I have built many freshwater rods for myself and always use cork rings to make my handles. I love the feel and look. Now I am getting into surf fishing and planning my first surf rod. It seems hypalon is the most common choice for handles. Does anyone use cork? Will it hold up? What are the pros and cons of hypalon vs. cork vs. cork tape? Does anyone use anything else?

i have used all of those materials. i prefer to use heat shrink or cord for the handles on my rods now. it looks good and holds up extremely well in rodholders. you can use tuna cord or go to an outdoor shop that carries climbing supplies. they will have colored cords that work very well and can jazz up the rod with color. some even have reflective material woven into it that can be useful at night.

i use quick grip with 100lb mono run underneath. Cork and hyaplon work well, but I like the thiner handle. I use corktape for my basic rods for customers ,but I don't like it on mine, because when i swim with it, eventually it can peel, or slide, shrink wrap cant do that, and its water proof

Peter Douma
Poseidon Custom Rods
N.E.R.B.s

I have used cork, wood/cork combinations, and cord. I like all of them, but The last one I built using cork I like best. It is comfortable to use, it is easy to build, and it can be removed rather easily for replacement. The cord is also somewhat less expensive than the other types. Using cord you can also include a variety of colors. Hypalon is also very sturdy, but is quite heavy. Various colors are also available with hypalon. Try something other than cork and see how you like it.

Mike Blomme

Shrinking tube! I use it almost in all the surf rods i build. Resistant, looks nice and its easy to replace if you need to. And there are lots of possibilities to custom the grip under the shrinking tube.
Abraço

Nuno

Hello Bob

I like wood handles on surf rods about 18-24" long with carvings or lathe work.
They are heaver than the others but I like them for surf and sometimes I use shorter ones on trolling rods.

Tight Lines

Bob,

New Bern, NC.

There's an old music joke: the world is divided into two people: fans of [fill in your favorite band], and those who haven't heard them yet. I mention this because as you'll see from the posts above, cord deservedly has many fans as a grip material on surf rods. Most guys who try it love it. I'm tempted to say that there are two kinds of people: those who love cord grips on surf rods, and those who haven't tried them yet.

I've used every material that's out there (except for carbon-skinned foam grips, which I've not got around to experimenting with), and cord is, by far, my favorite. It does everything a surf grip needs to do, and it does it well, and very, very inexpensively.

There are some people who hate cord grips, and you might be one of them, so try it before you commit. But you owe it to yourself to try it, because for my money it really is the best material out there for most surf rods. It's especially excellent for bait rods, as cord holds up ridiculously well to being put in and out of sand spikes.

How do you apply cord, and do you coat it?

I use cork tape on my surf rods. When the cork gets worn, I put shrink tube over the cork.

I applied it the same way I wrap rods. You can use the same tie off method you use with thread, but it is a bit more difficult. You also need to feather the the cord you pull through to eliminate a large bulge. I coated my cord with PG and I also used TRu-Oil on another rod. The Tru-Oli is less expensive, but it imparts an amber color.

Mike Blomme

I'm with Clyde Hunt, above, on the larger diameter blanks. On the shrink tube, I just electric tape the ends and then varnish that just like a rod wrap. It keeps everything in place, and looks good too.

On the smaller diameter blanks I use EVA, not hypalon. EVA is much lighter in weight, although firmer in grip than hypalon.

Hypalon is better suited for big game boat type rods because it's softer consistency has a tendency to cushion your hends a bit better in a fight to the death with a massive fish.

Greg,
I made a gaff with a cord wrapped handle, wrapped the ends with "D" thread, then (3) coats of flexcoat hi-build.
There is a photo under my name: gaff1

[www.rodbuilding.org]

"It ain't what you don't know that gets you into trouble.It's what you know for sure that just ain't so." Mark Twain
John in Wethersfield, CT



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/06/2010 01:10PM by John Repaci.

Tring to tie up a cord handle and the tarded twine I fond is very rough feeling unless it is just wraped smooth with no pattern. I would like some feedback on diferent types of cord and where to find them. I want a smoother 'feel' than the twine has.

Thanks
Wayne

Wayne,
I used nylon parachute cord, fairly smooth.
I think the balance is in the car; I'll look tomorrow AM

"It ain't what you don't know that gets you into trouble.It's what you know for sure that just ain't so." Mark Twain
John in Wethersfield, CT

Wayne, you're probably using a cord that's too thick for your rod. I've found that the thinner the cord, the smoother the surface feels to one's hands.

If you're using something that's about as thick as a clothesline, then you're using something that's too thick. I use nylon mason line that's only about 1/16-inch thick; it takes more wraps to build up a cord grip with this stuff, but the end result is a grip that's much kinder to your hands than using cord with a thicker gauge.

Your pattern is probably a part of this, too: any kind of decorative knot-type pattern is going to feel rougher on your hands than a smooth wrap.