How do you go about determining where to put the handle and reel seat when building a rod? I'm specifically interested in bass rods. Is it personal preference, or do you trial fit the components for balance prior to cutting them down? From taking measurements of my production rods, it seems most handles fall into a range of 8-11 inches from the butt of the blank. My first rod build was a kit so there wasn't anything to think about. It was just connect the dots and get some practice with how to assemble a rod. Now, I'm getting ready to build a 7' spinning rod. I guess the real thing I'm trying to figure out is how to insure the balance point is correct when the rod is finished.

I wouldn't base my handle length on obtaining a specific rod balance. Base it on where you want the rod butt to contact your forearm for fighting and/or casting purposes. We just did an in-depth article in RodMaker on how to determine optimum handle length. Owing to the fact that not everyone holds/palms their reels the same way, expressing handle length in inches isn't a good way to do things. Base it on how long the rod handle needs to be in order to do what you need it to do.

If you use the rear handle length to obtain balance on a longer rod, you should have just bought a shorter rod to begin with. Any rod length behind your elbow is really just wasted rod length.

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I like a full handle because I cast with both hands most of the time. I like cork so I don’t *think* I’m degrading the rod with unnecessary weight. So go with comfort and be merry?

Yes, build the rod to do what you need it to do. Balance is an oft debated topic but you have to realize that beyond a certain length, either the amount of weight or length of handle needed to obtain a neutral balance sort of negates what you were after in the first place.

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Thanks Tom!

I like to do a mock-up and test if I am not sure about something:

1. Dry-fit seat and grips.
2. Temporarily affix the guides (I use a bobbin and thread)
3. Put on the reel I am going to use with that rod.
4. Take the assemblage in hand and check how it feels/balances to me. I may even run some line through the guides, tie off the end, and give the rig a bit of a bend.
This gives me a good feel for how the rear grips press against my forearm when the rod is loaded. No need to put too much stress on the rod to do this.
5. Slide the grip and seat forward or back to suit myself, and mark the blank with a china marker where it seems best to me.
6. I sometimes take into account heavy winter clothing or a life jacket when considering handle length. (Or fishing from a kayak, belly boat, etc.)

In my experience for the way I fish, a nine-inch rear grip (measured from the rod butt to base of reel seat) works great for me on most 6'6" to 7 ft. spinning rods of light to medium power.

I like a 9 to 12-inch grip on ML to M casting rods from 7 ft. to 7'6" depending on technique.

I like a 12-inch grip on MH and H casting rods from 7 ft. to 7'6" because the rear grip hits my forearm just in front of my elbow bone for added leverage fishing heavy cover or for larger fish.

Since the more grip I add the less rod there is left over, I will often extend a blank I like (up to 12") to save some of the front length.

Play around with it!

Build some tape arbors on the blank and you can tape on the guides and slip your reel seat up and down on the arbors till you find the handle length you like, take some measurements and build the rod to those specs, no real need to guess.

Thanks gentlemen! I’ll play around with it.

Something that doesn’t get talked about much - the longer you make your handle, the “shorter” you effectively make your rod (and vice versa).

John Santos Wrote:
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> Something that doesn’t get talked about much -
> the longer you make your handle, the “shorter”
> you effectively make your rod (and vice versa).

Note my initial response, above.

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Daryl

Rear handle length will come into play with how you will be fishing the rod. If you are standing on a bass boat deck or bank fishing a slightly longer rear grip might be acceptable. Because of issues with my back I must sit to fish from my boat. I have found out a rear grip length over 7" - 8" is always tangling in my shirt or jacket while
retrieving my baits....a real pain in the butt. Also the direction that the reelseat is installed is a factor to consider when mapping out your handles. A downlocking reel seat will require a slightly longer rear grip than a uplocking one if you want the reel to mount at the same distance from the butt. I have built over 50 spinning rods, about 20 of them for myself, and over the years have determined that my sweet spot for the rear handle is approximately 9.5" to 10.5" from the center of the reel foot (reel mounted in the seat) to the butt end of the rod. The direction you install the reelseat will change the rear grip length. (Dont forget to account for the length of the butt cap too).

Rog

Thanks Roger. I have a casting seat (aka butt pad) on the front deck that I use. As I stated earlier, I prefer a full rear grip (and I like cork) because I use both hands for any casting that requires a little distance. I'm going to play around with it and get to where I think it'll be most comfortable. I'll be sure and post where I end up with it.

