I dont see to many fishers with real cork handles on their surf rods.
After putting in several long nights in the surf with wet hands, I managed to rub the skin off the base of my index finger. The constant casting and twisting combined with wet hands softened the skin and it just peeled like an orange.
I think the small diameter of the grip and roughness of the tape may have contributed to this.
Does anyone use real cork on their longer surf rods in the 10-11' range?
Any pros-cons with either.

For the past 4 years I have been using a real cork foregrip with cork tape for the rear grip, usually double wrapped and sometimes with anti skid overwrap. This spring I built up 2 - 9' and 1 - 10' rods this way and am very happy with the setups. These are not light rods, with optimal loadings running from 2 - 4 ozs. Even with the anti skid overwrap of the cork tape I haven't worn any skin off. Maybe I'm not doing enough fishing? I don't see any disadvantage to a cork foregrip other than cost, and it sure is more comfortable when you are playing a fish.

I much prefer real cork, although I am not sure where your hand is coming in contact with the tape if you hold the reel with the reel seat between your fingers on a spinning reel. On a casting reel I find my hand wrapped around the reel, and hardly coming in contact with the grips at all except to cast and play fish. Is it the real seat on the rod that is doing the damage?

Can't say about the finger irritation, but just the other day I was talking with a guy at the canal, and he showed me his rod with the cork tape......It has actually worn thru in one area (about 2-3 of the wraps) from holding it between his legs and hip boots and jigging the canal.

He said he was just gonna cut it off and leave the blank exposed as opposed to replacing it.....

I just hope that's not what's in store for my Tica with the cork tape....:(

You must be fishing Long Island Sound water :D ... I haven't had the problem before but just figured it you mat be able to solve some of it when building rods with shaped EVA grips around the real seat. How are you holding the rod when fishing? Spinning or conventional?

With my small spinner I learned I can get my hands a little raw from the tape I have on there, kinda like that Loomis non skid they use, not cork tape. But I have no prob with the conventional with the EVA grips and palming them side plate...

Krispy - the wear on your hands is just from you hands being wet and then rubbing on the rod. it happens when you put your time in. :D it is just another side affect of fishing hard. you should see the "wonderful" condition my hands are in come late november. i will never be able to persue my dream of someday being a hand model. :(

Girly hands! :)

I never have trouble with cork tape , in fact I prefer it to real cork. When it wears out , its a trivial thing to replace it.

I get callouses (sp?) in several spots on my hands during the fishing season. I think maybe you over did it all at once without building up to it gradually.

its regular cork tape and its from the motion when casting a spinner. Ever get those cramps in your hand from casting? I think the small diam. grips cause that too.
Toby, theres nothing better than washing your hands in soap at night with 1000 little nicks and slices in your hand, right :bc:
Maybe I just have soft hands- :claps:

Anyone get those major wedding ring calouses when fishing hard?

Softens hands while you do the fishes.


http://www.palmolive.com/images/dishwashing/aloe/bottles.jpg

Originally posted by Krispy
Anyone get those major wedding ring calouses when fishing hard? Got 'em...

I really don't have the other problems with the kin as the butt section of the rod is between the legs, right hand is more often than not on the handle and right hand is cupping the left sideplate of my reel.... Another benny for fishing conventional :D

there's 1/16 an there's 1/8 cork tape, most rod's have 1/16"... most of my rods have c.tape an are older than most of you. I wax my cork:eek: an don't leave them sitting in the sun which will kill cork faster than anything I know of. my hands look like a rino's butt an they haven't worn the cork out yet,,,,YES I do fish them hard an have had no problem as of yet.

I'm buidling a rod right now and I just installed a 5" real cork foregrip. The rod is only 9' and i did finish the butt end with a small piece of cork behind the reel seat and the rest with 1/16th" cork tape. I hear ya with the wear on the hand.

I have an interesting trick that I don't think anyone else has tried yet and I think it suits the true wading types better than cork tape :) Its kinda the best of both worlds and was a tweak on advice i was given to produce a G. Loomis grip.

Stick with a real cork foregrip but wrap the butt end once with cork tape, then go over it with that heavy duty textured tape you can get at Home Depot. Now that stuff is rough and will wear your hands down fast so....

.... the trick is to add a piece electrical shrink tube over it. Makes it smoother than cork tape but a little more texture than real cork and its very easily changed. Should weigh less than two wraps of cork tape too. :D

Still might not solve your problem if you have girlie hands :p

there are advantages of using cork tape vs using real cork for grips. one major disadvantage to using real cork is cost. it's much more expensive. real cork can get a more slippery feeling when compared to cork tape. cork tape is easy to replace once worn, but real cork is labor intensive and again, expensive to replace. using the 3m type grip material similar to loomis rods is not much better. it can be slippery when wet and is abrasive on your hands. but, real cork can be more attractive on/to a rod. i use real cork on most of my boat rods for fore grips and sometimes on all grips. surf rods get cork tape.

the final say is what the customer wants and likes. if you like real cork, go for it. if you think cork tape will fit the job, go for it.

John, I really dislike the feel of EVA foam, even the little bits on the factory Lamis I find annoying.
Im gonna try all cork on my next custom, I think the fuller handle will feel better thru a long night too

Not that cork tape is such a PITA anyway, but it may be helpful

Originally posted by Krispy
John, I really dislike the feel of EVA foam, even the little bits on the factory Lamis I find annoying.
Im gonna try all cork on my next custom, I think the fuller handle will feel better thru a long night too

Not that cork tape is such a PITA anyway, but it may be helpful

I hate EVA foam too but the more dense stuff shapped to taper away from the seat is incredibley comfortable, especially the back one behind the trigger on a conventional.... I love it. I would never use it for the whole butt section or leave it flat....