Well,
We have a Wounded Warrior event at Hopewell VA each fall.
I donated a rod to the local catfish club for a fund raiser at the cookout this spring
and the guy that won the rod decided he did not need it.
The he sent a email and wanted me to build a catfish rod and give it to the warrior that catches the biggest fish this fall.
He is a super nice guy and was in service also.
I have my blank,8' MH and my question is.
How would split grips work? and I am thinking of making them outta wood?
Weight of the blank would not be a concern,also I git to use my lathe that I got from Matt. :)
I want to tiger wrap between the grips and do some thread art flags in front of the hook keeper.
Also use red,white and blue thread fro the guides,may paint the blank white,,don't know bout that.
Also got permission to use the Wounded Warrior logo.Gonna make some decals.

Sugestions welcome!!!
thanks,mikeb

Home Town,Gretna VA

I don't like split grips on heavy rods. Less to grip AND not so good in rodholders IMO. Over the years, I have serviced a few special requests for split grips on heavy rods ... ALL of the clients eventually told me that they wanted to go back to conventional grips on future builds.

i love split grips, but jim is right they don't go well on rods that use rodholders. they do allow you to put decorative things on the butt area of the rod.

Mike
I love split grips on cat rods, been building them for a couple of years now and have no complaint,,
I added some pics or a couple of them I have put together in the handle section of the photo's,
John

[www.rodbuilding.org]
[www.rodbuilding.org]

[www.rodbuilding.org]

Mike,

Being a veteran myself who has seen many Wounded Warriors, hopefully I can offer some advise that will help you build a better rod for this situation. First, I commend you for what you are doing. Nothing will ever mean more to that Warrior than to know that their country values their sacrifice.

Since you don't know the recipient's size or injuries, you've got a major challenge from the get go. As you're aware, many of them will in wheelchairs, so I would consider that in the planning stages. I'm not sure if you sell rods or not, but I would highly recommend using that 8' blank for a different purpose. These Wounded Warriors will almost certainly be weakened in some way and 8' just gives too much leverage to the fish during the battle. 8' is also too hard to maneuver from a chair. I would stay around 5 1/2 to 6' and give the angler the best leverage practical. The Calstar 195-6 is the perfect catfish blank in my opinion, but there are others.

I would never put split grips on a catfish rod. The only physical reason to use them is weight reduction and, as you already noted, weight is not the top priority. That Warrior is used to military equipment that is tough as it comes and cat fishing is just plain rough to begin with. You can still tiger wrap without the split grip.

If you use hardwood, I'd ream the grips and use reel seat arbors underneath. Small amounts of weight won't matter, but long solid grips will weigh a ton, split or not. Hardwood only needs to be about 1/8" thick. I'd recommend about a 12-14"" rear grip, as there's a good chance injuries will necessitate the angler tucking the grip under the arm pit or wedging under a chair.

Rodmaker 12-5 cover offset turning. Having used the equipment the recipient is accustomed to, I'd recommend a grip that is 1 3/8" x 1 1/8" in the areas where the hands will rest during the cast and the battle. This will give the angler the most control and power handling the rod. As for the reel seat with an oval grip, I would turn a round section to fit one of the clamps out there (Pit Bull, Cork Puppy, Backbone, etc) or mortise in a plate seat and anchor with screws and threaded inserts.

There's a fantastic example of a patriotic rod in the July photo of the 2010 Mudhole calendar. Beautiful thread work and ideas. The creator likely wouldn't mind you borrowing for such a purpose. Also check the photo gallery here under grips for lots of ideas on wood grips.

Jason Cosby
Cos Rods