Rod Wraps

[Blues19]

Does anyone else use a rod wrap on their rod handles?  I always saw them at Bass Pro and they were so dang expensive. Anyway, I went out and got some Wilson Ultra Wrap for tennis rackets.  I got 2 packs of 3 for the same as one rod wrap. Some handles are a little too big for one, but you can split the rest of it on multiple rods. I think it feels much more comfortable when fishing all day, I can still feel all the bites and I think it looks pretty cool.

[Koofy Smacker]

I did it for functionality not looks.

 

A few tournaments a year have blast off temps hovering around 15-20 degrees, so needless to say my hands are cold and so is my cork making both dry and slick. I got wraps on all my cork gripped casting rods and the problems all went away. Plus adds some cushion for flipping jigs or continuously casting all day

[Blues19]

I did the first one for looks and had to do all the rest cause I liked it so much. I only do it on my corked rods. I dont think I will do the foam handles. They dont get as slick or need the padding.

[S Hovanec]

Lucky Craft Man on here wraps ALL of his rods.....even his fly rods. Drives me NUTS!

[gripnrip]

Does anyone else use a rod wrap on their rod handles?  I always saw them at Bass Pro and they were so dang expensive. Anyway, I went out and got some Wilson Ultra Wrap for tennis rackets.  I got 2 packs of 3 for the same as one rod wrap. Some handles are a little too big for one, but you can split the rest of it on multiple rods. I think it feels much more comfortable when fishing all day, I can still feel all the bites and I think it looks pretty cool.

Basically the same material.  I have been checking into wrapping some of mine and I have heard of suggestions on tennis racket wrap.  It may have been RW's comment on another thread.

[Lucky Craft Man]

i am a big fan of Rod Wraps (though, only in black as the other colors soil quickly and look bad). I tried the Bass Pro version, but it is not as good. It just didn't last as long. I also used tennis racket wrap, but it is too elastic and the rolls are too short to do a whole handle that is more than 8" long. If anyone knows a place that just sells a long roll of tennis racket wrap (say over 72"), I can overlook the stretchiness and would be willing to use it, but i just can't find it. I do agree that the Rod Wraps are expensive, but I have yet to find a better substitute.

As far as their performance goes, I don't think I could fish a rod without the wrap on it. I have just become so used to the comfort and functionality in the rain that anything else feels foreign to me. Also, I feel it protects the cork and helps the resale value (if you ever decide to resell the rod). As S Hovanec said, I use the Original Rod Wrap on all my bass rods, musky rods, and even fly rods.

[webertime]

Go to a bike shop and check out the bar tape selection. The variety is amazing, from cork to vinyl to leather to foam to carbon. Durability is on par the tennis racket grip, lighter too.

[Capt.Bob]

One expense I don't have to worry about! If it ain't full cork I don't even look at it anymore, after 58 years from south bend to St. Croix and Sage, it better be full cork or like the 2 new Legend Extremes I bought, it will be of to my rod builder and when it comes back it will be full cork,,,,,,,and a little extra spent to assure good looks!! It' just depends what a guy likes, but we all agree it's what makes fishin fun!!

[Fishes in trees]

Considering all the money I spend on various fishing items, I consider rod wraps a fairly minor expense.  I find the regular rod wraps on sale occasionally, check out bicycle shops and their handlebar wraps, tennis racket wraps and so forth.

 

I like the wraps because they make the rod fit my hand a little better and I like the grip better than cork.  Secondly, having handle wraps of different colors makes rod identification a little easier when I am reaching down to grab a different rod.  I do have a couple of foam handled rods that I haven't bothered  to put wraps on yet.