Hey all, I was looking back through some posts and was hoping to gather what yall do instead of foregrips. I imagine there's a balance somewhere between short light foregrips and whatever amount of thread/epoxy it takes to not use a fore grip as it pertains to finished weight and sensitivity.

I think the biggest thing is blank feel on spinning rods, much easier with no foregrip.

Don you use one? If not, what do you do instead? Why?

I've taken to putting Tennessee or split Tennessee handles on all my spinning rods.

Either foam-core carbon fiber with heat-shrink tubing over the reel foot and retaining rings, or just heat-shrink tubing over urethane foam, with rings holding the reel foot. The heat-shrink compresses just enough so that the rings stay put.

I'll use EVA on the ends in a flared taper, then position the reel so when holding the rod, I can place two fingers on the blank in front of the handle.

It has solved the foregrip issue for me, as I disliked the feel of seat threads and/or the bulge of a foregrip.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/28/2022 12:49AM by Joel Wick.

i like to "pinch" the blank between pointer finger and thumb. i hold my spinning reels with the stem between my pinky and ring finger. So on my typical spinning build with a size 17 fuji dpsm seat ill use a 1/2- 3/4" foregrip turned down flush with the seats hood. I usually build split grips with the seats uplocking and always trim the threads on the back of the seat so no threaded tube shows. i finish that thread tube off with an EVA or rubberized cork nub turned to the dia. of the threaded tube (I often finish the front of casting seats this way too)

I do it just like Matt does, making the short ramps out of either cork or reel seat shims (rigid polyurethane). I used to think the shims would give better sensitivity, but I don't think I can feel the difference. While cork is heavier, I use so little of it the difference is very little. The smooth hood of the seat transitioning to a ramp of about the same diameter gives a very nice feel and the seat threads are mostly out of range of the fingers (to the rear.). I use size 17 DPSSD Fuji seats most of the time.

[www.rodbuilding.org]

A short ramp using rod bond.

Small piece of pen blank

I do this [www.rodbuilding.org]

I make it out of EVA or cork, depending on what the grip (s) are made of. I make it about 3/8" thick and turn it down to the O.D. of the thread barrel. If I make it out of cork I turn it a few thousandths smaller. I cut the thread barrel length down and when I put on or take off a reel, part of the hood nut will pass over the end so the seat will open far enough. That way I don't have to over extend my index finger in order to touch the blank.

If you can find any of the PacBay or similar reel seat plugs, which can generally be had in 16, 17 or 18 mm sizes, you can bore a hole in the center to match the rod blank and just insert the plug in the forward end of the seat. I find this to be about as clean a "no-foregrip" option as there is.

.........

Hello All.

here is a change


[www.rodbuilding.org]


Tight Wraps & Tighter Lines.

Bob,

New Bern, NC.

Thanks for sharing yall!

I like the look tmof the double nubs @MICHAEL. @JOEL do you have any pics of how you do your set up?

#STEVE is that regular rod bind grip epoxy? I thought that dried a little more translucent than transparent?

@NEIL I'll admit ib really like the look of that, I can some gorgeous schemas coming outta that. But you don't think having a chunk of rubber damping the vibrations in the rod would negatively impact sensitivity and feel?

@TOM I'm gonna try and take a look, thanks.

@ROBERT it's certainly an attractive set up, with what and how'd you do it?

@ALL how are you cutting thr seat threads off?

El, go back to my post in this string and click on the link there. If that doesn't work, email me for an image.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/29/2022 07:11AM by Michael Danek.

I prefer the Fuji hidden thread assemblies with the CF perfect fit trims.

[www.rodbuilding.org]

[www.rodbuilding.org]



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/29/2022 07:25AM by Aaron Petersen.

Yea, its the fast setting U-40 rod bond. I add a drop of black dye. I use a band saw to cut my reel seats down. Everything I do came from learning on this site or RodMaker Magazine. A few years back RodMaker Magazine had an article on this very subject. I couldn't find the reel seat plugs Tom references then or now so I just use rod bond or a small nub like the the others do.
Steve

@MICHAEL I typed that weird last night, was exhausted. I like the look of the two little nubs on either end of the seat. Ibwas asking Joel if he has pics of his.

