I am building a Rod Geeks 3wt 7' c4 fly rod and would like to be able to use it as both a fly rod and spinning rod. What would you recommend for a grip? I plan to use Seaguide stripper with stainless insert and round wire fly guides for the rest of the guide train. Any recommendations on guide sizing and stripper size would be helpful. Any recommendations on the build would be helpful. I have very little experience with fly blanks.

There was an article in RodMaker several years ago on the spin/fly rod types. It's not hard to do. The blank butt is fitted with a male ferrule that mates to a female on the handle, both ends. By flipping the handle end to end you convert from a fly to a spinning rod. The guide set-up would be NGC style which works fine for fly fishing as well. You are embarking on a great project.

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Tom, Thank you for the reply. Would the 27x guide system work for fly and spinning? Where can I get the ferrules? If I could find a caron blank to build the handle and grip on with the right size to slip the blank on could I use that instead the ferrules?

Tim,
While Tom’s suggestion is certainly valid, an easier yet possibly more versatile / effective answer may be the employment of a “Tennessee Handle” with PROPER tapered slip rings to secure the reel. Beside being the most comfortable, in-hand seat, one can easily switch between a spin or fly reel set-up, move the reel fore or aft for the desired “balance”, and more. I will elaborate further if you’re interested.

Mark Talmo
FISHING IS NOT AN ESCAPE FROM LIFE BUT RATHER A DEEPER IMMERSION INTO IT!!! BUILDING YOUR OWN SIMPLY ENHANCES THE EXPERIENCE.

Yes, 27X will work for either. You'd be looking for the common chrome over brass ferrules. Quite a few companies still carry them. You can build the handle on a short section of carbon or aluminum but you'd want a non-tapered tube regardless.

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Mark,
Please elaborate on you grip style please. How long would it end up being? Would Ice rod/ Castration bands work to hold the reels or would they not work for open water?

Tim,
A “Tennessee Handle” (TH) is simply a consistent OD handle / grip with bulbed ends to keep the slip rings from sliding off. They can be any length desired but I have found 12 - 13in to be the best, all around length. It is mounted to the blank in 2 pieces so that the slip rings can be installed and after bonded to the blank, the bulbed ends retain the slip rings. The typical material employed is cork which is soft enough for the slip rings to take hold of; birch bark may be the hardest material suitable. There are those who use CF tubes but the slip rings do not hold very well at all on the hard, smooth surface.Those using CF tubes generally use electrical tape but that must be an awfully sticky mess in short order.
The key to SECURELY holding the reel onto a TH is the design of the slip rings. Parallel tubing will not work; they must be tapered or at the very least swaged to accept the shape of the tapered feet of the reel. I fabricate my own from CF / Aramid (Kevlar) woven sleeving built on a plastic mandrel with a 4* (8* included angle). The only commercially available slip rings which I have used were from PacBay which have a swaged “hood”. Although they apparently work, I do not care for the swaged hood; with the consistent taper of my slip rings, I can twist the rings in opposite directions while mounting the reel which really helps in securing the reel = I have never had a reel loosen while fishing.
The taped rings sit flat on the handle and ramp up the reel foot and are thus just about the most comfortable in-hand seat / handle arrangement going. Either a spin or fly reel can be used. The reel can be quickly and easily moved fore or aft to achieve the desired balance or casting distance; fore = better balance while aft to effectively lengthen the rod for more distance. The total weight is just about as minimal as one can get = no formal seat. All my FW rods will sport a TH from now on.
[www.rodbuilding.org]
[www.rodbuilding.org]

Mark Talmo
FISHING IS NOT AN ESCAPE FROM LIFE BUT RATHER A DEEPER IMMERSION INTO IT!!! BUILDING YOUR OWN SIMPLY ENHANCES THE EXPERIENCE.

Mark,
Could I get a detailed explanation of the slip rings?
Like exact plastic mandrel used, And carbon fiber along with places to get the supplies to make.
Do you epoxy the carbon fiber to the plastic?
How do you get the taper?
Would they stay secure for ice fishing?
Thank you for the explanation of the Tennessee handle.
I was wondering on the length,

You could also test 3-5” spey type rear grips. It would probably give you plenty for a light rod if the balance and casting performance were to your liking.

Tim,
The mandrel is machined from a 1.25in diameter Acetal (Delrin) rod; 4* on each side = 8* included angle. While Acetal may not be the most slippery plastic, it certainly is one of the best for machining. McMaster Carr stocks it. I typically use CF / Aramid (Kevlar) hybrid woven sleeving (2 plies), but the Aramid makes it extremely difficult to cut and sand. May I suggest that you use straight CF or CF / FG (which comes in colors) to simplify your life. The woven sleeving and a very good structural laminating epoxy can be purchased from Soller Composites. Yes, the sleeving is wet-out while on the mandrel and allowed to cure. Being from SoCal, ice fishing is quite rare out here, but I certainly see no reason a TH would pose a problem. [www.rodbuilding.org]

Mark Talmo
FISHING IS NOT AN ESCAPE FROM LIFE BUT RATHER A DEEPER IMMERSION INTO IT!!! BUILDING YOUR OWN SIMPLY ENHANCES THE EXPERIENCE.

Hello All.

Here is what I came up with.

21/2 Build: Spin/Fly Combination Travel Rod By Tom Kirkman. 16
12/3 Build: Spin/Fly Combination Travel Rod. By Tom Kirkman. 10

These are Cast-Spin:

17/4 Build: Travel Rods, When 2 Equals 3, A 3-Piece Rod That Is. By Raymond Anderson. 18
18/6 Build: Tennessee Combo Rod. By John McCleish. 22


Tight Wraps & Tighter Lines.

Bob,

New Bern, NC.

Robert is always a welcomed and valued wealth of (categorized) information.

Mark Talmo
FISHING IS NOT AN ESCAPE FROM LIFE BUT RATHER A DEEPER IMMERSION INTO IT!!! BUILDING YOUR OWN SIMPLY ENHANCES THE EXPERIENCE.

Thank you all for the ideas. I have a leaning curve to build the rings. For now I will use a Tennessee style grip with some slip rings I purchased a while back.