The topic of spinning tackle can be a lightning rod among fishermen. Opinions on it vary greatly across the angling spectrum.
Some rely on spinning tackle and, literally, canât fish without it. Some hate it and can hardly broach the discussion of this âdown-sideâ style of fishing without a snide aside (âa bird’s nest waiting to happenâ) or epithet challenging the userâs manhood (âfairy wandâ).
In recent years, effective finesse techniques in the bass world have taken the fire out of the debate, and a sober âitâs-just-a-toolâ mentality has cleared a place for spinning in the arsenals of most serious anglers.
Design Disadvantage
Outside the realm of partisan debate, however, the spinning tackle has remained open to at least one legitimate complaint. The design of most spinning rods compels the fishermen to grip the rod across the reel seat and straddle the reel stem, leaving the anglerâs hand little or no grip security and comfort. The design leads to a particular disadvantage when fighting big fish or fishing in adverse weather conditions, from snowstorms and freezing cold to tropical humidity and lightning bolts.
Fortunately, solutions have come to the fore. Here are three options to answer the spinning rod conundrum.
Hooded Reel Seat With Polymer Grip: Hooded reel seats, such as those in Fujiâs VSS series, are designed for a grip shaped to extend over the reel seat. The design provides palm supportâgrip comfort and security at the palm interfaceâeven with fingers straddling the spinning reel stem. Fuji, through its exclusive American distributor Anglers Resource, introduced a proprietary set of Winn grips (WVSS1615, WVS17), tailored to fit precisely with two of its newest and most popular spinning reel seats and its Perfect Fit Trim. This combination of grip and reel seat adds ergonomic benefit and puts more of the hand into contact with the non-slip Winn grip polymer.
Aero Comfort Finish Reel Seat: American Tackle offers a spinning reel seat with a topside extension that delivers palm support. Like hooded reel seats, the design provides ergonomic benefit by supporting the palm, but it is a hood-like portion of the reel seat rather than grip material that reaches up to meet the palm. The âcomfort finishâ reduces the degree of hand slippage.
Mummy Wrap: West Coast saltwater anglers were the first to overwrap spinning rod handles with Winn Superior Rod Wrap, a âskinâ of patented Winn polymer, known for its tackiness in adverse weather conditions. The tape-like material is backed with a forgiving adhesive that wraps easily around rod handles. The âmummy wrapâ approach adds a continuous wrap from rod butt to foregrip with the reel already in place. The mummy wrap straddles the reel stem over both ends of the reel foot. Palm and fingers have complete contact with the non-slip polymer covering the entire handle.
Check out the spinning rods in your arsenal, and see if one of these solutions can add comfort and effectiveness to your fishing. Rod wraps are simple solutions. Check with a custom rod builder or rod repairmen about retrofitting spinning rods with a new grip or reel seat.