Sorry for all the questions. What do you guys think about decorative thread wraps on rods and how they change sensitivity? On the casting rods I’m doing I’m debating doing small decorative wraps on them but I’m not sure if that’s kill the sensitivity of having a fiberglass rod and a Fuji sk2 split grip. Or am I overthinking this?

If by sensitivity you mean the vibrations from the line being felt in the handle, then deco wraps wont necessarily dampen sensitivity. The vibrations travel from the line, to the tip top, to the tip of the blank, and through the blank to the handle. The added thread and epoxy may however add weight to the blank itself, reducing overall recoil and responsiveness (depending on the wrap to blank power rating ratio).

Best of luck
Nick

Daren,
You are not over-thinking but rather astute. Anything added to a raw blank will jeopardize its natural performance, including guides, thread, finish, seats and grips. Minimizing the accessories and/or their weight creates a better functioning rod. The further towards the tip = the more drastic the (ill) effect will be. While I can be aesthetically guilty of using more thread than necessary to wrap guides simply to enhance the visual appearance of the rod, I try to adhere to form-follows-function.

Mark Talmo
FISHING IS NOT AN ESCAPE FROM LIFE BUT RATHER A DEEPER IMMERSION INTO IT!!! BUILDING YOUR OWN SIMPLY ENHANCES THE EXPERIENCE.

Decorative wraps will indeed reduce sensitivity. So, too, will anything else you add to the naked rod blank that reduces its overall stiffness to weight ratio. But the amount of weight you'd be talking about with such a small wrap won't make much practical difference. It certainly won't "kill" the rod's sensitivity.

If you want to see if the difference is enough to worry over, build two of the rods and leave the wraps off. On one, wrap a couple or three banks of masking tape in the area where you were going to put the wrap (to sort of mimic the wrap's weight). Now go fish both and see if you can tell the difference.

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

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Some of us see beauty in functional minimalism - no frills. Others see beauty in well-executed decorations. I suspect it is humanly impossible to feel the difference between the "action" of a no-frills rod and a gussied-up (within reason) rod built on the same blank if a scientific double-blind test procedure is used.

You are over thinking it.

I think decorative wraps and thread art is fantastic. I applaud and envy the folks who have the talent and patience to do it. Yes anything done to the blank will will alter its characteristics but these effects are insignificant compared to the satisfaction one gets from the final product.

The rod you wind up with after all the work is done is the one you get with all its unique characteristics. The user keeps it and adjusts to its idiosyncrasies or gets rid of it in favor of something better and learns form the experience.

When I am fishing I toss my lure watch my line and hope for the best and when I hook a fish I get so excited that things like sensitivity, performance, power, resonance etc.are the furthest thing from my mind.

My goal is to keep the weight down and have reasonable balance.

The bottom line is I build a rod I use it and if I am not comfortable with it, I alter it or get rid of it. That is the satisfaction of building your own rods.

Have fun
John

When building a custom performance fishing rod we always consider three things:

Performance, Performance and Performance.

In our experience you can't go wrong when keeping these three things in mind when designing and building custom rods.

Flex Coat Company
Professional Rod Building Supplies
www.flexcoat.com

Performance is the culmination of application, design, materials and craftsmanship.

After the rod is built the final measure of performance is determined by the users ability to utilize the full potential of the rod.

Do your decorative wrap and enjoy the rod.

Have Fun
John

Are you talking about deco wraps on guides or a deco wrap at the top of the grip. On guide wraps I keep everything to a minimum with the least amount of thread I can get by with. On a deco butt wrap as long as it stays below the stripper I doubt anyone can feel the difference between one with and one without.

I was referring to a butt wrap just above the grip.

Paul Luechtefeld Wrote:
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> Are you talking about deco wraps on guides or a
> deco wrap at the top of the grip. On guide wraps I
> keep everything to a minimum with the least amount
> of thread I can get by with. On a deco butt wrap
> as long as it stays below the stripper I doubt
> anyone can feel the difference between one with
> and one without.

Daren IMO butt dont effect feel enough to be able to tell. But there are many people who responded to your question that have more experience than I do.

These responses are all helpful. Some of you are right. This is a personal rod and I’m probably not a good enough angler to tell the difference in sensitivity so I may just glue up the handles and when I start to wrap, do what strikes me. I’m thinking of making one minimalist so may keep it without decorative wrapping and then do a butt wrap in the other.

I think this goes with the "Magic Wand" theory.. Build is as you really want it to be.. Dont skimp thinking it will hinder sensitivity.. Sure, on a nominal scale it might.. But magic wands compensate for the loss.. ;)

Minimalism is fine, and nothing surprises me more then picking up a rod thats lighter then it looks, sometimes the wraps can acually make the rod feel lighter.. (Tipping the balance point ever so slightly)

I personally let the rod decide what it wants when doing restores.. Sometimes that means adding or removing material.. Ive only noticed an increase in confidence, and a decrease of keepong my eyes on the water (instead of the rod lol)