Spinning Setup Balance

[panhardbar]

Bought a couple Cumara spinning rods from my local shop a few months ago on sale. a 7'1" med/light shaky head rod, and a 6'8" med xfast drop shot rod. Between the Stradic FJ, Stradic Ci4, and the Sustain, which reel is going give the perfect feel to these rods. The Ci4 is the lightest but I worry that it might be too light and make the rods feel tip heavy, but then the more I analyze it I start to think well the whole setup is going to be quite light anyway and I probably won't notice it even if it is slightly tip heavy. I assume the best choice as far as size for any of these reels for me would be the 2500 correct? Thanks for any insight!

[Uncle Leo]

Yes a 2500 size will be just fine.

[TiNuts]

If you find it's tip heavy you can always add something to the handle to help balance it out. I use rubber electrical tape. It's heavier than standard vinyl tape and works pretty well without adding much bulk.

There are several other ways to balance a setup.

[panhardbar]

I guess I'm thinking if I can get it near perfect without adding tape or other things to the rod i would like to go that route. it it means going down the the Stradic FJ than that's great I'll save a little money and I like the handle on the FJ better anyway.

[TiNuts]

^^^i agree. My suggestion was more in general I guess.

[Fishes in trees]

Everyone has their own idea about what is and what ain't  a perfectly balanced rig.  I don't think you can go very wrong with any of those Shimano reels you're considering.  It is kind of about how picky do you want to get?   For me, I like to throw pointers and rogues on spinning gear.  I've found that for that application, I like the rod a little "tipi heavy", that way when it is in my hand it has a tendency to point down and be a little easier to jerk & pull with.  With my finesse slider rod and my shaky head spinning rod, I've found that I like the balance point of the rod in my hand.   I don't know any other way to figure it out other than trial & error.

[Mike2841]

See if you can try the reels out on your rod. I thought that a stradic fj would balance out my avid better, but when I tried it on my rod in the store I realized it just made the set up feel heavier and not necessarily more balanced.

[SirSnookalot]

Perfect balance can only be obtained if the same exact weight lure is used every time.  Don't know about anyone else but I use a variety of lure types with different weights, I don't seem to endure difficulty doing this.  I do hold my rod in an unconventional manner, not that I'm the only one, my hand is on the foregrip above the reel.  With many bass style rods this would be difficult, for me the advantages are always having my hand in strike position for a larger fish, makes setting the hook easier for me by having a bit more leverage and does negate some tip heaviness.  Like Fishes in Trees, a little tip heavy isn't a bad thing.  I'd be buying the reel I liked the best, perfect balance IMO is over rated and over thought.  

[I.rar]

Perfect balance can only be obtained if the same exact weight lure is used every time. Don't know about anyone else but I use a variety of lure types with different weights, I don't seem to endure difficulty doing this. I do hold my rod in an unconventional manner, not that I'm the only one, my hand is on the foregrip above the reel. With many bass style rods this would be difficult, for me the advantages are always having my hand in strike position for a larger fish, makes setting the hook easier for me by having a bit more leverage and does negate some tip heaviness. Like Fishes in Trees, a little tip heavy isn't a bad thing. I'd be buying the reel I liked the best, perfect balance IMO is over rated and over thought.

Agreed. My only combo is tip heavy but I love the way it fishes. Having the tip down isn't a bad thing..

[Delaware Valley Tackle]

 

Perfect balance can only be obtained if the same exact weight lure is used every time.  Don't know about anyone else but I use a variety of lure types with different weights, I don't seem to endure difficulty doing this.  I do hold my rod in an unconventional manner, not that I'm the only one, my hand is on the foregrip above the reel.  With many bass style rods this would be difficult, for me the advantages are always having my hand in strike position for a larger fish, makes setting the hook easier for me by having a bit more leverage and does negate some tip heaviness.  Like Fishes in Trees, a little tip heavy isn't a bad thing.  I'd be buying the reel I liked the best, perfect balance IMO is over rated and over thought.

X2. In addition, your grip has an affect on balance. The reel being right near the grip has minimal affect. Sensitivity comes from the weight to stiffness ratio among other things. I prefer to keep over all weight at a minimum in most cases.

[SirSnookalot]

 

X2. In addition, your grip has an affect on balance. The reel being right near the grip has minimal affect. Sensitivity comes from the weight to stiffness ratio among other things. I prefer to keep over all weight at a minimum in most cases.

I started holding a spinning rod like most people do, over the years my hand automatically moved to a more comfortable position for me.  I guess I could call that "grip evolution".  I could not even look at a rod without a nice foregrip.