Do slip rings on Tennessee handles need to be taped in place when using?

Mike

Mike,
When I use Tennessee handles, I prefer to use NO slip rings. I use only tape and find that the rod and reel is much more comfortable.
There is no ring bulge right where you want to hold the reel.

Roger

What kind of tape do you use? Just curious as I have never tried one of those handles.

David Dosser
Coshocton, OH

Most people seem to use tape, but will the rings keep the reel in place with no slipping?

Mike

I have used Tennessee handles since I was a kid. Most often used electrical tape. It stretches nicely and makes an even transition from grip to reel. Use plenty of tape to avoid slipping during use. Just like anything else, quality tape like 3M is better than the flea market stuff.
Duct tape adhesive gets very loose in the hot sun.

Always learning with
Ohio Rod Builders


Joe Azar

Joe, do you make a flat spot on the handle for the reel foot or just leave it round?

David Dosser
Coshocton, OH

Leave the handle round. Most reel seats have a round underside which fits nicely on the blank. Also, by putting no flat spots on the blank, you are wide open to where you may place the reel with no penalties.

good luck
Roger

Thanks for the info. I'll have to try one, one day.

David Dosser
Coshocton, OH

If you have a slippage issue, you can secure the reel in place with wrapping thread, using a fly tying bobbin to hold your thread, tie it off, then cover with the electrical tape. that makes a really solid reel attachment.

George Forster
Fort Collins, CO

The ability of the rings to stay in place, without tape, depends on the give of the cork and the give of the rings. I found the later nylon rings to be better than earlier aluminum rings.

................

Another option is the use of shrink tubing, We have been using it for years. It comes in clear or a variety of colors. A one to two inch band of it on each end of the reel is all you need. I use the clear as it lets the color of the handle and reel show through making the whole setup look really clean.

I use the nylon rings on a handle of carbon fiber. I found using a small thin piece of rubber inside the rings opposite of the reel foot, keeps the rings in place quite nicely and then I can position the reel anywhere I like on the handle any time I want.

I have used the nylon rings but sanded the inside of each ring with 100 - 150 to give them some bite.

Bill - willierods.com

Tennessee grips with the reel taped in is the most comfortable spinning grip there is for freshwater spinning rods, in my opinion. They may not be as cosmetically appealing as other grips but in terms of comfort and practicability, nothing can beat them. I had issues with black electrical tape because it will stretch and loosen up in the hot sunlight. I use a couple of turns of packaging tape; the heavy-duty type with the nylon strands running lengthwise through it. It will not stretch at all and is as bullet proof as any tape can be. I cover it with several wraps of what I call "frcition tape." It's a black fabric tape that resembles the old medical adhesive tape or the tape that was applied to baseball bats to improve one's grip. The friction tape looks better and is very comfortable no matter the weather conditions.

Sam

I prefer to wrap mine on the same way guides are done.
No slippage, No sticky tape on fingers,

Thanks for the replys, I think I'm going to try the shrink tubing.

Thanks
Mike

Terry,

What brand or manufacterer of heat shrink do you use? I've looked online and found there are diiferent temperature ratings. I would think you would want a low temperature so as to not damage the blank.

Can you tell the supplier?

Thanks
Bert Nagy

Ours came from a company called Insulation Products Corporation. It is a wholesale only company. It is called Heat shrinkable Pololefin Tubing, the product numbeer is IP33po, It is the one and a half inch diameter clear that shrinks down to 0.75 inches. It is 0.040 thickness, not sure what that is in Mils. Mudhole has some on their site that is 2 mil but have not used it yet. Perhaps some of the other sponsors can weigh in and see if they have it. It comes in multiple colors or clear. If the sponsors don't have it, you should be able to get it at any electrical supply company. We use a heat gun on low setting to put it on and it is no problem. I have some that have been on the rods for over six years and it has not loosened at all.

I have no problem with the commercial slip rings. Work fine for me. I have not had to result to tape or such yet. If I do....cause maybe with a lot of use the cork might become depressed....well I will just use one long nylon tyrap and using an X pattern just strap it on. Cut it off when I want. I use the slip rings from Mudhole.

Gem

One point to mention:
If mounting a reel on a cork Tennessee handle with tape, it is not a bad idea to protect the handle with a layer of tape before mounting the reel.
i.e. located the area where you plan to mount and keep the reel mounted.
Then, just use electrical tape to put a single layer of tape over the reel seat where you are going to mount the reel.

From that point on - leave that single layer of tape on the reel.

Mount the reel, put on a couple of layers of tape to hold the reel and go fishing. If you are going to change reels, or take the reel off, remove the tape from the reel foot, but LEAVE the single layer of tape on the handle.

The reason that I suggest doing this, is that the adhesive in the tape can be fairly aggressive. If you make a habit of pulling all of the tape off of the handle each time you remove the reel, you will likely pull pieces of the handle off of the handle with the tape.
i.e. the bits of the cork can stick to the tape better than to the rest of the cork. Hence, after a few times you may notice that you have put holes or davits in the handle due to tape removal.

But, if you just put on single layer of tape before ever mounting a reel, and then always leaving that layer of tape on the handle, no issue with parts of the cork coming off of the grip.

A vast majority of us that enjoy the hard water ice fishing season use tape to mount the reels on our handles.
One of the things that we always keep in our tackle box is a reel of tape, in case we need to remove or exchange a reel on a handle while we are out fishing.

It is for this reason, that I would never use thread to mount a reel to a handle. When something happens to a reel, what do you do.

The simple fact is that - STUFF HAPPENS. A reel breaks, a rod and reel get dropped into the lake and need to be taken apart and dried out, a different reel needs to be used on the rod. A reel that is different wants to be used on a rod. etc. etc.

Be safe and enjoy. Bottom line - a Tennessee handle with a reel taped to the handle is one of the most comfortable and easiest to use, and lightest systems to use for both soft and hard water fishing.

Take care
Roger