Hello All and Happy Fourth

When building a split grip rod, (casting and spinning) can anyone tell me if there is a standard or an assumed correct distance from the blank butt to the reel or reel seat?

Thanks in Advance,

Bill

There is no set distance for the length of the handle. Some like longer handles some like them shorter. Handle length is one of things that make a custom rod custom. For most freshwater rods the length from the butt of the rod to the butt end of the reel seat is usually somewhere from 8" to 11". For short one handed casting rods this length can be as short as 5", and for longer rods up to 12.5". The length of the handle is your choice.
Norn

Bill,
In order to keep the rod balanced, I tend to use shorter grips for shorter rods and longer grips for longer rods. I dislike adding weight and I also dislike having an unbalanced rod.

So for 6-6'6" I tend to use a handle that is 7-7 1/2 inches
For 7-7'6" I tend to use a handle that is 8-10 inches long.

For 8 foot and longer rods I will use a grip that is 9-12 inches long.

But, custom means custom. So, if you want to put a 15 inch grip on a 5 foot rod - then do it. If you want to put a 6 inch grip on a 12 foot rod, then do it. But, I personally would not want to fish with either rod.

You can experiment with reel placement on a blank. Just use tape to tape the reel on the blank at your desired position and see how it feels to you for your particular needs.

You can also go to a store that sells fishing rods and take a reel that you like and then put the reel on various rods and see how they feel to you. So much of what you do with a rod is all about personal preference.

If you want a short grip on a long blank but want the rod to be balanced, you can add weight to the butt of the grip. I don't recommend it because I would rather have a lighter rod, but I still want a balanced rod.

Good luck

Yea preference I suppose. What works for my builds from the butt to the TOP of the reel seat
Spinning:
<6' ----- 10"
6'-7' ------12"
6'6-7'6 heavy ------14"-16"
>8' --------16"-19"

Casting:
<6'6" ---------12"
6'6-7'6 ----------14.5"
7'6-8' ---------16.5"
>8' ----------18"+

Pretty general, but when you measure, keep in mind where the stationary hood is so you know where you're reel is going to set. Best is to have the angler come in and see where he likes the reel. Height of the angler and length of their forearms has made me change my reel seat distances many times.

Good luck,
Nick

Your customer may or may not want the rod butt to extend back under his forearm/elbow, although this amount of length can be a great aid in fish fighting. Others work soley off the wrist and do not want a butt that extends back very far. It's really personal preference so by all means have the customer slide the reel seat up and back and find his "sweet spot" for what he plans on doing with the rod.

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

Thanks Fellas. Good info and Great Advice as always.

I have to agree with Nick he is 100 % correct
Best is to have the
> angler come in and see where he likes the reel.
> Height of the angler and length of their forearms
> has made me change my reel seat distances many
> times.

Nick Lam Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Yea preference I suppose. What works for my
> builds from the butt to the TOP of the reel seat
> Spinning:
> <6' ----- 10"
> 6'-7' ------12"
> 6'6-7'6 heavy ------14"-16"
> >8' --------16"-19"
>
> Casting:
> <6'6" ---------12"
> 6'6-7'6 ----------14.5"
> 7'6-8' ---------16.5"
> >8' ----------18"+
>
> Pretty general, but when you measure, keep in mind
> where the stationary hood is so you know where
> you're reel is going to set. Best is to have the
> angler come in and see where he likes the reel.
> Height of the angler and length of their forearms
> has made me change my reel seat distances many
> times.
>
> Good luck,
> Nick

The best day to be alive is always tomorrow !!
Think out side the box when all else fails !!!
Wi.

When I first started out, I spent quite a bit of time installing a bunch of masking tape arbors on my blanks and than I had something I could slide the reel seat back and forth on a bit. Than I installed the guides with masking tape, after doing a distribution test, and went out and test cast the rod, than I moved the reel seat back and forth till I got what I liked. The couple of inches I moved the reel seat back and forth really didn't effect the guides or casting.
Than I did it again with with my first split grip rods over 15 years ago, but I also used the tape arbors to get a feel for how long my cork peices I was making needed to be.
My bass rods from 6 to 7 ft. have 7 to 8 1/2 inch rear grip lengths for the most part, my topwater/jerkbait rods having short grips to keep me from bumping my arm with the grip while presenting the lure.
You never mentioned what kind of rod you were building, or its length. Hard to make specific suggestions with no info. For instance all my 7 foot saltwater rods would probably have longer rear and foregrips than my bass rods.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/01/2017 11:07PM by Spencer Phipps.

Bill,
Remember,if you are building for someone else, you need to tell the clients that if they go with a very short rear grip on a very long rod, they will have a rod that is quite tip heavy.

Sometimes in their search, they say that it is just fine to have a tip heavy rod, but after using it for a week or two - find that they really don't like the tip heavy rod and would rather have had a more balanced rod that could have been achieved without adding weight by making the rear grip a bit longer.

Good luck

Longer distance from reel to butt balances better with longer blanks, but if it gets too long it will interfere with clothing/arm with some techniques. This is a very important dimension which needs significant attention with the intended user of the rod. As others have stated, there is no one right answer.

I have cut the butt from a couple of store bought rods when they interfered with casting. Usually an inch is all it took to feel comfortable and not catch on my clothes.