After careful thought, I have decided to abort building the next rod with the Fuji VSS reel seat/cork handle combination. Even the people who sell the product think it's a pain in the neck, especially the full grip. In the end, I don't need fancy, I just want functional.

I am building a 7 foot NFC SJ 703. The cork grip I now want to put on the rod comes in either an 8 inch length or a ten inch length. Oddly enough, a 9 inch length in that style grip only comes in EVA! Other rods that I have purchased in the past in 7 foot lengths have both 8 inch grips and 10 inch grips. Would the difference between these two lengths of rear grip alter the way the rod performs in any way, or is it just a matter of preference? Personally, I like the shorter grips better as I fish mostly artificials and it just feels better with the shorter grip. Any insight?

With some fishibng techniques the butt can get caught in the crook of the elbow, usually going from tip up to down or vice versa. Worse with thick clothes/raingear/etc. You can mock up your build by taping the reel and seat to the blank. Try it out at least in the yard.

Because I build a lot of wading rods, I keep the butt in front of my elbow when gripping the reel seat. Not past the elbow unless it is for casting off stationary points where I would be using a rod holder or need the length to battle larger fish. If you are throwing artificial lures / baits then you want it in front of the elbow and not past it.

As Michael alluded to, make it so it's comfortable to use in all conditions you might face. I base my rear grip length on the clothes I will be wearing in the worst conditions I may fish in. A grip a little shorter based on wearing more cumbersome clothing is going to work in light summer clothing. But a little longer grip that will work with light summer clothing, may not work with rain gear or bulky warmer clothes.

Great! Thank you both for your answers.

This is a little off topic, but the butt of the blank I'm using is about 11mm wide. A conventional Fuji reel seat in a #16 is 15 or 16mm ID I believe, so no problem fitting over the blank. I was looking at a couple of rods that I had purchased in the past, one a Hurrican Redbone, and the other a TFO. The TFO is 71/2 feet line rated 6-12, for 1/4 to 3/4 oz. lures. The Redbone is 7 feet, line rated 6-12, and lure weights 1/4 to 1/2oz. They both however have considerably larger reel seats on them, 17s or possibly 18s. I plan on using reels anywhere form 2500 to 4000 on the rod I am building now, but most often use the 4000.

The 4000 reel fits fine it seems on a #16 reel seat, and the #16 fits fine on the blank. I intend to use the rod for inshore saltwater for reds, snook and trout. Is there any rule of thumb for the size of the reel seat? I would imagine that if one is going to go through the trouble of laying out a KR Concept guide series to help eliminate weight, the larger reel seats won't help. But...if the larger reel seats will better accommodate some possibly sturdy fish (I'm dreaming), perhaps the larger reel seats might be a better choice. So what aspects should one consider when choosing the size of the reel seat?

Cut down the 10" to the length you need. A brand new razor and a ton of patience will do the trick. Sand it to make it look exactly like the original end you cut off.

In general, pick a reel seat that fits your hand and use arbors to make it fit the blank. That is for standard pipe style reel seats. However the grip you are buying might play a role. Generally your want the OD of the reel seat to match the OD of the fore grip and the OD of the rear grip to be at least as large as the end of the reel seat and usually larger. Again some of that depends on details like up locking or down locking.

The length of the butt has a lot to do with the power of the rod and the fish I hope to catch. I'm never going to need to put the butt of the rod under my armpit, in a fighting belt, or stick it in my gut for bluegill. Reds and Snook....well I could see the need to. Just not sure that blank can fish more drag than your wrist alone can provide.

Russ in Hollywood, FL.

Take a good look at where the cork comes up the backside of the reel seat, a normal grip doesn't do that if they are measuring the grips full length I think you will see the ten inch cork will be pretty close to a regular cork grip close to 9 inches long on a pipe reel seat. I have used a bunch of the earlier IPS seats, I didn't think it was a big deal using them, even the casting trigger version. Extending one if you need to is pretty simple as explained above.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/14/2021 07:57PM by Spencer Phipps.