I am hijacking my own thread because the question seems to have lead naturally to grip material. See my new post in this thread.
I put one of these wraps on my favorite spinning rod 2 years ago. I realy like the secure feeling it gives even when wet.
I am thinking about trying one on my 9 wt. bass rod. Is anyone else using them on a fly rod? Pros and Cons?
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I have tried a 12wt with the material wrapped over the grip when tuna fishing, but not enough to come to a conclusion as to whether I liked it or not. The grip definitely feels different and seemed more comfortable for a long battle. I was able to keep a more solid grip with sweaty hands, but not as solid compared to hypalon grips that are typically used on conventional big game rods and used by many builders of custom bluewater flyrods.
We are aquainted with several people who compete cast (Golden Gate CC and Oakland CC) and instruct cast that like the tape on the grips (flyrod).
I have baseball bat tape on my 10wt.
I like the grip
It looks like hell
The posts all were most enlightening especially the one about hypalon on blue water rods. Knowing cork as a grip material, as a fly tying (popper) material, and as a temporary barrier between myself and a glass of wine, I am aware of its attributes. Not all of them are stellar. That is why I am hijacking my own thread.
A while ago, as I gazed at a rack of fine graphite rods with my usual frustration that I could not take one home, it hit me. From the winding check to the tip we have space age materials that did not exist 35 years ago. The reel seats are similarly space age alloys or composit materials of recent development. But the grip material and the classic shapes are 100 years old. The shop keeper proclaimed,“There is no downside to cork.”
I said, “There are three. It is soft. It is fragile. It is expensive.” Softness equates to a lack of sensitivity and durability.
Fragility? Well we know it is customary to break the cork in half when the waiter presents it. We expect the lady to be impressed. But it is not a feat of strenght like tearing a phone book in half. It is a feat of culture. One can gouge a cork grip with one’s thumbnail. I visualize a cork grip shredding during a prolonged battle with a 200# Marlin though I have not seem it.
Cork rings are expensive. A single 1/2 inch premium cork ring comes in on the high side of $1.00. (BTW vintners are paying over a dollar per cork to get premium corks for their premium wines.) That’s over $20 worth of material to make a 10 inch grip.
OK, cork is traditional. In fly fishing, the old ways die hard. But, as the price of cork rises, and as nasty quality problems arise even with premium corks, the vintners are looking for a better bottle cap material. Some have already switched. Is the fly rod grip next after the wine bottle cork.
What are the alternatives? There are craftsmen out there turning handles from rare woods. I have seen the Birchbark grip-looking equally as fragile and more expensive than cork. Hypalon is one mentioned in the thread. I have seen a 7.5 inch Korkalon grip advertised that might do for lighter fly rods. The graphite Tenessee spin-rod handle has been around for a while. There is EVA which has been used as a grip on inexpensive rods. So, the idea of an alternative material is not totally foreign to fly rod grip construction.
Is anyone using these or other alternatives to cork for their grip material? Care to share your experience?
There is an old idea to use cane or rattan (the stuff chair seats are woven of) to wrap a fly rod grip. Like I said, one can find old rods with rattan grips and modern rod makers are bringing them back because it is so difficult to get good cork for grips. I have no personal experiance with rattan grips but I have seen them. BTW, the wine cork folks get first crack at the cork harvest and everyone else (including rod builders) is left to pick over that which is not used for wine corks.
Bear,
If you post this question at Rodbuilder.org you will get some insight from some of the worlds finest custom rod builders.
If you expect to see any inovation grip wise on medium to high end fly rods from the major manufacturers, it’s not likely for a long while (they are still using WIRE guides, for cheaps sake!).
But there are nice alternatives out there.
Some are ultilitarian, some are incredible works of art.
I can tell you from experience that closed cell foam made into rings and glued up into a grip does NOT work.
Good Luck!
Buddy
Thanks for the tip Buddy. It turns out that rodbuilder.org is a black hole. rodbuilding.org connects to the site you referred to. I will cast my question there and see how many rises it gets.