 Here is a look at a standard spinning grip. These are really uncomfortable after a long day. The grips are contoured but not necessarily to fit your hand. Also the reel seat is very small 16mm/17mm dia. and will cause a lot of cramping after holding this for the whole day.
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 I have been experimenting with several handle designs in an attempt to increase sensitivity and comfort. This handle has been designed with those traits in mind. The rear handle is a split grip design and the reel seat is a Fuji Deluxe Graphite 18mm spinning seat with the threads trimmed to a minimum. The graphite will remain warm to touch in the cold weather. The larger diameter reel seat will remain more comfortable, resulting in less cramping. In front of the reel seat is a single cork ring, which I like to call the "Button". This design does two things: 1) the short length allows the angler to place the index finger on the blank to increase sensitivity. 2) the rounded cork ring makes grasping the handle more comfortable. Without it, the finger lays across the edge of the reel seat, which becomes uncomfortable after a long day of fishing. With many reports in from anglers that I have built this setup for, overall it is the most comfortable and sensitive spinning reel handle that they have used so far. The section in the split area is marbled for that unique one of a kind look.
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Here I have built a conventional Tennessee handle. This allows greater movement of the reel to obtain the balance point that you desire. I don't use standard natural cork for my grips anymore. I have found that the use of burl cork helps with the over all balance of the rod (due to the burls density). Also the grain pattern looks better than the pits in natural cork. A big plus is that it is more slip resistant.
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Here is an example of the burl cork rings that I now use for my grips. I have turned this tennessee grip in a shorter length, to be mounted at the balance point that the owner desired. I used the slip rings on this grip so that the combo of the cork and the rings would be comfortable. This also aids in two-handed casting when called for. When fishing the rod, you won't miss the cork in the center, as the butt section is the only area that comes in contact with the forearm. The section in the split area is marbled for that unique one of a kind look.
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Here is an example of the full length rear grip on a casting rod. As I stated before that I don't use standard natural cork rings for my grips anymore. I have found burl to be much nicer in appearance. It offers more grip, and because it is more dense it offer more for balancing the rod.
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In this example it shows you the look the burl cork rings bring to a casting rod. I have split the rear grip on this casting rod. Trimmed the excess threads from the seat, and built a epoxy ramp over the front. The section in the split area is marbled for that unique one of a kind look. I used a standard trigger seat for this rod, (at the owners request) but it is made even more sensitive by the use of an (exposed blank) trigger seat.
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Just for you anglers that have a nostalgic love for a pistol grip rod, here you go. Short rods have been fitted with this style of handle in the past for casting spinner baits and jerk baits. This is a preformed grip (the only one I don't make).
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Again the same setup without a fore grip. The short handle aids in casting, especially the roll cast, as the handle doesn't hit your forearm. Again this is a preformed handle and it will mate with the Fuji ECSM reel seats, which have the exposed blank in front of the trigger, (as shown).
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