Here's a question from the Volume 4 - Issue #3 issue of RodMaker magazine:
"I'm having trouble getting my rods to balance. I have added
weight to the inside of the blank where the butt cap goes but I am
finding that to get the balance I want I have to add as much as 2
ounches of weight. This isn't acceptable to me and I wonder how
other guys do it. Thanks." Randy . . .Eau Claire, WI
Adding a small amount of weight to the rod, as far back as possible
so as to do the most with least, can sometimes make for a rod that is
a bit heavier yet more comfortable to fish with. Other times, the
rod is so long or the balance point desired so far to the rear that
the amount of weight needed to achieve such balance creates an
unacceptably heavy rod.
There are a few additional ways to help balance a rod which don't
reply upon adding weight directly to the rod. One is to use a
larger or heavier reel to shift the balance back towards the
rear. Another method often overlooked is to make sure to use
the lightest and smallest guides possible on the blank's tip
area. Even a small reduction in weight here will favorably
shift the rod's overall balance point back a significant amount.
Then again, there are times when due to the overall length of the rod
and the desired balance point being so far towards the rear of the rod,
that you simply cannot achieve that balance by reasonable means. In
such cases, you just have to do all you can to keep the rod as light
as possible so a bit of forward balance won't be objectionable or
fatiguing to the angler. ~ Tom Kirkman
Publishers note:
If you have any tips or techniques, send them
along! Help out your fellow rodmakers!
~ Publisher, FAOL
|
