What is a Custom Fishing Rod - Part 3 of a series

We will discuss some of the issues with handles in this post.  The handle of any fishing rod make handling the rod more comfortable for the fisher person, and consists of four basic parts; the rear grip, the reel seat, fore grip and butt cap.  On some big game rods, the butt cap is composed of a gimbal that fits into a nock on a belt worn by the fisherman for stability and leverage.

Grips present a playground for rod builders in that they can exert creativeness in designing the grip.  We believe that the grip must fit the fisherman ergonomically.  The diameter and length must be fit to the fisherman and the technique and possibly the species being sought.  After building hundreds of rods we have honed down a data base of measurements and use that data to fit the handle to the fisherman.  Our web site has a diagram of how to take measurements of the hand and arm to make this system work.  Take a look at http://www.lakeladyrods.com/.

Building the grip can be done in many ways and use several different materials from cork, cork tape, fiber, wood, rubber, EVA (ethyl vinyl acetate) and other materials.  These can be shaped or molded and then bonded to the rod blank to form the handle.  Some handles employ split grips where the butt end of the rod may show with only a small rear grip, and possibly no or even a very small fore grip.  Colorful intricate designs are possible.  Butt caps are generally fashioned from similar materials to match the grips and can also have shells, buttons, logos, coins and other items inserted into them.

Reel seats come in various sizes and configurations.  They are epoxied to the rod blank between the grips.  Reel seat inserts can like grips may be fashioned from many different materials such as stabilized wood, cork, ceramic, metal, or a combination of these materials.  The reel seat must be placed on the blank so the entire rod will function properly at completion and while fishing.  There are some special techniques that a custom builder will employ to ensure that the strength of the rod is utilized and the action and power of the blank are maximized.

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