How much more can I feel with a rod having no foregrip??

[The Rooster]

OK, last year I went from using on sale at Dick's sporting goods or Walmart specials rods to using Shimano Compre rods in one fell swoop. Skipped everything in between. Also used fluorocarbon line for the first time too. Until this time, had only used mono.

Also due to work scheduling, I got to use those new rods less than 10 times the whole year so really I don't have a huge experience with "nicer" rods.

But in the time I did use them I could tell a tremedous sensitivity difference from what I had used before.

Now, I have a theory but I don't know how much difference it will make.

Due to the way I hold a casting reel as I fish, I am able to put one or two fingers forward in front of the reel so that they would contact the rod blank if the foregrip was not there. I also still have my pinky finger contacting the cutout in the reel seat where the rod blank is exposed. On rods with a foregrip I only have one finger touching the blank anywhere on it.  To me this is not much of a connection to the rod. Just the tip of one finger that I am not very well connected to feeling vibrations transmitted through.

If I get a rod for worming that does not have a foregrip do you think I would be able to feel anything more than I would normally?? I'd have 3 fingers in contact with the blank, and to me I think that having two stronger fingers touching the actual blank would make more difference than having one touching that is "less connected" to me.

Hard to explain I guess but I just think I can tell more about what's going on if I have more fingers touching the blank. Seems I am more connected to the index and middle finger feelings than I am with the pinky finger. If any of this makes sense let me know cause it sure sounds crazier when I see it in print than it did thinking it. Hope you know what I'm really asking here.

[Hornytoad 10]

You can feel quite a bit more without a foregrip, but if you really want to feel more keep your pointer finger on your line at all times, you can feel every bite.

[Grey Wolf]

You can feel quite a bit more without a foregrip, but if you really want to feel more keep your pointer finger on your line at all times, you can feel every bite.

Excellant point !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[KYntucky Warmouth]

I get what your saying and that's how I felt when I first got my Pro Qualifier a few years ago.  It was the first rod I had used without a foregrip and it does allow more blank contact.  I don't think it makes enough difference to switch everything but it is something to consider when making a new purchase.  For me, long foregrips and my short, fat fingers don't mesh well so I feel a bit better about getting a rod without a foregrip.

[Delaware Valley Tackle]

Your theory makes sense and is in practice. I just built a worm rod with a split grip, no foregrip and spiral wrap.

[islandbass]

I think any gain would be minimal but present. It might even make it more uncomfortable with smaller hands. That is probably not going to be an issue for you though.

Hornytoad's recommendation is spot on. If you ever hand-line fished you would instantly know this as I have discovered. When you have the line on your finger, that sensitivity is superior to any GLX rod out there. You are in direct feedback mode with no middle man (ie, the rod).

I do like the look of the no foregrip.

[roadwarrior]

Well, the only split grip I have is a Dobyns

Champion 683C. I would compare the sensitivity

similar to G.Loomis IMX series.

I have this rod matched with a CH50MG which

balances perfectly and is the lightest rig in my

collection. However, I am not a split grip fan

and will never own another.

8-)

[backpain...]

I recently switched to an arsenal of all non foregrip rods, and have noticed a huge difference in sensitivity. But I moved from Berkley lightnings and the like to a higher quality rod. I am sure that has a lot to do with it. But having used the non foregrip rods, I would not even consider buying a rod with a foregrip for any kind of "feel" fishing.

[Dan:]

Well, the only split grip I have is a Dobyns

Champion 683C. I would compare the sensitivity

similar to G.Loomis IMX series.

I have this rod matched with a CH50MG which

balances perfectly and is the lightest rig in my

collection. However, I am not a split grip fan

and will never own another.

8-)

he's talking about foregrips.

[Paul Roberts]

Well, I've done no scientific testing so this is just my opinion:

I don't think touching the blank makes any difference whatsoever. I say this bc I often tried this and felt it never helped. I also made several rods years ago with the spun-graphite Tennessee handles that supposedly transmitted vibrations. I came to feel that this simply didn't pan out.

I feel that the critical elements of rod sensitivity lie in it's rigidity/weight, and you pay for that. All the rest is bells-n-whistles. I like split grip, no fore-grip, rods; I think they look cool. And, anything that reduces weight I'm all for.

Touching the line does help though, where applicable.

[cart7t]

How in the hell are you palming a baitcasting reel and have 2 fingers on the foregrip area?    :-?

[The Rooster]

How in the hell are you palming a baitcasting reel and have 2 fingers on the foregrip area? :-?

