What are your favorite reel seats for baitcasting rods - I really like the Fuji ACS Exposed reel seat. Looking for a seat that will be even lighter, anyone have experience with the Minima seats?

I can let ya know in a few days. I have tried them on spinning and like them, but the build i am doing now is a casting rod with a minima.

Jay,
You need to temper your desire for absolute light weight with the needs and comfort of the fisherperson in mind.

There are quite a few things that one can do to make a rod lighter. But, if the ligher weight comes at the expense of fishing comfort, then the changes aren't the right changes to make for that particular fisherperson.

Light weight is great and helps out for many things.

But remember, fishing rods are tools to catch lots of fish when used for hours on end, day after day, month after month.

If a very light rod is built that is uncomfortable to use, it will be a great novelty for a few outings, but will soon find a spot in a dusty closet for the rest of its life.

Don't forget the needs of the person who is destined to use this tool while building.



Take care
Roger

If you fish baitcasters the way a lot of people fish baitcasters - by grasping much of the reel during retrieve, then the lightweight, exposed blank reel seats are just fine to use. I've used the Swampland baitcast reel seats and they're very light weight, affordable and fit the blank very snuggly without needing to install an arbor for the threaded barrel portion of the seat like the minimas require. I would actually like to try the fuji ACS as it actually looks very comfortable - even IF it is slightly heavier than other similar seats. WHERE the added weight is located on the rod is often more important than the overall weight of the rod, and having a slightly heavier reel seat should not noticably reduce rod sensitivity. For Spinning rods, I like the AERO seat. It's simply the most comfortable seat I've used to date.

Torin,
Roger



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/28/2010 11:33AM by roger wilson.

If you like the ACS seat you are in the minority. Most people that I know, including myself, hate the feel of that seat. The grooves lock you into a single position, and for most people that is not very comfortable, maybe Japanese designers don’t have fingers as fat as most Americans. My favorite casting seat is a split CastAway, the advantage to using the CastAway for a split seat is that you don’t have to use any shims under the threaded barrel end it fits directly onto the blank. All split seats are more comfortable on larger diameter blanks, but I have built them using down to a 9.5mm seat and still liked the feel. The other reel seat that people with larger hands like is the standard ECS or one of the clones, I have one customer who has gigantic hands and it is the only seat he can use comfortably.

I had a bass fisherman have me take the groves off. he did not like the feel of it.

Bill - willierods.com

Swamplands Castaway reel seat, cut and split is by FAR my favorite. Dang shame I cant get one to fit larger musky blanks.

Split reel seats could be uncomfortable to some people on thinner butt diameter rods, or in general, but I haven't found one yet. Today I cut 5" off the butt of a brand new MHX SJ782, split and shaved a 11.5mm Castaway seat and mounted it all. Even this thinner butt rod with the split seat feels great to my hands. Everyone is different.

Castaway.

DR