I am picking out components for a new 5 wt fly rod build. I have only built 2 other fly rods both of which were much heavier (9 wt and 10 wt). Any recommendations on a nice reel seat, or something to avoid? I am doing a half wells birch bark grip.
Thanks!

Check out Ray Lee.

Hey Todd
Do you intend to use a skeleton seat with a wood spacer - or all aluminum.
Look on the RECcomponents.com website.
They have both
Herb
CTS

Those Ray Lee seats are beautiful. Do the slide rings stay tight?

Thx Herb! I haven’t decided but I’ve been looking at a lot of vendor’s products. Still deciding what I want to do. Those Ray Lee seats are nice.

If pure performance and reel security is your goal, you cannot beat any of the quality nylon-composite seats (Fuji type). Any of these seats can be cut and fitted with a variety of barrel inserts.

.........

Todd Jensen Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Those Ray Lee seats are beautiful. Do the slide
> rings stay tight?


I have only used the screw lock type and it works well.

I have not used the sliding ring type.

Tod
You do not want sliding rings for that blank
Herb
CTS

I really like the Lemke LC1 with a nice insert. There are some beautiful ones available.

Good to know! Thx!! I was leaning away from that anyway.

Sliding rings are an ugh IMHO other than aesthetic nostalgia effect on cane or super light rod.

Lemke very nice units. Custom Fly Rod Crafters in N.M. carries a good selection of Lemke and others. Proof Fly Fishing has very affordable units. Neither of those companies support this forum, while many supporters here to the left offer a good mix of seats: Mud Hole, Getbit, REC,etc.

On a 5 wt I personally prefer an upclocking seat with one locking nut and a wooden spacer. I always like maple. Batson has some good offerings.

Thank you all for the feedback!! Very helpful!!

Struble also has some very, very nice reel seats.

Choices to make:

Up or down locking?
Type of spacer? Wood, graphite, all metal reel seat, new window type? If wood,what type of wood and color of the stain?
Color and type of metal in reel seat? Black, TiGrey, gold, silver, nickel plated or aluminum?
Does reel seat need to complement or play off the color of guides, hook keeper, blank color, thread color,etc?

Have fun! That is that capability and enjoyment of custom rod making. You get to choose!

Go look at some rod hardware at retail and see what you like.

I like the Black Zen ones from JP Ross



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/23/2024 07:03PM by Evan Cobb.

To answer your question about reel seats. On 5wt rods for myself, I tend to go with a small Fuji spinning seat used uplocking and cut down for my little reel. For others, I use whatever they pick. If they leave it to me I tend to go with a nice stabilized wood insert with polished or blackened nickel furniture. If they don't want to spend that much I offer them other alloy or composite and insert options, and they pick their poison. I also go with single foot wire and fuji strippers if they want wire, or a full set of fuji ringed guides if they prefer that option. If they don't gopher either I do the same as with seats, give them the options and they decide.

I've been building 7.5' 2 pc 3~4 wt fly rods and loading them with a floating weight forward 5wt for a while now. I mostly use them when I run the boat on ponds while my brother works from the front of the boat. I throw homemade foam bugs around stumps and deadfalls. If you get lucky you can drag some slab sunfish out from under those snags. There is also an industrial reservoir near me composed of two basins connected by a large channel cut between them. It's cut from granite so the sides are near verticle and flat. I also use the 5wt to throw some micro deceivers and bounce them off that wall and let them fall down the wall. On the right day, you can knock off juvenile stripers until you get tired of reeling them in. On a 5wt with a single action reel, it's a real hoot.

The one I've got going now is on a PacBay 3~4wt 2 pc blank. I've got a small silver alloy Atlas style uplocking reel seat with a black carbon fiber insert. Normally I'd use a small Fuji reel seat for my personal rods, but I wanted to dress this one up a little. I usually get some PacBay single foot wire guides with Fuji hardloy strippers, but for this one I got silver REC Recoil everything with double foot strippers and single foot running guides. I've got a large and small loop tip, but I'm thinking I'm going to get some kind of SIC ringed tip. It's next in line to get wrapped so the real dilemma is coming. What color(s) to use. I'm pretty boring when it comes to colors. I tend to run toward blacks reds and shades of gray.

I second all things said about Ray Lee-he is an artist with wood and a heck of a nice guy!