I just got off the phone with a very good friend of mine in Tullahoma, TN, who, in my own opinion, is a great rod builder. He is a Sage dealer but will build you a rod on whatever blank you prefer. He is also a bamboo rod builder. His rods are very well made because he tends to be a “perfectionist” and will not let a rod go out of his shop unless he is satisfied with the build. He builds many saltwater rods for a shop in Florida and he just loves building them. We were just talking about things in general and the discussion got to “hook keepers” on rods. Trust me, my friend hates to put a hook keeper on a rod, but, will if you insist on one. I am one of those customers who insist on a hook keeper. His answer is that you have 8 to 9 hook keepers on the rod!
I have noticed a lot of fly fishing men/women who will hook the fly to a guide and loop the fly line around the reel when they are moving to another location on the river to fish. I prefer to hook the fly to the hook keeper because I feel that the metal hook could do damage to a rod guide, which could do damage to your fly line, since it will do damage to the reel foot (scratch in the metal) on a reel when you hook the fly at that location. Once again, this is just my observation and nothing more. I mentioned to my rod building friend that I thought the designers of reels should design a “hook keeper” on the reel somewhere which would put the fly hook at a location where it would not get tangled in the rod tube liner and don’t ask me how I know it will do that!
He stated that some saltwater reels have that option. He stated that he always felt the “hook keeper” should be located in the fly rod end cap at the bottom as a “hole” or maybe a “groove” for the fly hook to slide in and I thought that sounded like a great idea. What are you all’s opinions on this? Just curious and nothing more…
Ive done some with and some without. I was under the impression that if it was a fly rod it HAD TO have a hook keeper…but after 1 fishing trip westward…and I watched the guide hook the fly to the BRACE of the lowest stripper…and as you described wrap the leader around the reel…etc…I though what the heck.
So some I have and some I havent…
EDIT:
BTW…Is Tullahoma where “Crockett s” restaurant is?? Never mind I went and looked. Yepper…had a super fine meal there with my main man from Shelbyville
Well, Warren, I pretty much see it like you do… I put hook keepers on all the rods I build unless the guy asks me not to. I also add them to rods I buy if they ain’t there already. I really don’t like to wrap the leader around the reel unless I have to, because I’ve damaged some that way and had 'em break of short there later. I’ve seen some reels with a built in keeper on them, though I can’t remember what kind they were. I’d say the idea of a hook keeper “hole” or “groove” somewhere like you mention is a great idea…
I’ll be working on that in the next couple builds I do. I have about four lined up for this winter… not counting a spin rod for a good worm dunker friend of mine.
Later…ModocDan
Hello Warrenp, i don’t install hook holders anymore for the reason your builder friend mentioned…there are some on the rod/reel/reelseat already. I don’t do the wrap around the reel thing anymore…as mentioned by another, i’ve had probs with that so stopped. I will place the point of the hook under the left front reel foot under the hood and this has been working well for me for quite some time now and with care, no damage to the hook occurs. There will be some scratching in the area of the hood and some on the reel foot too but i don’t take that as damage, just ‘character’ marks.
Also, there are reelseats that have a place for the hooks…our sponsor Struble has at least two models now…the 15 and 18HG. You can see them at the website.
Cheers,
MontanaMoose
One thing I just finished doing on my latest rod - moved my hookkeeper from underneath the rod to the “far” side, so that if I want to lean my rod over my arm it won’t get poked by the hookkeeper(done that).
I don’t sell rods, so I get to do what I want to. I don’t like hook keepers on my rods. Once in a while the line will accidently get wrapped around it when shooting line out. I don’t like to feel it when carrying the rod. With saltwater flies you can usually put the hook point in the reel seat next to the reel foot. With trout flies I wrap the line around the reel and hook it on a guide.
