting a fish (when sensitivity is a moot issue) but never while working a bait or lure.

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!!

What if you just use a light wood? Balsa always seems to "dentable" for me, even with epoxy, but the Basswood used for plugs is pretty darn tough. Granted, it may be a little heavier and affect some aspect or definition of sensitivity, whether enough to affect the necessary detection of relevant activity on the other end is doubtful. It's only 2.5 inches.

In terms of deading vibrations, you've got to admit...trees do make awesome guitars! Reckon that has a bit to do with grain orientation, but the even laminates do pretty well as soundboards if done right. Can't say for foam or cork, but I'll chose the harder woods.

If nothin' else, perhaps you foregrip will sound nice.

go with what you want. if you like the rod you will fish it more often whatever the material you use.

I think many folks here missed the original question. He wanted to know if using a wood foregrip would increase the sensitivity of his rod. He said had heard that wood would "bring out more sensitivity than cork"

The answer is, no, wood will not "bring out more sensitivity than cork."

Cork doesn't "bring out sensitivity" either. Both diminish sensitivity. Anything you add to the naked blank will reduce sensitivity.

So if keeping the greatest amount of sensitivity is your goal, which it appears to be from the question posed, the best thing to do is to add as little as possible to the blank, and then only what's absolutely necessary. What you must add should be light and rigid.

We can go on and on about how wonderful wood is and all the various things he can do with it, but that wasn't his question.

He also asked if wood might "mess with the action" of the blank. No, it will have nothing to do with the blank's action - action is built in and can only be changed by cutting/trimming of the blank.

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It is still a mystery as to the specifics and use of the rod posed by the person who started this thread. This post evidently was made by one who is not exactly sure what he wants and is seeking someone with the skills to provide the correct component information. In some cases, the customer may include things he wants that detract significantly from the performance of the rod - in those cases some builders may compromise the quality of their build for commercial reasons. If a person, any person, comes into my shop and asks me to build him a Head or a Drop Shot rod for bass fishing and asks me to install a wooden foregrip my simple answer is NO!

I wouldn't use it. It'll add weight and deaden sensitivity. Cork does as well but not to the degree of wood.
Bill, I was almost sold on the no foregrip until Saturday. I was really watching and being mindful of how I held the rod if I even touched the foregrip. I had made up my mind then a 34 1/2 " redfish decided she wanted my Top Dog. I think I liked the foregrip up there.

Tom, you stated "In fact, wood will be one of the worst things you can use if you're interested in sensitivity from a vibration standpoint. Heavy wood stands are often used on lathes and other machinery precisely because they excel at deadening vibration. It's the nature of the beast" and that part raised a question for me. Wood actually IS a good transmitter of vibration in some cases, hence it's use in instruments. To say it deadens vibrations? Perhaps draws them away or channels them from the machine depending on how its used, but I can't see it as a very good deadener. Seems cork would do a better job at deadening, does for soundproofing.

Never used it, but why is a wood grip of lesser value than cork here, is it just because of relative weight versus cork? Genuine question here, one I never really considered until this thread and given similar weights/rigidity, some woods seem like they should be quite good for the purpose. This is assuming that the hand is on the grip material at the time, say a wood seat/grip as opposed to a cork seat/grip of similar weight. I really don't suspect any foregrip will drive vibe/info into a reelseat, so it's pretty much a "sink" if anything and point already taken on the added weight factor in general.

On the action question, Ben may have meant that in relation to stiffness under the foregrip. I've had cork grips that under extreme load, flexed down the grip and under the reelfoot. Pretty far down the blank for an "action" question, but it may have been what he speaks of due to wood being less inclined to flex.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/05/2009 02:49PM by joseph arvay.

On musical instruments - the wood is normally used to create an open sound chamber.

Wood is not of lesser value than cork, but that is not what the gentleman asked. He said he had heard that wood "brings out the sensitivity better than cork." It does not. Adding wood to his rod is not going to increase the amount of sensitivity in his rod. I believe that is what he wanted to know.

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Mathew, I hope that red bruiser weighed in at 9.867 # or better and that the pills you had to swallow were for the "sensitive" black and blue spot on your belly where the butt of the rod was digging in! No kick with the foregrip for that use whatsoever - all rods are not created equal! My kick is for added weight of wood for a FOREGRIP on a rod if the words "more sensitivity" are involved for bite detection.

Thank you all. I saw some company that makes wood grips for fishing rods and they say it added more sensitivity than cork. I am trying to build a rod for small farm raised trout at a pay lake. Trout can spit food out fast. The rod is going to be a G. Loomis IMX SJ720. So I'm trying to find the ultimate in sensitivity. The rod has to perform very well as to the reel and my abilities to catch the fish. So I want my rod to feel like a ringing bell when a trout nibbles on my jig not strike the jig. And I'm also using the rod to judge what structures are under the water. The length size and shape of rocks could tell location of this trout. So much information on this subject. I got my answers Wood doesnot add sensitivity so wood foregrips will not be part of this rod.

You're going to find that nothing adds sensitivity to a rod - anything you add simply reduces the sensitivity. So add only what is absolutely necessary and keep everything as light and rigid as possible.

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Bill, the only pills I had to swallow was the pain medicine for my right knee. The benefit of short forearms is being able to walk my right hand up the blank while leading the fish to the Boga Grip. That red was just a tad over 9# and was the biggest my wife had ever reeled in.
I'm coming around to the light I guess, I sold a guy on your micro guides last night.