how do you determine reel seat distance? - Striper Talk Striped Bass Fishing, Surfcasting, Boating

labrax · 03-09-2006, 09:57 PM

I am planning on building a spinning rod and a casting rod - both on older 11' Fenwick fiberglass blanks (SU1348). Was wondering if anyone had any recommendations on what the distance should be from the butt end to where the reel seat is located for each set-up. I guess it is somewhat personal preference - but is there some general starting point or guideline? I am 5'11" and have a normal wingspan.

Thanks for your help.

Pete

Goose · 03-09-2006, 10:12 PM

On rods that are 10' or 11' you can start by holding the rod straight out in front of you with the butt end stucked into your arm pit, give or take a bit. Also, consider where you'll be fishin. If you can not load the rod like you normaly would, consider a shorter butt. When I wade out over my waste I find that a 9' with less butt is much easier to load.

labrax · 03-09-2006, 11:13 PM

Goose - thanks for the reply. I was thinking about maybe not putting a reel seat at all on the spinning rod and just taping the reel on to be able to move it around to what works the best. If I wanted a reel seat on it after building this one piece rod I would be SOL though. I guess I should just see what distance is most comfortable from the rear hand to the upper hand.

Have a good night,

Pete

spence · 03-09-2006, 11:19 PM

Use a real seat...

-spence

tlapinski · 03-10-2006, 06:45 AM

For my rods over 9', I use a butt around the length from my armpit to the tip of my hand. I mark this off, then do some simulated casts to find a comfortable spot. I do like a longer butt than others, but I have some specific lengths for certain applications that work for me. On shorter rods, I knock an inch or two off the longer rods until it feels rioght, without losing too much of the overall rod length. It really comes down to what you are comfortable and used to. Perhaps find a rod you like and work from there.

labrax · 03-10-2006, 07:18 AM

Thanks guys for responding to the question. This weekend with the nice weather looks like it'll be a good time to get the blank outside and try and determine what feels best for the butt distance. Have a good weekend.

Pete