Recently put an ALPS aluminum trigger seat I had been saving on a build. It looks great but many of my reels won’t fit as the reel foot on these reels is too small. This is frustrating because I wrapped the rod to the colors of the reel. Does anyone know of an adapter or spacer that is made to correct this?

Just to clarify the reel seat is 18 I think maybe 20 and the reels the haven’t fit are Accurate valiant 400, fury 400, penn fathom 15, maxel hybrid 25 many Shimano reels and the only one that fits that I have is an Avet Mxl which has a wider foot

Don't know if your familiar with gunsmithing. If you are you may have heard of bedding a rifle if not I will explain. Bedding a rifle is the process of using epoxy to fill any gaps between the metalwork and the stock of a rifle. It insures a better fit and in turn more accuracy. I would try something similar in your situation.

There are kits for bedding a rifle. Not needed all you need is epoxy and a release agent. Epoxy is used to fill any areas that a part fits into loosely. So as not to glue things together you coat whatever part you to remove with a release agent.

I would use a very hard epoxy that is thick you want to avoid and runs. You can use kiwi shoe polish or any paste wax as a release agent. Heavily coat your reel foot and all the externals of the reel seat especially the threads. In your case the only area I would put epoxy is in the hoods of the reelseat. Once you have the epoxy in the reelseat hoods position the reel where you want it. Good wrap of duct tape to hold in onto the reelseat. Just barely tighten the reelseat,don't want to squeeze all the epoxy out. Wipe off any excess that squeezed out.Let the expoy cure. Once cured should come right apart. You will be left with a build up of epoxy under the hoods that is a perfect form of the reelfoot. Once you tighten things down fully that reel is not going anywhere.

I have not done this with reelseats. But I see no reason that it would not work.

Wow man thank you! I appreciate all the detail and time it took you to write that. If I can’t come across a simpler solution I’ll give that a go! Or take it to a gunsmith!!

Mike,
Eliminate the frustration.
You have built a beautiful rod with a wonderful reel seat.
Just purchase and use a reel that fits your reel seat.

In the future, insure that you build with a reel seat that will accommodate your reel choices.

No need to correct anything. As my father told me many times when I was growing up, "Experience is a great teacher."

Take care

Quick and dirty (and invisible) fix: Buy some rubber electrical splicing tape at a hardware store. It's tacky on one side after you peel off the protective strip. Press the tacky side against the reel seat and use a double-edged razor blade to trim the rubber tape to the contours of your reel seat. That should shim out the seat on your reel so it will be compressed, solidly attached to your rod, and invisible once tightened.