# Split Grip Rods



## LDUBS (Sep 1, 2018)

I didn't want to hijack OnTheWater's Custom Rod thread in the Classified section so thought I would open up a new post here. (I hope OnTheWater will share his thoughts here). 

What is the advantage of split grip rods? I wonder if there is some benefit or is it just a trend. What do you guys think?


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## New River Rat (Sep 2, 2018)

I've built a few over the years for myself and others and they all were split-grips with skeletal seats. I'm a firm believer in "less is more" with a rod. Now mind you, my area from the reel seat to the butt is fairly short. 

Wraps, decals, hook holders, etc., are nice, but ANYTHING that adds weight to a rod decreases overall sensitivity, whether it's cork, epoxy, thread, whatever.


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## 86tuning (Sep 3, 2018)

Having my finger on the blank gives me more sensitivity to gentle nibbles, IMO. So my float fishing setup has a naked spot for my finger. My fly rods don't.


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## handyandy (Sep 4, 2018)

depends on the use. Rods I like to use for larger top waters and crankbaits I like a full grip for handling the heavier baits better that also have a fair amount of resistance to them when going through the water or pulling across pads/muck. Often times those top waters and crank baits if a fish hits them you know it and especially on larger crankbaits with two trebles if they swipe at it they're getting hooked. 

Now on jigs of any variety, more finesse baits like drop shoting, light jerk baits that are fished with lots pauses, weight less t rigged soft baits like flukes or senkos, or most soft bait presentations in general or any finesse baits I prefer a lighter more sensitive rod. In this case I like the split grip it reduces some weight and like being able to easily have a finger, palm, or fingers on the blank for being able feel the subtle bump of a fish taking a sniff or just barely grabbing at my presentation.


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## onthewater102 (Sep 4, 2018)

New River Rat said:


> View attachment 4



^^^ What split seat is that??? It looks exactly like the trigger section of a Fuji ACS without the forward section - did you chop it down?

River Rat took the words out of my mouth as far as why split grips might be desirable, weight savings. Every little thing you can do to save weight reduces the inertia of the rod. The difference between a $200 blank and a $50 rod blank is at most 2oz, but you're paying extra (a lot extra) to have the same performance (power/action) in a blank that weighs 1.8oz as opposed to 2.7oz or 3.2oz. A lure vibrating as it's dragged across the bottom or picked up by a fish imparts very little energy into the line, so the less mass in the rod the better you'll feel the vibration. Not to hijack this thread, but it was in response to a sale on some exceptionally lightweight blanks that I put my post up in the classifieds section in the first place because there's no substitute for weight savings when it comes to achieving sensitivity.

I do not have a scale sensitive enough to tell me if there is a weight difference between two identical sections of grip, one made of cork & one of EVA foam, which puts the differential at less than 1/10th of an ounce, so for my purposes they're interchangeable in my builds. EVA costs significantly less, so in my lightweight projects I take the cost savings from using EVA and purchase lighter weight materials elsewhere, namely, a lighter blank. 

I'll go a step further on my split grips and take a chunk out of the grip to expose the blank in the gripped section as well (or use a grip section with this done already) giving another contact point on the bare blank and reducing weight that much more. I find them to be more comfortable too. I used one of these in this spinning rod build (see the section just to the right of the chevron wrap in the split section with the finger slot taken out of the topside of the grip in the picture):







Funny that RiverRat sets his grips short on his rods, I do the same thing with my personal rods. Yes, it impacts the balance making them a tad tip-heavier than they might have been otherwise, but you can get the same casting leverage out of a 6'8" rod as you might get on some 7'2" rods with longer grip sections. The reel position is always the fulcrum in your casting motion, so the only meaningful difference between two rods is that which lies between the reel and the tip of the rod. If I can make a 6'8" rod that casts just as far as a 7' just by having 7" of rod behind the reel seat instead of 11" I will have saved on weight as well, as the 4" difference will be made of the thickest material portion in the blank. All things equal (guides, reel seat, decorations/winding checks) my 6'8" perform everything that the comparably longer rod can do and achieve greater sensitivity without greater cost. I think the split grips help here too, visually hiding how short I've made the grip.

Longer handles are nice to have on heavy rods where you need to rear back & horse fish out of heavy cover, but apart from that I find them counterproductive. Perhaps if I were older or in worse health I might find arm fatigue to be an issue, but I've yet to feel physically tired after a full day of fishing to the point I'd wish my rod were more perfectly balanced.


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## New River Rat (Sep 11, 2018)

onthewater102 said:


> New River Rat said:
> 
> 
> > View attachment 4
> ...


Sorry I haven't replied sooner, I've spent the past week chasing smallies on he New....

Yep, that's a Fuji. I've cut a few seats with a Dremel over the years. Trigger area and hood is all I want.


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## onthewater102 (Sep 12, 2018)

Looks great. PM Sent RiverRat


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## LDUBS (Sep 22, 2018)

Split grips are not really applicable to my style of fishing but I wondered if they were a marketing ploy designed to catch fisherman. Sounds like there is a real benefit. The discussion on rod/blank weight is interesting. Thanks.


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