New Meets Old

[Reel Old Geezer]

As many of you probably know, until the early 1900s all rods had straight grips. At that time reels had the foot mounted level with the end plates, which raised the reel above the level of the rod. In the early 1900s pistol grips with offset reel seats became popular. This type of rod handle was common until the latter half of the 20th century when straight grip rods again came in vogue, to help fishermen "feel" the fish hitting. This again put the reel high up on the rod, which reel makers solved by dropping the reel seat inside the diameter of the end plates. Now, with all our "modern" rods being of straight grip design, many very fine reels like the original Bantams and Ambassadeur reel are uncomfortable when palming, unless you have large hands. I still like to fish those older reels, so I solved my problem as shown in the following photos.

First I dug out an old cheap solid glass casting rod with a good reel seat:


You can see from this photo how much lower a reel can sit on your rod with this type of reel seat:


I removed the cork and heated the fore end until the rod shaft pulled free. Then I found a piece of a graphite rod that would fit on the butt shaft:


The major problem with this type of handle is the weight. This one was cast aluminum, and at this point it weighed 5.4 oz. I removed some of the shaft, slimmed the forend, and drilled holes in the reel seat. This lightened the total seat weight to 4.3 oz.


Then I found a couple of pieces of EVA foam and mounted them on the graphite butt piece.


I turned this foam to shape and epoxied it to the reel seat. I also epoxied a graphite rod shaft into the ferrule on the foregrip.


The result is a nice 6'3" medium casting rod, that is a bit heavier than most straight grip rods, but the weight is in your hand, not at the tip. Modern carbon or graphite technology could probably produce a lighter rod. Maybe this design will be the next thing to be recycled into the "newest thing" sometime soon.

[zodiak311]

Nice ROG! You've got my mind spinning for my next project. That recessed reel seat sure makes a big difference.

[smalljaw]

That is impressive! I think if you painted that reel seat black it would look even better than it does now but it still is a nice piece, great work!

[Tokugawa]

That would be perfect with micro guides!

[Basswrangler]

That would be perfect with micro guides!

That it would. It would be awesome if some modern rods were built this way using modern components for the reel seat. I would think that recessing the reel seat and bringing the line guide of the reel inline with the guides may result in a longer cast.

[vArm]

Great Idea and good work ROG, Just Awesome!

[Sonicx360]

Nothing beats a "modern meets traditional" attire in almost everything.

[dragon1]

Awesome idea...I have lately been perplexed as to how to get the TD-X 103HSDF to fit better/lower on certain older rods like the Abu Morrum. At least now I have a way to go.

[smalljaw]

That would be perfect with micro guides!

That it would. It would be awesome if some modern rods were built this way using modern components for the reel seat. I would think that recessing the reel seat and bringing the line guide of the reel inline with the guides may result in a longer cast.

I think that design could work with a rod designed for reaction type baits or top waters but for jigs and worms it may lose too much in the way of sensitivity for it to be a really great rod. I do remember my first casting rod having a reel seat that was very similar to that and having been removed from the market for so long it does look good with a little bit of a modern spin.

[DBOULAIS]

I could see chucking it in a vertical milling machine and taking at least another ounce off of it!http://forums.tackletour.com/posting.ph ... 46&t=37281#

[Reel Old Geezer]

I think that design could work with a rod designed for reaction type baits or top waters but for jigs and worms it may lose too much in the way of sensitivity for it to be a really great rod.

I'm not quite sure what I will use the rod for, but I have no worries about sensitivity. I believe aluminum will transmit as much, or maybe more, vibrations to my hand than a plastic reel seat that might have filler under it. Regardless, I usually fish alone which allows me to concentrate on my fishing, and I use braid without a leader. I believe those two factors are more important in "feel" presentations than the handle of the rod you're using. And when you're as old as I am it's hard to feel anything anymore.

[Iowa Matt]

One of the neatest things I have seen on this site! I love using old pieces to make new things........do the same sort of thing a lot with archery gear.

Good job

Matt

[RGMatt]

Awesome job ROG!!! I want one

[basspoundermatt]

That is one of the coolest things i have ever seen. How much does that reel seat weigh?

[Basswrangler]

That is one of the coolest things i have ever seen. How much does that reel seat weigh?

The major problem with this type of handle is the weight. This one was cast aluminum, and at this point it weighed 5.4 oz. I removed some of the shaft, slimmed the forend, and drilled holes in the reel seat. This lightened the total seat weight to 4.3 oz.

First post dude