Just wondering why underwraps are used on any fishing rod.
Surely the blank itself is strong enough to do well without underwraps.

I know that underwraps are commonly used on heavy ocean rods. But, just because underwraps are done,is there a reason of necessity to do the underwraps?


Good luck



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/30/2018 02:56PM by roger wilson.

I need all the luck i can get so thanks for the gesture , going to take a stab at this one.

This is a question i would typically ask in hoping Roger Wilson would chime in and answer. My guess would be for appearance but remember i'm the student attempting to answer the masters question even though the master already knows the answer to his own question but is interested in hearing others takes for general entertainment purposes.

Your almost assumption about rod strength and durability is not always true.

If the question is in regard to a heavy boat / salt rod with rollers, then an under wrap is needed. The heavy metal guides on a blank that will flex really needs some "cushion" and stress distribution help, however modest it might be.

I don't know for sure about fly rods of about 12 weight and heavier. I do the under wrap thing on such rods for the stripping guides as an insurance thing.

Hello Roger.

There are some mighty big fish out there and a heavy roller set-up has large heavy feet and when a really big fish gets on and the rod bends into the butt of a big rod the feet don't always bend with the blank so that foot rubs back and forth with pressure on, then off then on again during a fight, tightening then releasing the foot can rock or saw into the blank if you don't have an under wrap to slide on.

I have taken some off the shelf rods apart and found rub marks under the guides and into the blanks (most were fiberglass) and some that had under wraps the under wraps were worn into.

One boat owner gave me his busted 130# rod, and you could see that the roller guide wore through the under wrap and into the blank causing it to break at the guide, he said it was like a tree going down.

That is why I use under wraps on all my rods that may bend deep into the butt and have stiff feet (usually 60# & up).


Tight Wraps & Tighter Lines.

Bob,

New Bern, NC.

Robert A. Guist Wrote:
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" I use under wraps on all my rods that may bend deep into the butt and have stiff feet"




Now thats interesting and a side i have not heard mentioned , usually you hear guys saying they like to use underwraps on blanks higher in modulus with much thinner walls , i guess in both instances it could be beneficial . My personal wraps on my surf rods are extremely short , there's a total of like 3 wraps right before you hit the start of the guide foot and thats to save weight , my longest wraps are about a half inch long . I never used underwraps and never had an issue, knock wood.

Slightly off topic and also a less serious situation, I often see bass rods built with all top $ components only to have a hook keeper wrapped in such a manner that when in use the hook has to rub against the bare blank. These keepers are most often located in the foregrip area, just where you need something rubbing on the blank the least. A little extra thread and epoxy in the right location sometimes goes a long way.

a necessity for some rods/heavily stressed and the other side of the nickle some builders use it for decoration and don't care about the extra weight it brings to a lighter rod.
Like doing several trim bands, inlays,spiral over wrap just bling on light rods not a necessity.JMHO

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

I'm still working on my first rod, a 2 wt fly rod, so take anything I say with a grain of salt. I was thinking about using underwraps for the 2 wt rod I'm working on which obviously isn't a heavy-duty rod for big fish. I read about underwraps in Advanced Custom Rod Building and I like the idea of them acting a little as a liner between the blank and guide feet. While the 2 wt is an ultralight rod intended for panfish, I sometimes end up with a Bass on the other end and my ultralight rods bend every bit as much as a saltwater rod with a pelagic beast on the other end. So underwraps seem like a good idea. I also read it can look somewhat unsightly on a thin blank. I decided not to use underwraps for this first rod if for no other reason than I'm trying to keep things simple until I get the hang fundamentals of building down a little better. After reading this thread though I thought of a question - do you have to use underwraps on every guide or can you just use them on the first (stripping) guide? I'm thinking you don't necessarily need them on every guide since most of the smaller guide feet should flex a bit.