@AARON the hidden thread hood definitely looks nice, but all the things that I'm seeing that I like the looks of add up - I'm going for a save a buck on anesthetics vibe and only spend where performance will be impacted. A few bucks here and a few bucks there adds up for me, I'm already spending more than I probably should just to get into this building thing haha. I'm not gonna be able to buy a blank again until next Christmas and I'm buying components with gift cards til then. Maybe i just got a little too excited and blew my budget, but I needed something to keep me busy and feel connected to fishing again. Or maybe I'll build slowly and make a couple more handsome than not rods spread out over time.

This is one way: [portal.criticalimpact.com] Also I use a size 16 TVS seat mounted uplocking with a locknut and threads cut. The fore grip end will accept a size 17 Fuji WCS winding check. Looks great.

]

The 25mm heat shrink works well for the handle, maybe 30 or 35mm for the but. Turn the urethane foam 0.65”-0.70” smaller than the rings you intend to use. I’ve found that the 23.5mm or 0.925” retaining rings/ handle diameter feels the best in my hand for all rods, so I turn a foam cylinder as close to 0.855” as I can.

I’ve been wetting the foam with epoxy before placing and shrinking the foam, but I’m not sure that it’s needed. Turn the EVA to size on the mandrel, but wait to glue to the foam handle until rod assembly, so you can slide the rings onto the handle.

The nice thing about the heat shrink is that the handle can be created in one building session.

The carbon fiber handle is done as previously discussed in Rodmaker, and here numerous times. If I remember correctly, turn the foam 0.50” smaller. Tolerances need to be a bit tighter here as the rings tend to move unless perfect diameter is achieved. The final diameter can be adjusted slightly by sanding or finishing, however. Heat shrink can then be placed over the rings and reel foot. It works well to stop movement, but kind of defeats the aesthetics of the carbon fiber.

Either makes for an incredibly light, comfortable, and durable handle.

heres how i typically finish off the lock nut for no foregrip or uplocking spinning seats

how its fits to thread barrel

Hello El.

I used a G. Loomis C723, the seat is a Fuji SFLS-6.

The blank was painted white 8 inches from the butt for 6 inches, then two coats of wrapping epoxy mixed with gold Testors pigment once dried I covered that with epoxy mixed with red Testors pigment and marbled with CRB Marbling Pigments in blue & yellow let dry I then wrapped the seat on with Gudebrod white-002 size "A".

On the three attachment points for the seat that I wrapped with white thread, I laid a layer of clear epoxy which I then marbled with CRB Marbling Pigments in blue & yellow .

I used a Fuji BOG-12, BOG-10, BOG-8 and 4 BMKOG-3.5's, the tip is a Fuji BFAT 4.4-4, the butt is from Jann's (273-707-005, the butt plug is a MudHole FP-1, the butt is trimmed out with Gudebrod Trimar 0326G size "C" (red& Gold).

All guide wraps are marbled with red, blue and yellow.
[www.rodbuilding.org]


Have a good day.


Tight Wraps & Tighter Lines.

Bob,

New Bern, NC.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/02/2023 07:12PM by Robert A. Guist.

Love the photos!

I like to keep the blank "naked" where my finger touches; no epoxy/thread/hook keeper in this area. A winding check is my foregrip most of the time because of where my finger naturally touches the blank when I hold the reel. A foregrip, unless very short and low-profile, may interfere with this direct blank contact.

Sometimes, with a casting reel, I will hold it two different ways: 1.) palming, with my index finger on the side of the blank; or 2.) palming, with my middle finger touching the bottom of the blank. Either way, I like to keep a naked space about an inch or so from the end of the reel seat.

I liked the info on trimming the reel seat threads so that the hood covers all the threads when the reel is tightened up. I do this, too. I have also trimmed down the non-threaded end to shorten the length (it gets covered with the rear grip), but I rarely do this.