Roger,

Thanks for your insight into the various factors of body position, clothing, bank or boat, and space/room for comfortable operation in general, that can determine the length of the rear grip for your personal needs! I also liked your mentioning the measurement of the distance from the reel foot to the butt of the rod as a way to zero in on grip length.

Knowing the points to 'measure between' is something I did, but not consciously and intentionally like you mentioned. Nice! Thanks!

The oft debated balance topic usually has to do with bass casting rods used for tip up techniques.

Fatigue mitigation is my goal. Plenty of bass techniques are tiring enough by themselves, without the rod and reel adding to it. I use my spinning rigs for more than just finesse fishing. I use them for shallow cranks and jerkbaits among other techniques. I know I can get 95% to where I want to be because, if nothing else, I have my favorite spinning rod that I own to use as a guide. But, I'm hoping I can improve on grip comfort where my super nice, but not perfect, off the shelf rod comes up a hair short.

To the Moderators: A red colored message popped up saying "A word you have used in your post has been banned from use. Please use a different word or contact the forum administrators". I have no idea what that word could possibly be so I left my post as is. I don't curse and do not believe my post contains anything that would offend, but please delete and let me know what part of my post is forbidden if there is an issue. Thank you!

p.s. I don't know if this helps you figure it out or not, but it presented the message when I quoted Lynn's post. Once I removed the quote, it allowed me to post. Logic, however, would dictate that if there were an issue with his post, it wouldn't have allowed him to post. Glitch maybe?

Daryl, I'm a bit late back to the party, but that would be a recurring glitch associated with me. It's been mentioned before, but never corrected or explained. It's a good forum, bound to be a few bugs.

Hi Lynn, I figured it out by process of elimination.

I base rear grip length, and reel seat placement, based on whether or not the length of the rear grip is going to interfere with my ability to use the rod. Different presentations can dictate how long a rear grip can be before it starts interfering with body parts, or clothing being worn.

If flipping and pitching, at least for the way I perform them, the rear grip travels along a different path than if I were making two handed casts. I can get by with a longer rear grip on a rod I use for two handed casts, than I can on a rod I use for flipping and pitching. I never place a reel seat based on how a rod and reel will balance. If there is a balance issue, I take care of that by adding weight at the butt of the rod.

The ability to manipulate the rod in the manner needed, and to do so comfortably are the only things I consider when determining reel seat placement. If rear grip length is going to make a rod difficult or uncomfortable to use, you aren't going to use it nearly as much, if at all.

And to be clear on my feelings about balance. It's not a balance while casting thing, and it's not an every rod thing. It's only on rods I use for certain types of techniques and presentations. For me it's only for rods that I use where the line will be slack or semi slack, and the rod is being fished tip up, and I am trying to feel for a bite. Otherwise I don't worry about balance.

And just to head off any comments .... my above use of the word "slack" fits my definition of what slack means in the situations I am speaking of. Which, it just so happens, fits the dictionaries definition

Slack /slak/ adjective 1. not taut or held tightly in position; loose: "a slack rope"

So please ..... no saying you can't feel anything on a slack line. There are varying degrees of slack ya know .....

David Baylor Wrote:

>
> And just to head off any comments .... my above
> use of the word "slack" fits my definition of what
> slack means in the situations I am speaking of.
> Which, it just so happens, fits the dictionaries
> definition
>
> Slack /slak/ adjective 1. not taut
> or held tightly in position; loose: "a slack
> rope"
>
> So please ..... no saying you can't feel anything
> on a slack line. There are varying degrees of
> slack ya know .....

The dictionary left out one importnat thing --- a slack line in water is not actually slack. If there is water pressure, current, etc., on it then it is not slack. It is under tension and is taut. Take your fishing outfit and pull off some line and coil or serpentine it along the floor. Now go to the other end and whack your lure. You will NOT feel it. THAT is a slack line and you cannot feel anything on the end of it.

And watch out for those vibrating fish. I hear you can REALLY feel them.

@David gets me pumped to build and feel the effects of what my decisions when in use.

@David I'd love to talk more about your building and balancing. If you wouldn't mind shoot me an email, no pressure if you don't to talk to strangers- I didn't until I joined this board haha

Some good advice above I can't really add to except to second that you should build for comfort and technique (maybe technique before comfort) and balance after the fact. Try it out in different configurations before epoxy and take it from there. The longer tha handle the shorter the rod, I learned that hard way going with manufactured rods online that not all 7 foot rods are 7 foot rods haha

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