I don’t put hook keepers on the rods that I build for myself because the leader is usually longer than the fly rod. If you hook the fly on the keeper, the end of the leader is inside of the tip top and can’t be shaken out. You must walk your hands up the rod until you can reach the tip top to get the end of the fly line out of the tip top before you can cast again. Bringing the leader around the reel and back up to a guide(usually the stripper) solves this problem.
The only thing I will input on this is back in the day we just hooked the fly in the cork. Yep in the cork you could tell how much fishing a person did by how tore up the tip of the cork was. I don’t care one way or the other for a hook keeper. I do offset them when building a rod.
I build mostly bamboo rods and almost refuse to put them on my rods.
After having to re wrap a few rods brought in to me (hook point had cut the thread binding the keeper) I can see where it is easy to miss the small hook keeper and cut the thread (yes through the epoxy) .
In all my years of fly fishing I have always hooked my fly into the stripper frame and looped around the reel with the leader.
I just do not like them as I also think them ugly!
Denny
I do not like the hookkeeper and always use the guides, usually the foot of the stripper guide, but sometimes farther up depending on the length of my leader. The hookkeepers are usually right at the area I grip the rod when walking around the stream and it just bugs me when I can feel it.
Both HarleyBob and Herefishy mention the keeper being offset. My factory Loomis has the keeper facing to the left if you look down on the rod. I thought this was to make it easier for the angler to use the keeper as it made it more difficult for me being a lefty.
Could you pros give me a little more info on the pros of offsetting the keeper?
Thanks
Tim
I don’t consider my self a pro but I off set on the right for right handers and the left for left handers. This keeps the hook keeper out of the way when casting. If the hook keeper is on top or the bottom it has a tendency to get in the way while casting. Just my logic nothing more.
I put mine on the right so I can rest my rod on my left arm when I am changing flies or such. Haven’t really used them much, but thought if I had it on, I might use it when I put the rod back in the (rod and reel together) case.
I don’t really have anything else to add, it just seems more a matter of personal preference. I put hook keepers on spinning rods on the left had side so that it is easy to put the hook through it with your crank hand without turning the rod. I don’t put them on fly rods since I normally use the support for the first or second stripping guide and wrap back around the reel. This keeps the hook away from my hand when carrying the rod and the end of the fly line outside of the tip top.
I have a Redington Preditor 9wt. It has a hook keeper system built into the reel seat. Don’t know about other Redington rods.
http://www.redington.com/prod.php?k=50169&p=RDT5-2023T002&u=Predator
Many of my rods have hookkeepers. I do not use them for two reasons.
Most of them will crush your fly or somehow disfigure it.
Secondly, I fish rather long leaders and do not like the “kink” in my
leader that will almost always occur where the leader is drastically
“bent” at the tiptop. Almost impossible to straighten.
They look fine on a rod, but not necessary…my opinion.
Bob
Don’t use them on my rods that have them. Don’t put them on the rods I build. Like most have said, I hook the stripper frame, but I can’t see how any possible damage done by a hook (which is softer metal than hard chrome, btw) to the area down at the foot of a snake guide could ever hurt a fly line. Dirty line sawing back and forth through the loop of the snake would be much more likely to produce line-shredding grooves. I wouldn’t hook the fly anywhere on the reel seat or butt cap, either, because I don’t want that hook to end up in my hand if I’m carrying the rod through brush and the line gets snagged. Good cork is way too expensive and hard to replace for that option, imo.
-CC
I don’t care for the hook keepers either, and from experience I can tell you the older folks who take blood thinners will ALWAYS draw blood from the hook in the keeper.
But when you are on an aspirin regimen, it doesn’t hurt as much.
I don’t know how to say this delicately, but when I jabbed myself the second or third time, I finally figured out that there was something sharp there and I avoid that part of the rod now so I don’t get stuck again. Kind of like going to the doctor and saying, “It hurts when I do this.” and the doctor replies, “Then don’t do that!” :lol:
I use the loop and strap on my vest to hold the rod. Rod butt goes in the loop on the lower right…lay rod across my chest and the velcro strap on the upper right closes down on the blank that way I dont need either hand