Rod handle wrap

[Guest avid]

My orthopedic surgeon is suggesting that I experiment with the grip width on my rods.  There is actually a "recommended" width for tennis raquet handles. (Based on injury prevention, NOT performance) so he is virtually certain that if I increase the diameter of my rod grips, it will reduce strain to the elbow.

I have seen rod wraps that don't look like tape.

Is their something I can wrap around the cork to increase circumference that won't damage the rod?

thanks,

avid

[volpster31]

ive never tried it, but how bout the wrap thats used for golf clubs?

i dont golf but i think its thicker than an ordinary rod wrap material...

[5bass]

BPS sells some of those wraps....may have to put 2 or 3 of them on each handle to get it as thick as a tennis raquet though! I'll see if I can get you a link on BPS. Here it is.

http://www.basspro.com/servlet/catalog.TextId?hvarTextId=44516&hvarTarget=search&cmCat=SearchResults

A guy in my club uses the cushion tape that you buy in the tennis section at Wal Mart.He likes the stuff,he's got about 7-8 rods wrapped with it.

[Alpster]

Avid,

You can use cork tape to build up the grips. It's easy to work with an relatively permanent.

http://shop.mudhole.com/Cork-Tape-per-ft?sc=2&category=34

Ronnie

[flechero]

Avid,

Your surgeon just gave you an excuse to have custom rods made.  

On a more serious note, you can use any overgrip tape or wraps from tennis rackets or the cork tape to increase diameter.  The bad part is that your start point is also in the middle of your grip if you start it at the back of the reel seat on a casting rod.  If this is a temporary thing for the spinning rods, just wrap em' up.  The drawback is that it will further deaden the cork, meaning less sensitivity.

 

[fishbear]

Avid,

I used to wrap a colored cord on my rods when I used to build them.  It was like sisal rope in 1/8 in... could get in like natural, blue, red, etc.......   I loved the stuff, especially for my big fish rods, like salmon and sturgeon.. gave you a better grip and was bigger in diameter..... looked better also in my opinion..

[Guest avid]

Thanks,

I'm sure I'll be giving up some sensativity, but I have to reevaluate my priorities

[Cornel]

Here's how you measure your correct racquet grip size:

http://www.tennis-warehouse.com/LC/Gripsize/Gripsize.html

And here's how to increase that size...

http://www.tennis-warehouse.com/Features/increasegripsize/increasegrip.html

...using:

http://www.tennis-warehouse.com/descpageACGAMMA-SLEEV.html

(one tennis grip size is 1/8")

If you need a big increase in you grip size, you might wanna use a tennis leather grip. They are great for sensitivity too...

Here's a link to what I'm talking about:

http://www.holabirdsports.com/cgi-bin/product?product=060152&group=null&selection=menu&id=null&manufact=null&&

C.

[Guest avid]

Welcome to the forum Cornell, and thank you for this very useful information.

I really like the looks of the leather grip.  But I don't see how it could increase sensativity.  Can you elaborate on that?

Thanks

avid.

[Cornel]

Welcome to the forum Cornell, and thank you for this very useful information.

I really like the looks of the leather But I don't see how it could increase sensativity.  Can you elaborate on that?

Thanks

avid.

Thanks, Avid

Leather can't increase sensitivity, sorry for not being perfectly clear. What I was trying to say is that when it comes to feedback, leather is a lot better than using some cushioned PU grip.  

C.

[Guest DavidGreen]

avid,

I'm with flechero on this. Sell off all of your rack rods and start getting customs made for you and your arm problem. It would be easier to just build grips to fit your hand, and balance the rod to the reel/s...

Have you thought about the diameter differences between the modified grip and the back edge of the seat.

One thing that keeps bugging me about this overgrip tape or wraps modification, is that you are trying to achieve a diameter larger than the diameter of the reel seat's back edge that the cork is butting up to by about 2-3 times, a baitcaster seat (whether a standard or ECS) runs at 1 1/8" dia. This is going to be uncomfortable, trying to palm the reel.

On a spinning rod the seat tube diameter is usually around the 16 to 18mm dia., and most rack rod cork grips run in the 1 1/8" diameter range.

Any overgrip tape or wraps will leave glue on the cork, and each time you rewrap, it will start to pull all fillings out of the pits that are in those grips, not to mention water is going to get under the wraps (how many tennis player's do you see playing in the rain).

A lot more things to think about than just making the grips bigger in diameter.

Just my .02¢

Tight Lines!!!

[MALTESE FALCON]

AVID,I TOO HAVE HAD TENNIS ELBOW PROBLEMS. I TRIED THE BPS CRANKIN STICK AND BIONIC BLADE RODS WITH THE POWER HUMP AND IT SEEMS TO HAVE HELPED. THEY AREN'T AS NICE AS MY ST. CROIX RODS BUT THEY SEEM TO BE HELPING MY ELBOW PROBLEM.

JUST A THOUGHT.

FALCON

[The_Natural]

You won't lose any sensitivity if you don't wrap the reel seat.  I wrap the trigger handle and foregrip, but not the reel seat.  palm your reel like you are worm/jig fishing, and see what part of your hand is touching the handle....it's not!  If you are like most, you are touching the reel, the reel seat where the blank is exposed, and the line.  See...you can have your cake and eat it, too!

[Guest avid]

I hate it when I want something to be simple and it turns out to be complicated.

I think I'll just buy a pair of gloves.