I have a situation where my boo rod has rings that will not accommodate a particular reel because the reel foot is too large. Any ideas? Thanks
i had that problem and what i did was to file down the reel foot so it would fit. it was an older reel so it didnt matter if it no longer looked pristine.
Unfortunately, my reel is not “sacrificeable” and the real seat is nickel silver.
Sounds like a new reel, then.
Don’t want to sound smart arsie … but … use a different reel?
ditto what kb said
I want to use a heavier reel to balance my 8’ 6 wt boo rod to prevent casting fatigue because the rod is otherwise tip heavy.
Is the seat itself cork or wood? A picture would help.
The reel seat appears to be a Bellinger DLTB 660 with a wooden insert
Not seeing it , Would it be possible to add weight to the back of the rod, say by epoxying a coin or washer to or under the butt cap.
My understanding is that you are using an oversized reel to balance things.
My thought was to mortise the reel seat if it is not already done. However, the specs for that seat say it is already mortised.
If it is not, it would need to be removed from the rod and mortised. Naturally, it would be best if the person handling the modifications had both the reel and seat to ensure a good fit. This is not what I would call a great solution.
Another idea I just had that would at least help you see if it is that big a thing would be to take a proper sized reel with a small arbor and wrap an ounce or so of good old fashioned solid core lead solder on after you tie the backing to the reel and before winding the backing on. That would add the balance weight and not mess with any of the components. Choose the right reel and no one will ever know it is there except you. You can mash it flat to take up less room and hide it easier, too. If you mash the solder, you might be able to hide it on a large arbor reel by wrapping it in the center of the arbor and letting the backing conceal it on the sides.
Or you could use lead core trolling line as all or part of your backing to add weight to a lighter reel. Then it functions as backing should a fish run that far on you.
But agreed, without damaging the reel or the rod your options are quite limited with the hardware you currently have.