One of my goals to my rod building hobby is not only to build very sharp looking eye catching rods but also to build rods that functionally superior to what I can get in a store. One of the biggest complaints that I always have with rods I buy in a store is that they don't balance out very well which makes them uncomfortable to fish all day long. As I have rough build a few rods I realized that I am not sure how to find the optimal balance point of the rod. Is there a way to go about find this or it is just a trial and error method?

Scott,
Normally, when you are holding your rod in a normal fishing position, you would like the rod to basically rest level.

However, there are some type fishing situations, where you would like the tip heavy or the butt heavy. But the nominal way to check is to just hold the reel loosely in your hand, with your hand it its normal position.

Remember, you want to be doing this checking with your reel of choice on the rod.

If you find that you have a very heavy commercial fishing rod, often it simply works well to put a bit heavier reel on the rod.

Be safe

roger wilson Wrote:
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> Scott,
> Normally, when you are holding your rod in a
> normal fishing position, you would like the rod to
> basically rest level.
>
> However, there are some type fishing situations,
> where you would like the tip heavy or the butt
> heavy. But the nominal way to check is to just
> hold the reel loosely in your hand, with your hand
> it its normal position.
>
> Remember, you want to be doing this checking with
> your reel of choice on the rod.
>

Roger,

I get what you are saying. When you do the preliminary testing do you do it with the handle already sanded down and shaped or do you test before you have shaped the handle?
> If you find that you have a very heavy commercial
> fishing rod, often it simply works well to put a
> bit heavier reel on the rod.
>
> Be safe

Ideally you have enough components laying around that you can mock up a handle and stick a reel on it. It's easy to find the balance point, just stick one finger out and keep moving the rod until it stays put. In general if a rod is tip heavy which is what most that feel "wrong" are - you need to either lengthen the back grip/reposition the reel closer to teh tip, or add weight to the butt.

One of the things I have noticed handling custom rods that others have built, specifically these light FW rods which I don't build or fish - they worry so much about how light they can build the rod, and they use such a short back grip - that the rod actually feels heavier than a rod which weighs more but balances properly. Also keep in mind the reel will play a big role in changing the balance/feel of the rod so keep that in mind when tinkering.

Billy Vivona Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Ideally you have enough components laying around
> that you can mock up a handle and stick a reel on
> it. It's easy to find the balance point, just
> stick one finger out and keep moving the rod until
> it stays put. In general if a rod is tip heavy
> which is what most that feel "wrong" are - you
> need to either lengthen the back grip/reposition
> the reel closer to teh tip, or add weight to the
> butt.
>
> One of the things I have noticed handling custom
> rods that others have built, specifically these
> light FW rods which I don't build or fish - they
> worry so much about how light they can build the
> rod, and they use such a short back grip - that
> the rod actually feels heavier than a rod which
> weighs more but balances properly. Also keep in
> mind the reel will play a big role in changing the
> balance/feel of the rod so keep that in mind when
> tinkering.


Billy,

I have noticed the exact samething with rods, especially with ice fishing rods that I spend most of my time using. Thanks for the advice I will try it out when I get back to the states in a few months.

Balancing a rod does not necessarily mean having a rod that sits level when one holds the rod as I will even add weight to the rod to Achieve the correct balance. The first thing you should do is mount the reel loaded with the correct line that you will be using with this rod to fish with. After you have found the reel that you like simply mount the reel in the rod and lay the rod in your hand as you would while fishing it to see if it is top heavy. If it is top heavy you will want to add some weight to the handle and you can do this by adding the weight inside the end of the blank where the butt cap fits. I will add from 1oz to even 3oz at times depending on the rod type and length of the rod. I normally do this with a bolt that will slide into the butt of the blank you my need to try a few different bolts before you find the correct size that fits best. Once found slide the bolt into the butt of the blank and adjust the amount of weight that is right for you as you want the rod to lay level in you hand not top heavy nor should you even feel the extra added weight if done right. I will start cutting off parts of the bolt until I get the balance point right,the right balance point would be where the rod sits balanced in your hand with no top weight where the rod points down but the rod should be level when held in your hand. The rod should have enough weight in the butt section so when you set the hook the rod will react up as in a faster hook set because of the extra weight you just added. By adding just the right amount of weight it will even make the rod feel lighter as funny as it sounds and it will make the rod easer to fish.

Good Luck

Glenn McMurrian



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/21/2013 01:55AM by Glenn McMurrian.

Balancing a rod does not necessarily mean having a rod that sits level when one holds the rod as I will even add weight to the rod to Achieve the correct balance. The first thing you should do is mount the reel loaded with the correct line that you will be using with this rod to fish with,and after you have found the reel that you like simply lay the rod in your hand as in fishing it to see if it is top heavy. If it is top heavy you will want to add some weight to the handle and you can do this by adding the weight inside the end of the blank where the butt cap fits. I will add from 1oz to even 3oz at times depending on the rod type and length of the rod. I normally do this with a bolt that will slide into the butt of the blank you my need to try a few different bolts before you find the correct size that fits best. Once found slide the bolt into the butt of the blank and adjust the amount of weight that is right for you as you want the rod to lay level in you hand not top heavy or should you even feel the extra added weight if done right. I will start cutting off parts of the bolt until get the balance point right and the right balance point would be where the rod sits balanced in your hand with no top weight where the rod points down but the rod should be level when held in your hand. The rod should have enough weight in the butt section so when you set the hook the rod will react up as it the hook set faster because of the extra weight you just added. By adding just the right amount of weight it will even make the rod feel lighter as funny as it sounds and it will make the rod easer to fish.

