All,

I've only built 4 rods over the past 4 seasons and seem to have to relearn everything that I had picked up from the previous build. In other words, I might as well be working on my first rod. This time around I'm building a 10ft 6wt 4pc switch rod for a friend using a Dan Craft FT kit. The kit included a threaded insert for a removable butt or lower grip when used as a two-handed rod. My problem is that the threaded insert does not fit into the butt section of the blank.

OSD had posted a topic where he described an adaptor that fit snuggly around the threaded insert and inside of the reel seat to provide some resistance to the inevitable bending moment. I'm curious if this approach worked or if more is needed to brace the butt/lower grip.

Thanks for any advice you can provide on the topic.

tt

Is the handle extention like a long fighting butt arbor that should be fitted to the bottom of the real seat not the inside of the rod blank?

Yes. The handle extension is like a 4" fighting butt with a 1+" threaded connection that is cemented into the handle. The threaded connection is coupled with a female insert that seats against the bottom of the reel seat exactly like a butt cap. I'm concerned that simply epoxying the female portion of the coupling to the reel seat will be completely inadequate for long term use. In fact I would doubt if it would last long at all. I would have a bit more confidence in the connection if the threaded insert could slide into the blank.

If you really don't care if the fighting butt is removable I wouldn't use it set up like that. I have done that once and didn't even use the the lower section for 2-handed casting and it came apart. I would find a lower grip for a spey rod or switch rod and use it. Just move the fore-grip and seat up the blank enough to make it work...

AKTrouter,

Thanks for the reply. Dan had suggested building up an arbor of thread and epoxy, or I've read where others have used tape and epoxy. Dan has never lead me astray and if I were building the rod for myself, I might give it a try. However, since I'm giving it away, I want to be confident that the lower grip does not give way. I think I'll take your advice.

Thanks again,

tt

Probably too late BUT...I know I am new to rod building but I am not new to using a double handed rod and I agree with AK, put the bottom grip directly on the blank and move up the fore grip and reel seat, switch rods and 2 handed rods (spey rods), when casted using a 2 handed method, recieve a lot of pressure and torque and a threaded extension just doesn"t seem like a good idea, plus the energy transfer would be greater through the blank. Hope this helps

I'm in the process of putting together the components for a 10'6" switch rod. Is a 4" butt grip "normal"? Would 3" be long enough? I'm concerned that too long a butt grip may interfere with one handed casting, but I also understand that 2-handed casting is really the norm for these rods. I had already decided to mount the butt grip permanently before this thread got going, so I'm glad to see I'm not totally off base there. I was also thinking of using a 10" fore grip, not wanting to go to the full 14" of a Spey grip....

Feel like I am hijacking a thread(sorry) I just measrued my T&T 10" DH ( not the new switch model) and the fore grip is 9 1/2" and the bottom is 4 1/4. I've talked to a custom builder who only makes 2 handed rods and for general purposes, he makes the fore grip 1 inch per foot in length. I measured the bottom grips on my "longer" double handed rods and they are between 5 1/2"and 6" and those are 13' to 14' rods. 3 1/2" to 4" sounds about right. Also the casting style, rod weight and reel weight should be taken in to consideration, as well as reel seat configuration (ul or dl) for balance. I guess it's a little more complicated than I thought to answer but, in short, for me the 4 1/4" bottom handle on my T&T does not effect single handed casting.