I'm a spin fisherman who's built several spin rods, but now I'm doing a fly rod for my brother and a few questions are popping up (9' 6wt Black Matrix).

I thought I had the measurements figured out when ordering parts, but it looks like I'll have to ream this reverse half-wells from .25" to .4". Also, the widest part of the grip is about 1" OD, but the narrow end is only .6" OD, leaving only .2" sidewall after reaming. Is all of this OK, or should I order a new grip with a larger ID and OD?

Also, it looks like the combined length of the reel seat and grip is about 11", which seems small for a 9' rod compared to my spinning setups. Does this sound normal?

Yep. That is pretty normal. They don't make factory grips in multiple sizes and any factory grip for a fly rod you buy will have a .25" bore that you have to ream out.

OK, good to know.

This is my first time posting but it's the 100th time you guys have helped me with something. Thanks to everyone for posting builds and tutorials and answering questions, this place cuts the learning curve down very quickly.

The measurement for the butt of your rod seems a bit large. My 6wt TFO measures about .35" at the grip, and smallest part of the reverse 1/2 Wells, is .625". Anyway, what most of us do, is ream a bit, then test fit, then ream some more. By removing material slowly we get a snug fit with minimal damage to the grip. Once glued to the blank, the thinness of the front of the grip is not an issue.

I was measuring the absolute butt and not the point where the grip sits, so you're probably close. It went fine once I knew this is normal. My spin setups have been much closer fits starting off. I knew kbp would answer fast so I thought I'd ask lol