Question About Today's Rods

**UpstateSC_Bill** · 05-21-2023, 05:33 PM

Old guy, old school here. All of my rods are at least 12 years old, some a good bit older than that. I fish mostly spinning tackle and most of that ultra light. As I read these threads and look at pictures and of course look at catalogs I scratch my head about one aspect of newer rods. What is the reason for the exposed rod blank between the reel seat/handle and the butt of the rod. Why do most people seem to like it or prefer it? Why did a full length cork handle seem to go away?

Is it supposed to be a weight savings? Is it a cosmetic thing? If that's it then in my opinion it is ugh-lee. Does nobody ever grip that area for any reason? Do people just not like cork any more? Is it to fight climate change?

Is it a JDM thing? I don't think so.

Just a curiosity. Feel free to roast the olde pharte.

**gillchaser999** · 05-21-2023, 05:44 PM

From what I’ve read it was a weight savings thing to begin with and I think folks thought it looked cool so it became popular.
Personally, I would like to see the full cork handles to make a comeback.
Ever try to put one of the new rods in a rod holder ? Doesn’t work that well .

**DockShootinJack** · 05-21-2023, 05:49 PM

Weight savings is what I have read as well. I am sure a lot of then are because it is the new in thing

**Alphahawk** · 05-21-2023, 07:51 PM

It is for weight savings. One thing is true no matter the rod….the lighter it is the more sensitive it is. I have trout rods that have full cork handles and real wood seats. I don’t care about sensitivity with those rods as I am using them with hard lures. I do not want full cork on my bluegill and crappie rods. I want them as sensitive as possible. My lightest rod is 1.6 ounces. My stream trout rods are around 3 ounces or a little more….expensive rods but not worth a crap detecting a light bite using micro plastics. I’ll throw something else out to you…the heavier the reel you put on a rod it also takes away from the sensitivity. A rod is at its best when it is just the blank…the minute you start adding to the blank the less sensitive it becomes. Many rod builders have become very adapt at building rods with very minimal weight being added. They look to save a gram here and a gram there.

Regards

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**Centurion** · 05-21-2023, 08:06 PM

Full cork cost more to make. Less cork less cost. Sell same price.

**dannypeoples** · 05-21-2023, 11:02 PM

Originally Posted by Centurion

Full cork cost more to make. Less cork less cost. Sell same price.

Yeah, I was thinking the same. They increase their profit margin by cutting on the cost of the raw materials.

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**UpstateSC_Bill** · 05-22-2023, 10:20 AM

Originally Posted by Alphahawk

It is for weight savings. One thing is true no matter the rod….the lighter it is the more sensitive it is. I have trout rods that have full cork handles and real wood seats. I don’t care about sensitivity with those rods as I am using them with hard lures. I do not want full cork on my bluegill and crappie rods. I want them as sensitive as possible. My lightest rod is 1.6 ounces. My stream trout rods are around 3 ounces or a little more….expensive rods but not worth a crap detecting a light bite using micro plastics. I’ll throw something else out to you…the heavier the reel you put on a rod it also takes away from the sensitivity. A rod is at its best when it is just the blank…the minute you start adding to the blank the less sensitive it becomes. Many rod builders have become very adapt at building rods with very minimal weight being added. They look to save a gram here and a gram there.

Regards

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No doubt all you say is true. But if you can truthfully feel the difference in sensitivity between a rod with full cork and an identical one with exposed blank then my hat is off to you. You have a much more delicate sense of touch than I ever had or ever will have. I've been fishing ultra light tackle all my life with jigs down to 1/64 Oz. and never had any problems feeling the bites. I know there is a lot of ultra light tackle these days, especially this JDM stuff, that takes ultra light to a new level. But I will stick to my full cork handles. They look better and feel better and still catch plenty of fish.

For those that are suggesting cost savings that may be true also but I see full cork handles listed in catalogs that are in the same price range as other similar rods.

I am very much inclined to side with the notion that it is the latest in thing.

**gillchaser999** · 05-22-2023, 10:45 AM

Originally Posted by UpstateSC_Bill

I am very much inclined to side with the notion that it is the latest in thing.

I believe you get more feel through the grip than the handle .
I’ve read good cork is getting harder to get , but then I see $30 rods with better looking cork than $200 rods .
What’s up with that ?

**Alphahawk** · 05-22-2023, 05:08 PM

Originally Posted by UpstateSC_Bill

No doubt all you say is true. But if you can truthfully feel the difference in sensitivity between a rod with full cork and an identical one with exposed blank then my hat is off to you. You have a much more delicate sense of touch than I ever had or ever will have. I've been fishing ultra light tackle all my life with jigs down to 1/64 Oz. and never had any problems feeling the bites. I know there is a lot of ultra light tackle these days, especially this JDM stuff, that takes ultra light to a new level. But I will stick to my full cork handles. They look better and feel better and still catch plenty of fish.

For those that are suggesting cost savings that may be true also but I see full cork handles listed in catalogs that are in the same price range as other similar rods.

I am very much inclined to side with the notion that it is the latest in thing.

If split grips are an in thing they have been so for about 3 decades if not more.

Regards

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**skeetbum** · 05-22-2023, 06:04 PM

I’ll speak of something that some of you may not know of yet. Some of the rods that show full cork aren't cork at all. They’re a foam form with a cork veneer. If you look close you’ll find a straight line where the seam in the cork is. My Fenwick Eagle was built like this. I was disappointed when I found this. High quality cork with very small voids has become hard to come by and therefore very expensive for production rods to tolerate the cost. Even the components I buy are all low grade with filler added to make it look better. If a sealer is added while it’s new and I stained it will look good for much longer. I’ve come around to liking EVA grips cuz I’ve cut them down to as small as I can. My recent build with the pink trim is a sweet thing in your hand but very different to hold than any other I’ve owned or built.

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