Thread: Two Piece or One piece Rods?

Had a professional rod builder put a length of fishing line on his rods I was checking out in showing me the sensitivity of the rod blanks he used. Compared 2 identical rods that were next step up from ultra light called ultra light med. rod blank. One rod was 2 piece other was single piece. He commented not only did the rod blanks deliver same sensitivity but also the type of rod guides and how they were attached to the rod blanks and basically any more, there is not much if any difference between a two piece or single piece rod blank, but how it’s made and put together plus the rod guides thrown into the equation. The name of the rod builder is Jim Grandt and he is also in the Freshwater fishing hall of fame. He builds some super beautiful rods of which are my favorite to use when casting a jig for crappie and gills.

It took me a minute to get through all of the information but I'll do my best to try and answer a few questions, put a few myths to bed, and maybe start a few fire storms!!!!

So, as some may know, I've been in the custom rod business for quite awhile. By business, I mean (I built or build a lot of rods). I rarely build and sell rods anymore (whole different story).

First questions: Are two piece rods less sensative than a one piece rod. Short answer. NO!
I can build a SJ-9000-2 7'6" medium light fast action rod and an SJ-9000-1 in the same action and you couldn't tell the difference when built the same.
I could also build them where you could tell the difference~!

For the most part, the eyes of the rod play more in to the overall weight of the rod then they do feel. That being said, the lighter the rod, usually the more felt sensativity.

The NUMBER 1 thing that gives sensativity to a rod is the ARBOR. The arbor is the matieral that is UNDER the reel seat and takes up the gap between the rod blank and the reel seat itself.

For years, cheaper rods utilized one of the cheapest and deadest products on the market (masking tape). You take masking tape and build up the blank until it fits the arbor. This has been done in the custom business as well.

Of course, even higher end rods do this. The only way to know what is in one is to either ask the company (if they will tell you) or cut one. The best products are urethane arbors, carbon fiber, or graphite. So, if you are having a rod built, ASK what they use for an arbor.

Next with sensativity is the materials used to make the rods. In the days of old, heavy glass materials were used. Today, we are talking about high end modulus graphite, and mixed fiber materials. All is this is done to increase sensativity and reduce weight.

Next is the handle. You primarily have three basic choices. EVA foam being the deadest. Folled by cheap cork, and then number 1 grade A cork. Many rod companies have gone as far as to get in to the SPLIT GRIP phase. Unfortunately, this comes at a cost. The cost is that a lot of these rods do not balance good in the hand. Some companies are now getting smart and actually creating reel seats with openings directly to the blank. Others are having their seats built to match the blank size exactly so they do not have to use an arbor.

If you ever go to a rod booth at a show, notice that they have carpet on the floor. This is for a reason. The reason is for you to BOUNCE the rod tip on the floor! This will help you with feel.

I've been asked this question 1 million times. What rod company would I use if I purchased one off the shelf? NUMBER 1 is Fenwick. Even though Gary sold the rod company a long time ago, and I don't like what they did, G. Loomis is still in the number 2 spot. Favorite has slowly climbed into the number 3 slot for me. St. Croix doesn't make my top five!

If you want a custom rod built, here is the blanks I would recommend at this point in time. All of them are used for different things based on who and what. MHX, Batson, SAGE, AT, to name a few.

Basically put, I could take a 10 dollar blank and make it 100 times more sensative than a company that builds it and sells it for 30 bucks in the store. That said, custom rods cost money for a reason! They are custom. They are built light weight with the best componants to provide the best balance, sensativity, and feel for the purpose they are built and for the specific user.