With a drop shot blank do you balance the rod for just one weight or do you use different sized-weights and balance the rod for the average weight you use?

Ben, I get what you're saying, but for me my adding weight to the butt of the rod to get the balance point I want, is all about being able to use the rod efficiently, and comfortably. I'd rather add weight than change the way I hold the rod. For instance .... how people a spinning rod. I know a lot of people that hold a spinning rod with 3 fingers in front of the reel's stem, with just the pinky finger behind it. Myself, I hold one with the stem between my middle and ring finger. For me it's most comfortable that way. It's also more efficient for me as well. I have fairly large hands and long fingers. If I grip it as the others I mentioned above do, I find it difficult to pick up the line, and I also have to worry about the rotor clearing my knuckles.

The same goes for a casting rod. I palm the reel. Doing so gives me something much more substantial to hold on than if I had to move my hand off the reel just so the rod/reel combination would feel more balanced, and therefore be much less fatiguing.

In the end it's personal preference. I see a lot of people on here that are adverse to the mere idea of adding weight to a rod. I'm not one of those people. I don't add weight to impress people with my process. I add weight because the benefits which Steve outlined so perfectly, are real and quantifiable. The only thing that impresses anyone about a beautifully balanced rod and reel, is how nice it is to fish with one.

David, i agree with every thing you pointed out..i only wanted to express another view, old as it may seem..you know at one time all fishging rods came with a good foregrip and they were used, worked very well..such as on a casting outfit, when holding the front grip, the line is right there begging to be sensed by your fingers..there were no graphite rods back then..you had to use the line which actually tells you more than a graphite rod by itself even when crank fishing..we had braids, especially braided dacron by gudebrod which on a glass rod would have obsoleted graphite in my opinion..lol. but the super lines are much thinner and can be used on spinning very well...and these super thin lines cut so well through the water(less line belly) than dacron making for better sensitivity and hook sets..i guess what i,m saying is that the old ways can still be used with the new tech. and still work as well, maybe better..lol.

Phil, when drop shot fishing, the weight, be it an ounce or a pound, sits on the bottom. So no.

Thanks, Lynn. I got lazy- should have looked it up. I take it then that "balancing" a drop-shot rod involves balancing it to the bait (s) being used above the weight?

If the rod sits, "hangs" in your hand with the tip attitude you prefer, for your comfort, you got it. The weight of most baits used is negligible in my opinion.

Phil,
The normal way to balance a rod and reel, is to put a reel on the rod tha you plan to use loaded with the line you plan to use and find the balance point of the setup with nothing tied to the end of the line and no terminal tackle of any kind.

The key thing about rod balance is when one does slack line fishing. i.e. with any bait or lure resting on the bottom and the rod held in an open hand at your convenient rod holding point which should also be the balance point the rod will be neither tip heavy or light.

Exactly copy the comment that Lynn B just made.

Remember when jig and other forms of fishing where the line is slack normally involved the bait or lure sitting on the bottom with a slack line running too it and not affecting the rod balance.

That way, when a fish picks up the bait, the perfectly balanced rod will easily transfer those vibrations through the line, as you just get the line tight from the former slack line position.

Take care

Thanks Roger that is exactly what I just did on the rod I am building right Now ( my second Rod build ) and it feels really good. I am hoping this turns out to be the best rod I have ever fished with, have some really nice components, at least I think I do. With you and Normans guidance on guides it should be a keeper, really happy with how the split grip and reel seat turned out