Holding 9' and 10' Rod

[Gansett]

This may not be anything new to many people, but it's new to me and I just want to share it. I was in a treetop in 14' of water and fishing at about 10'. Just had a small bell weight on bottom and a single hook with a minnow tied to a loop knot about 2' above the weight. I was holding my 9' rod, which has a Mighty Lite closed faced spinning reel with the large trigger. I was holding the rod as usual with the reel between my index and middle finger as I've been doing for many, many years. For some reason I moved my hand up the pole so that the reel was now behind my hand, with the entire butt running along the bottom of my forearm, and I'm holding the rod itself, not any part of the foam (or cork). Lucky for me, I felt a small tap and landed a nice little crappie, about 11" So, I lowered my minnow down and held onto the blank again and noticed that I could really feel the brush below me as I raised and lowered my bait. It amazed me how well I could "feel" what was happening. I had a good day of fishing and believe I was feeling more bites that I may have been missing when holding the rod by the handle with the cork or foam. Lastly, I do have a few rods with the cut-out for the index finger so that it is touching the blank and that is good, but putting all four fingers on the rod seemed to make a big difference for me.

Any similar experience from anyone? Or, am I just imaging this? Maybe I'm just nuts!!!

[BULLFROG-1]

I use a similar 10ft pole set up rigged for bream and find that its very sensitive too.I think its a combination of a couple of things 1 being the length of the rod and the other being that the sinker is tied to the very end of the line. I usually use a 1/4 bell sinker and a #6 long shaft bream hook above it.

[CrappiePappy]

You're not nuts, nor are you imagining anything. Cork or foam will dampen down lite tics. It's one reason I like my ESP rods ... the blank goes thru the handle, and inside the handle are metallic rings that connect the blank with the inner wall of the hande ... which is a graphite Tenn style handle. Maybe not as sensitive as actually holding onto the rod blank (in front of the handle), but moreso than cork/foam handles ... IMHO.

One other thing I've noticed, that helps with sensitivity, is to hold the rod lightly in your hand .... and not have a death grip on it. Your hand gets slightly numb when you hold your rod "tightly" in hand ... but, when held lightly, you can feel even the light taps. This is also a case where having the rod/reel balanced makes it easier to hold (even lightly), since you don't have to use your grip on the handle to keep the rod level. Even a heavier rod/reel (in total weight) is more comfortable to fish with than a much lighter (in total weight) outfit that's not balanced.

... cp

[Spawn]

That awesome, nice post

[Gansett]

Thanks for the comments. I'll pay closer attention to what I'm doing to make sure I'm not gripping it too tightly. Going out late this afternoon and can't wait to retry my "new" way of dippin.

[Micropterus salmoides]

Not saying this is necessarily your case, but ya think it may have just been that your rod was better balanced with your hand in that holding position?
Most ten foot rods I hold are tip heavy with light weight reels.
I'm sure you have increased sensitivity but balance may also be the case.
Maybe?

[Gansett]

I'm not saying that it's not balanced. You could be right. I was going to go out today, but had to cut my grass instead. I'll check out everything again the next time I go. Thanks for the info.

[Slab Junkie]

I always hold my jig poles at the front of the grip with in index finger on the rod itself. I can for sure feel better this way than if I just held the grip itself.

[Gansett]

Balancing answer. Went out yesterday for a few hours. Did ok, not great. However, I paid close attention to the balancing question and realized that the rod is perfectly balanced if I hold onto the reel in the normal manner. When I "choke up" on the rod, that is, ahead of the reel, the butt pulls down, meaning the tip goes up, so I have to adjust by bending my wrist down a little. Anyway, I'm more than satisfied with my "new" grip. Also, thanks for the input Slab.

[Locator79]

I do most of my jig fishing with a 11' heaton. I like to hold the handle right above the reel seat, and have notched out the cork to the blank for two fingers. I like the feel of the blank, and holding at that position seems the most balanced to me for all day fishing.