I'm using BPS Extremes which have what I consider a very small profile to them. They're rounded so much as to be almost egg shaped with no protrusions such as what the latest Quantum reels have for the braking adjustments, they are wide on the side. Even Abu Garcia Revo style reels have the palming sideplate sticking way out in my opinion and this makes holding the reel the way I do a lot harder, they're wider towards the front of the reel which is even worse than what a Quantum would be for the way I hold it. But the Extreme reel virtually disappears in my palm, has no protrusions, and narrows out towards the front of the reel some compared to the back.  So I'm able to hold it the way I do.

So since the Extreme reel is so small in my hand and I am also holding it slightly forward of where a lot of people do, I am able to reach the foregrip with my two front fingers. My thumb is across the front of the reel just above the levelwind guide. My fingers are long enough so that they wrap around underneath the reel seat, putting the pad of my pinky squarely on the cutout of the reel seat in front of the trigger, my ring finger pad is in front of this. I mostly grip the reel with my thumb, pinky, and ring fingers. This leaves my middle and index finger free and I can touch the foregrip with them, or rod blank if there was no foregrip. It's not a strong grip but it's seems more sensitive to me holding it this way. Having such a light grip enables me to tell more about what's going on down on the bottom vs. if I was holding it the same way I do when throwing a big spinnerbait I wouldn't be able to feel nearly as much. When fishing lures other than bottom bouncing ones I just grip the reel/rod normally with thumb on top, 4 fingers underneath and all behind the foregrip completely, and squeezing it somewhat to hold onto the rod against the resistance of cranking a big bladed lure through water and waiting on a strike.

[The Rooster]

I think any gain would be minimal but present. It might even make it more uncomfortable with smaller hands. That is probably not going to be an issue for you though.

Hornytoad's recommendation is spot on. If you ever hand-line fished you would instantly know this as I have discovered. When you have the line on your finger, that sensitivity is superior to any GLX rod out there. You are in direct feedback mode with no middle man (ie, the rod).

I do like the look of the no foregrip.

So far it has not been an issue.  I don't have large hands, but not small either.  Average is what I'd call them but the reel I use is a small reel overall so that helps a lot.  I've also tried to touch the line before with my index finger but that is uncomfortable completely.  Have to have one finger above the rod.  As it is I touch the foregrip with my fingers on the side of it or wrapping slightly underneath it. 

I still need to get one more MH/F rod for either worming or spinnerbaiting.  I have a MH/F here now, a Shimano Compre.  I recently discovered a couple of other rods I like pretty well as far as design though.  Might use the Compre for spinnerbaits since foregrip or not, it makes no difference.  Then I may get an Okuma EVx MH/F for this since it has no foregrip and seems to compare to the Compre in terms of features.  Love the Compre but would like to have a no foregrip rod that's similar. 

[David P]

You can feel quite a bit more without a foregrip, but if you really want to feel more keep your pointer finger on your line at all times, you can feel every bite.

Be careful with braid. Either you have to have the best reflexes in the world to remove your finger quickly then set the hook, or don't try it with braid. I set QUICK, it's just a natural reaction. After slicing through my finger many times, I don't put my finger on the line anymore.

No front grip + braid = very sensitive.

[BassThumb]

It makes sense to me that having cork around the rod blank just ahead of where you hold the rod would deaden the vibrations before you can feel them, am I right?

I'm pretty new to both the no-foregrip and split-grip rods.  Up until last Summer I had only owned rods with the standard handles and grips

[fathom]

this probably has more to do with the quality of blank used rather than foregrip or no...have yet to find a no foregrip that offers my  hands the sensitivity of a bcr glx.

that said, would be interesting to fish a non-foregrip bcr glx to see the difference...however minimal.

[The Rooster]

I've never used braid, just mono and fluorocarbon.  I may try the holding the lind again.  Was giving it a shot earlier with these rods I have and somehow it seems I'm able to put a finger above the foregrip but under the line so that it rides across over top of my finger.  Not that uncomfortable.  Maybe these rods are made different than some I've had before, or maybe it's just that since I don't work construction anymore, now my hands aren't hurting as much so it's not that bad.  Who knows but I'll give this a shot next time I'm out.  Still thinking about a rod with no foregrip though, seems this would help some anyway.

[LAO162]

With casting rods it is awkward for me to put my finger on the blank ahead of the reel seat. However, with spinning gear I noticed that I was sticking my index on the foregrip anyhow. Having played with (not actually fished yet ) with a Kistler Argon spinning rod, I've decided that I would gradually like change my spinning rods to no foregrip designs. I'm not sure that it makes a meaningful difference, but I will have more confidence due to the "concepts" of direct contact, less weight and less dampening.