I am preparing to build a 9'6" seven weight rod. Primarily, it will be used during the spring runs of American shad and striped bass, and, later in the year, for river smallmouth bass. Every manufacturer of which I am aware would add a fighting butt to this rod. Why? I cannot see the rationale for these species, but there is also the very real possibility that I am missing something. Any thoughts?
Thanks,
Hunter

From ghoulies and ghosties,
and long leggedy beasties,
and things that go bump in the night,
Good Lord deliver us!

Since it's your build, you can leave it off if you like.

I like a fighting but enough on a rod, that I put them on rods down to 5 weight. Striped Bass will test a 7 weight, and for that reason you might find a fighting butt useful.

Drew

Maybe they should be called 'Belly Butts' because they do nothing but extend the butt a few? inches. I really feel no need for them..

Real 'Fighting Butts' were long pieces of blank that were removed for casting, and inserted to make the butt stiffer for fighting the fish; thus the name. JMHO . C2

I like the way they look...
I find them useful when fighting stronger fish, because they allow me to wedge the butt against my belly, and still be able to turn the handle of the reel. Without a fighting butt, the rim of the reel is resting against my gut, making it harder, though certainly not impossible, to spin the reel.
Fighting butts also serve to keep the reel out of the dirt, when stringing up or unfouling the line, although I prefer to lay my hat on the ground, and rest the reel in that...
However, to me, the most practical use for a fighting butt, on a longer, heavier fly rod, is to give me a place to insert a recessed hood, so that I can convert an uplocking reel to a downlocking configuration. This really helps to balance the rod: [www.rodbuilding.org]

George Forster
Fort Collins, CO

The also allow you to simply get the rod butt under and beyond your wrist, which makes a big difference when fighting a decent sized fish.

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

Like George and Tom said, the fighting butt allows you to push the butt against your torso, arm pit, or forearm to give you more leverage to fish the fish without your reeling hand getting stuck in your shirt or jacket. Not needed on a typical trout rod since the fish is usually stripped in and you can't really haul on it anyway with light tippet.

Well, then, another question. When fishing for American shad, or striped bass making spawning runs, do any of you actually put the fish on the reel? In my experience, in Virginia's James River, I strip the line and rarely put it on the reel. If I do put in on the reel, it is usually just for the novelty of it. Additionally, I can't ever remember putting a black bass on the reel. None of these critters is going to make significant runs, in my experience. Additionally, the stripers we find in Richmond rarely achieve the size of those out in the Chesapeake Bay. Just curious, again.
Slainte,
Hunter

From ghoulies and ghosties,
and long leggedy beasties,
and things that go bump in the night,
Good Lord deliver us!

I don't fish stripers but I do fish for Salmon. I get them on the reel to play them in. Trout short of steelhead get played by stripping the line.

If you look at factory fly rods, virtually everything 7 and up will have a fighting butt.

But again, it's your choice.

Drew

I like them for Salmon, Steelhead, Bonefish and other big species, and I put them on 7wt and up. However I make them all as the removable style, so that when I don't need or want them, I can remove it.

When throwing a fly line all day, a fighting but also aids when the arm is tired and allows 2 handed casting. This comes in handy when throwing deceivers and heavier closers. They make them in removable configurations so it can be used when needed or simply unscrewed for easy removal when their use is not desired.

Kevin Knox
ANGLER'S ENVY CUSTOM RODS
QUEEN ANNE, MD 21657
#_#_#_#_#
www.anglersenvy.com

Thanks for all the replies. I found all the responses informative. I've owned fly rods that had fighting butts, but I have never seen anything other than cosmetic value in them. I have never used them [the butts], or felt the need to do so. And I've been flyfishing for nearly fifty years. Then, again, we have precious few fish in central Virginia that might warrant their use. Oh, well...
Again, thanks to all for responding and giving me a new perspective on this issue.
Tight lines,
Hunter

From ghoulies and ghosties,
and long leggedy beasties,
and things that go bump in the night,
Good Lord deliver us!

Yes Hunter, you definitely need to work on catching bigger fish. :-) Fighting butts are very useful for fighting bigger fish, which definitely are easier to fight on the reel. The extension allows you to grab the bottom of the rod or put the rod in your gut to work the fish and still allow the reel to spin, a point that was already made. I think if you caught some bigger fish and had a chance to experience fighting more fish on the reel, you would understand why this might help.

Good luck!

Terry

Hunter,

I fish the James quite a bit on fly so can relate to your application. I don't have one rod for fishing the James but use a variety of sticks depending on what I want to do, usually a 6wt through 8wt, depending on flows. I usually have a small fighting butt on my inshore rods since I mostly use them for chasing bonefish, reds, stripers, blues, specks, etc... that will put me on the reel. Less than a freshwater 6 wt, and I don't use a butt. Having the reel away from your body just by a couple of inches while fighting a fish, makes it easier to reel and also as others have said, gives you a bit more leverage when rested against your forearm. I know some guys that use 4 wt's for catching specks down in Harker's and they add a small rubber gimbal over the end of their uplocking seat to give them a mini butt of sorts. Great thing about building your own rod is you get to choose how you want it. Good luck on your build and better get it done soon becasue the shad are just showing up.

I think if you want to see the validity of a fighting butt, you need to come with me on one of my late fall nocturnal striper fishing trips.

Fishing from shore with a 10-weight outfit, in the dark, bundled up in a bunch of warm-weather gear, when a striper gets into the current and starts pulling drag, and you pull the fly rod butt to your side, you'll see why there's a fighting butt there. I very much like, when fighting a fish, to be able to use the fighting butt to pin the rod butt against my body, and to use that point of contact as a fulcrum with which to fight the fish. A fighting butt is essential for this -- and it will also keep your surf top from getting tangled with the reel.

In fact, I've found that the clearance offered by a fighting butt is so useful in keeping my clothes out of the reel that I've begun using longer fighting butts than what are offered on commercial fly rods. Longer butts like the Pac Bay F5, which is 5 inches long, work great for me. I couldn't imagine, for the way that I fish, using a fly rod without a fighting butt.