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Is there an ideal ratio of reel weight:rod weight that is to be attained? It seems like most reels weigh 1.5 to 2 times what a rod weighs, thereby rendering the question moot and thus why even bother trying to balance anything? Or does it just give us something to talk about?
Thanks,
Ben
I don't give rod/reel balance much thought unless it is some rediculous ratio.
A strung rod and reel will have a different balance point than when the reel is just mounted to the rod. When casting and more line is fed out the balance changes even more.
It's not reel wt. vs. rod wt., it's how it feels to you. It seems to me that many rods are tip heavy which after some time fishing wears your arm/wrist out. Allyn
Hey Ben,
While a flyrod and reel combination have
set weights, the line factor is a variable.
The amount of line through the guides has
an affect on the balance of the outfit. I
believe the idea is to achieve a comfortable
balance at the distances most often fished.
I believe this is a personal subjective type
thing and just a matter of achieving a
comfort factor that suits you. Personally,
I like to keep my rigs as light as I can.
It's what works for me. Warm regards, Jim
Generally speaking when you ask what a "properly balanced" outfit is the most common response will be that: with the reel on and loaded (backing +line) and the rod strung the balance point of the rod will fall within the grip, approximately where you will be grasping the rod. I disregard the notion that there isn't a balance point because "as you cast you have varying amounts of line out and therefore the balance point will be changing"; the act of casting involves intentionally applying a force to the rod to load and unload it to facilitate the cast. Rod balance is more of a static notion than a dynamic one, unless your outfit is way out of balance - then your arm and shoulder will tell you!
I have only had one outfit that IMHO was noticably out out of balance, it was a 7'-6" cane 4wt that I put a Hardy Featherweight on. The reel was far too light for the rod and the tip kept hitting the ground as I walked. Putting a heavier reel on balanced the outfit much better. Now there wasn't a significant difference in the castability, rather I no longer had to carry the rod by the blank to keep from digging the tip into the ground (really dodged a bullet there - whew;-))!
Wow! We get into all this scientific stuff about line in the air and all.
Arkriver,
I find it interesting your comment about "Tip Heavy". I once was really into building rods. I built a large amount of them specifically for tournament casting. I built one ? an 8 wt I wanted to use for the Bass Bug game and for Salt Water fishing. Well I was really just learning then and built the rod super durable (so I thought) three stripping guides all the guides over-sized.
It made a really nice looking rod that I could only cast for a few casts and my arm felt like it was going to fall off! I showed it to an Old-Timer who used to manage a Rod-Manufacturing plant in Japan. He commented how ?Tip Heavy? it was (?wears your arm/wrist out ?) and showed me how in the old days they would insert lead BB shot into the inside of the Pflueger Medalist reels to balance the old bamboo rods. He even pointed out how the reel was specifically designed for adding the extra weight to avoid a ?Tip Heavy? outfit.
Well I went home and added a ton of BB shot to the inside of my Medalist and tried it out. The rod cast beautifully except now it was too heavy. So I stripped off all the guides and completely re-built the rod. This time I ?Balanced? it based on the Old-Timers advice. I modified the guides and guide spacing until the rod and reel (and line) would balance on my forefinger and when I closed my hand I had a perfect grip.
When completed it was one of the best feeling rods I had ever cast! Now when I build my rods I always take balance into consideration. It may not follow all the scientific rules, but the rods I build feel and cast better than most.
** ALWAYS listen to the Old-Timers **
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Let No One Walk Alone
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Bill
I agree that there are a lot of things you can do to get a outfit to balance. However I think some outfits will never balance in a reasonable approach. I have a 9 1/2 ft rod I built that I hope to rebuild this winter, but have doubts I will get where I want it. I works great for a belly boat rod as is. I have another I built that was supposed to be a 4 wt. that is hard to get balanced unless I overline it and use the largest reel I have.
I have thought about the BB trick but have not done it. I have taken the lead wire used to tie flies and wraped it in a reel spool under the backing. It is still there and fixed a couple of rods that were off very little.
As a side note it seems the reel makers keep making reels lighter which will make balancing harder. I agree that most of us want the lightest outfit possible but there are limits Allyn