I have an old Falcon spinning rod that I'd like to rebuild. It's a 7 footer medium spin which I find a little long and a tad heavy weight wise. I was thinking of trimming 6 inches off the butt end to shorten and lighten it. Is this a good idea? What will I stand to lose beside those 6in and some weight? Will the action of the rod change dramatically? Tks!

The action of the rod will change. It will become slower and have a bit less overall power.

Are you rebuilding the entire rod or just taking 6 inches from an existing handle?

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Linus,
If you like the overall power of the tip and mid section of the rod, this will be a great idea to get the rod that you want.

Good luck
Roger

You can also try putting a guide 1" from the tip and mark 5" from the butt Put some guides on and go out and test cast to see if that helps to keep the power

Don't just cut -- test it first

Bill - willierods.com

Tom, I was thinking of re-doing the whole rod but if the action was changed too much then I'd be inclined to just keep the existing handle assembly and maybe trim 3in off the rear grip for an overall rod length of 6'9" -not my ideal length but still shorter than the original.

Linus

Cutting material off the butt end has less of an effect on the characteristics of the blank than cutting material from the tip. Cuting 6 inches off the butt of a 7 foot blank will not make a quantun leap change in the handeling of the blank. I would not hesitate to cut the blank and remake the rod. If you are still worried take Bills' advice and test the blank before you cut it.

John

I was only concerned that if you just trimmed the existing handle you may find that what you're left with won't be sufficient in terms of being able to make two-handed casts or support your forearm during a fish fight.

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Linus,

Which series is your rod from? I have a few old 6'6" Falcon Silver Series and Original Series rods that are partially stripped down. Based on my experience the medium power blanks are moderate action and make decent cranking blanks. They are just a little stiff in the tip section for keeping fish hooked up, but are nice for fun fishing. If the rod comes from one of these series, you can make real progress in rebuilding it, but the project is not for the faint of heart. The finished rods weighed about 5oz. the stripped blanks are right around 2oz., allowing you to shave 1-2oz. easily off of the total build weight when rebuilt. They are a real pain when it comes to cleaning up the old finish and adhesive epoxies. If you are willing to strip it to the bare blank, you may be a little more successful. The ones I stripped are in a corner of the basement waiting for me to do the job right.

Replacing the guides wouldn't be too bad, but if you want a flawless new look, you will need to go to the bare blank. They mark the guide placement with a green paint pen or china marker and getting to he mark without damaging the blank finish in the area is tough.

Trimming a few inches off of that blank isn't going to change it all that much. I wouldn't even worry too much about trimming 6" off of the 7'er. I would not chop the length off of the handle and call it a day. In factory form the rods are a little tip heavy, and taking material from the grip is going to make it worse in a hurry.

I've stripped down rods from other places, and had no problem with the task. If you decide to strip the rod and rebuild it, let me know how it goes. Things may go much smoother for you, but I just wanted to share my experience.

Joe

If the rod is already built I would not cut the handle
This will make it more top heavy give you a shorter handle Bring the seat closer to the butt

Strip it and then test the bare blank

or sell it and start over

Bill - willierods.com

@ Tom and Bill -Yes just shortening the existing rear grip would make it tip heavy and difficult to cast two handed. If I were to go this route, I'd only remove 2-3 inches.

@Joe -the rod is from the Original series. It's definitely not cutting edge technology but I like the curve and how it feels. I've already stripped the guides and I see what you're saying about the problems of stripping to the bare blank. Falcon seem to use an epoxy that's extremely hard and difficult to remove - unlike some Shimanos I've redone. I'll make the best of it and see how it goes. It's a personal rod and as long as it fishes the way I want, I'm good. Cosmetics are secondary.

Thanks to all who responded. Appreciate your advice.

Linus,
Just use a bit of heat and a straight edged razor blade and the finish will be stripped in a few minutes.

Take care
Roger