Good Luck

Glenn McMurrian

Glenn,
For several years, I balanced rod by adding weight at the butt of the rod. Yes they were balanced by having the extra weight.

But, I did some experimenting with grip lengths and found that the rod actually fished much better - even if the rear grip was longer for balance - rather than adding weight.

You can always get a rod to balance, if the grip behind the reel is of the right balancing weight.


Be safe

Hi, Roger, the long grip thing works up to a physical limit...anything past a trigger pull (15-16") gets hard to fish. A fellow can only tuck so much rear grip under his arm, and expect a smooth transition on the pull-out, to battle stations, reel in a fish. Harder yet in the rain with raingear pulling
at the rod on the way by.

Several years ago, before all this balancing thing became popular, one of the arrogant souls here mocked the concept. I suspect his fishing IQ was the same as his hat size. It took three ounces of pencil lead up the butt to get the rod to sit on a 45° angle, putting zero pressure on the wrist trying to hold an 11 foot float/drift rod with an Abu 6500C3, all day long, at that angle. The client absolutely loved it, and continues to enjoy fishing that stick. We could have accomplished the same thing with a 7000 with some lead trolling line as filler, but that's way too much reel for steelhead and coho. Drift fishing requires keeping as much line off the water as possible, to get a good taut angle to the float. Hence the 45 angle.

Funny thing: Once all those butt boxes with variable weights became the latest item in the easter parade, things changed real quick. Now it's all the rage.

Ken, where are you at, and where do you drift fish for steelhead?

Even if you use the same reel and grip the rod in exactly the same spot the "balance point" will change according to how much weight is being cast and how much line there is between the tip-top and the object being cast. The same advertisers who urge you to buy the lightest guides possible are the ones who urge you to buy big metal weights and screw them into the handle of the rod with the ultra-light guides to achieve that vague, undefined quality they call "balance".

Phil, RIGHT ON !!!!

Phil,
Exactly why I almost never use any butt weights any longer.

roger wilson Wrote:
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> Glenn,
> For several years, I balanced rod by adding weight
> at the butt of the rod. Yes they were balanced by
> having the extra weight.
>
> But, I did some experimenting with grip lengths
> and found that the rod actually fished much better
> - even if the rear grip was longer for balance -
> rather than adding weight.
>
> You can always get a rod to balance, if the grip
> behind the reel is of the right balancing weight.
>
>
>
> Be safe

Roger what you are saying does work but are you saying that by extending the handle or using a different reel or reel seat does not add weight to the rod.

Glenn McMurrian

Catch 22 isn't it.

But generally moving the reel seat forward, not making the rod longer with a cork rear grip generally only add a small amount of weight compared to the sometimes necessary weight added at the butt of the rod.. Sometimes it will weigh more.

Try it both weights and use a scale to check the difference.

If you use a split grip, there is virtually no weight gained on the rod, because the blank weight stays the same and the grip and butt cap remain the same. The only thing that is happening is that the reel seat is moving further up the same blank.

Be safe

Hello. I live in Smithers, BC, about 200 meters from the Bulkley River...one of the main tribs of the Skeena River.

roger wilson Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Catch 22 isn't it.
>
> But generally moving the reel seat forward, not
> making the rod longer with a cork rear grip
> generally only add a small amount of weight
> compared to the sometimes necessary weight added
> at the butt of the rod.. Sometimes it will weigh
> more.
>
> Try it both weights and use a scale to check the
> difference.
>
> If you use a split grip, there is virtually no
> weight gained on the rod, because the blank weight
> stays the same and the grip and butt cap remain
> the same. The only thing that is happening is that
> the reel seat is moving further up the same blank.
>
>
> Be safe

Thanks for clearing things up Roger

Glenn McMurrian

Another merchandising non sequitur: sensitivity vs. balance. When you add weight [anywhere] to a rod blank its mass/inertia increases and consequently its "sensitivity" to an applied force ("hit") decreases. The most "sensitive" rod would weigh the least, but it's unlikely it would "balance" the best with any reel - at least as I understand the idea of "balance". Still, despite our basic understanding of physics, we are promised the optimum "balance and sensitivity" in one rod. This product is designed for sucker fishing.

lol

Bobby Stout
Bloomburg, TX



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/23/2013 03:10PM by bobby stout.

Sucker fishing, my 6. It's becoming more and more apparent that the mass audience here is not familiar with Western float fishing, in WA, OR, or BC. A quick way to put it, would be: the line is the hypotenuse of the right triangle formed by the rod, the water and the line. That's why center-pin/drift rods are around 10-6 to 11 feet. Some folks fish 12 footers.

The plan is to make the hypotenuse (the line) as long as possible to keep as much line out of the water as possible. When the float goes down, one strikes, as the line is pretty much taut.

It's not a matter of what the weights, leader, bait and float weigh, it's a matter of angler endurance of long fishing days. Keeping your wrist in full load up-tilted, keeping the line out of the water is no fun. Hence the heavy butt weight to keep the wrist locked in neutral, with the rod wanting to find a 45° angle.