I am looking to build a wade fishing spinning rod using size 17 sk2 seat and want to use carbon fiber grips. Does anyone have experience using the raw carbon fiber grips wade fishing salt water? I’m curious how they would hold up. They seem very porous and I’m not sure how they would do in a wade fishing scenario. Thoughts?

Mine are in no way porous, 12 years or so and they are like new.

They will not absorb water nor will the core.


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David, are you asking how carbon fiber cores without the surface carbon fiber cloth/epoxy will hold up? I'm not sure what "raw carbon fiber grips" means.

I've not seen any carbon fiber cores (they would be quite heavy) so I'm assuming the OP is talking about foam core grips with unfinished (raw) carbon skins.

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Tom you are correct. I am referring to the foam core with unfinished carbon skins.

The skin has to be finished otherwise it will fall off, it is either saturated with resin and allowed to dry if you hand make them, or the skin is saturated with the same resins as prepegged material they make the rods out of than baked in the ovens like blanks.

I believe the original poster is talking about a top coating on the skins not the adhesive the bonds it to the core.

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The way I read it is, The soft touch grips are completely resin filled and smooth, V/s Other carbon fiber grips that are Not completely filled smooth and have more texture for gripping, Although still sealed with resin. But the old adage still stands for the most part, Flush with fresh water after using it in salt. So I don't see an issue.

In my opinion, both types of carbon fiber grips are almost bullet proof. They will hold up very well wade fishing.
Norm

I wade fish a lot here on the Texas Gulf Coast, and I have one rod with the carbon fiber grips, and they still look like new. My only complaint is that they feel a little hard after a few hours in the water and my hand hurts a little more than with cork grips.

Your hand hurts because you are gripping the rods too hard. Seriously, this is an issue that almost everyone has with the grips at the outset. Because the grips are lighter and harder, they transmit more of your imparted energy to the rod whether it be casting, fighting a fish, etc. With less firm grips, your hand works harder. So if you apply the same hand grasp to the foam core grips, you will get some minor hand muscle cramps. Once you bring yourself to ease up on your grasp pressure just a tad, any discomfort becomes a thing of the past. This is particularly true with fly rods sporting these foam core grips. It took me the better part of an entire season to relax my grip a bit.

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