How to balance spinning outfit?

[dgretz]

Excuse my ignorance..  I find a lot a discussion about balanced rods, etc.  What does that mean?  At what point /position should it balance?  Does this include having a reel mounted? a lure on the end?  What are the advantages in having a balanced outfit?

thanks!

[trevor]

Hold the outfit like you would if you were fishing. It should balance on your finger farthest away from you. (your index finger). A well balanced, heavy set up will feel lighter than a light unbalanced set up. Think of holding a 10 foot steel pole at the very end versus in the middle.

[Alpster]

Balanced means different things to different people. I like rods (spinning or baitcasting) to be a little tip heavy with a lure tied on ready to fish. As a matter of fact for most rods, to get them to balance on your finger at the reel seat, you have to use a reel that's much too heavy. For me, that's like swinging a baseball bat backwards. If your lure is heavy enough to load the rod properly for casting, it's not going to "pin balance" at the reel seat. JMHE.

Ronnie

[OkobojiEagle]

What are the advantages in having a balanced outfit

To more easily feel the weight and/or vibration of your bait apart from the rod/reel in your hand.

steve

[bigfruits]

a well balanced rod reduces fatigue throughout the day. a well balanced rod may feel lighter than a rod that actually weighs less but is not balanced well. especially after a few hundred casts.

IMO, get a decent "light weight" combo and you shouldnt have to worry about balance. the last rod i had that felt unbalanced was a $50 combo i bought in highschool. my rogue, st. croix and loomis rods balance well with my shimano reels: casting 7-7.5oz, spinning 9.5oz.

ive never used a split grip, but i hear some of those are a little tip heavy. some people like that when dragging bottom baits.

[BassThumb]

At what point /position should it balance?

I like my combos, both spinning and baitcasting, to balance at the point where the tip of my index finger sits when I hold the rod/reel in a natural grip.

[BASSclary]

For tip-up presentations, I like the balance to be at the rear of the reel seat, while other presentations I like it at the center of the reel seat.

[Fish Chris]

Ahhh !!!!

I'm so glad you asked 

ALL of my rods are balanced. It's quite easy / cheap to do.

Simply go to your local hardware store and buy some black rubber table leg caps. Usually they are like 4 for $2. Most rods use the 1" dia. size.

Hold your pole in your normal grip position. The weight should be centered just in front of the reel seat. Or, in other words, while the reel foot goes between your ring and middle fingers, the weight should be centered about 2 in front of that, or, in the center of your forefinger.

Now, place an empty cap, over the but of your rod, and check the balance. If the cap itself is not enough (which it is usually not, except maybe on micro-light rods) then start adding quarters inside of the but cap. They fit perfectly in 1" caps . It usually takes 2 to 4 quarters for my rods. Once you get it just right, simply squirt a blob of silicone sealant in the cap, on top of the quarters. Shove on, then prop the rod up perfectly vertical, until it dries. Make sure its straight, as once it's dry, it can't be changed... without ripping it back off.

Bam ! Done ! Good for the life of that rod

Oh, of course this all pertains to spinning rods.

Their will NEVER be anything balanced about a bait-caster anyway. As the weight of the reel sits on top of the rod  :-X Goofy. I hate bait casters.

Peace,

Fish

[baluga]

Ahhh !!!!

I'm so glad you asked

ALL of my rods are balanced. It's quite easy / cheap to do.

Simply go to your local hardware store and buy some black rubber table leg caps. Usually they are like 4 for $2. Most rods use the 1" dia. size.

Hold your pole in your normal grip position. The weight should be centered just in front of the reel seat. Or, in other words, while the reel foot goes between your ring and middle fingers, the weight should be centered about 2 in front of that, or, in the center of your forefinger.

Now, place an empty cap, over the but of your rod, and check the balance. If the cap itself is not enough (which it is usually not, except maybe on micro-light rods) then start adding quarters inside of the but cap. They fit perfectly in 1" caps . It usually takes 2 to 4 quarters for my rods. Once you get it just right, simply squirt a blob of silicone sealant in the cap, on top of the quarters. Shove on, then prop the rod up perfectly vertical, until it dries. Make sure its straight, as once it's dry, it can't be changed... without ripping it back off.

Bam ! Done ! Good for the life of that rod

Oh, of course this all pertains to spinning rods.

Their will NEVER be anything balanced about a bait-caster anyway. As the weight of the reel sits on top of the rod :-X Goofy. I hate bait casters.

Peace,

Fish

Excellent explanation on balancing the rod, but I have to disagree with you with the bait caster rod not being able to adjust the balance on them.

Both bait-casting and spinning rods can have their balance be adjusted. The orientation of the reel seat has little to no effect on the balance of the rod. The same can be said with the weight of the reel you slap on it, they would not change the balance of the rod. Just think of it as a seesaw, no matter what load you put in on top of the fulcrum point, it does not affect the balance or load on any end points of the seesaw. The fulcrum point in rods will be where you are holding it, which is right where the reel is seated

[Delaware Valley Tackle]

Balanced means different things to different people. I like rods (spinning or baitcasting) to be a little tip heavy with a lure tied on ready to fish. As a matter of fact for most rods, to get them to balance on your finger at the reel seat, you have to use a reel that's much too heavy. For me, that's like swinging a baseball bat backwards. If your lure is heavy enough to load the rod properly for casting, it's not going to "pin balance" at the reel seat. JMHE.

Ronnie

x2 This about sums it up. Experiment until you find what feels right to you. There is no "Right" or "Wrong" just opinions. 

[Fish Chris]

To me, balanced means that I can hold the rod very loosely in my fingers, with zero grip pressure, and the tip will not try to fall down.

Now, while a bait-caster can be balanced, as far as the tip weight, in relationship to the butt weight, that reel up on top of that rod still wants to hang below the rod. You just can't change gravity. So, consequently, you will always have to use some amount of grip pressure to hold a bait caster.

Of course I say, YOU will always have to. I won't, because I don't hardly use those lame things  ;D LOL

Please don't mind me too much

Peace,

Fish

[baluga]

;D   8-)

[dulouz]

I never paid any attention to how my rods balanced until I had a custom rod made for me.  Now I am spoiled.  It makes such a difference, at least to me. 

[Matrix329]

A good balance is 5 spinning outfits: to 1 bait-cast outfit. Ultra-Lite to Medium Heavy: I use my Spinning equipment. I use my bait-caster when I'm trolling, or throwing a heavy crank bait. But like everyone has been saying, it's personal feel, like an opinion, everyone's got one.

[rippin-lips]

A tip heavy combo stinks to fish for me. You're fighting against the rod wanting to be tip down plus the bait adding to that. For things like jigs where you're usually fishing with the tip up it bothers me. For something like a spinnerbait I could care less. A balanced combo feels light in hand and let's you fish it tip up or tip down without issue. As mentioned we all have our own idea of what balanced is. 

[MickD]

I'm going to venture into Forum Heresy here, but IMHO:

1. Balance is highly overrated.  I would never add weight to an outfit to achieve balance.

2. When a lure is added to an outfit, it usually overpowers the "balance."

3. With the trend to longer rods balance is increasingly difficult to achieve, regardless of your definition.

4.  If balance is important then plan on paying very high prices for the lightest rod tips/guides and the lightest high modulus rods, very expensive very light reels, or very short rods, or rods with such long butts that they hang up on your clothing.

 

I find it amusing to read about how well a rod "balances" without mention of what reel is being used.