Rod Balancing

[RobertELee]

I was wondering what people use to balance their rods. The only ones I can find out there are ones from Bass Pro. Just wondering if anybody knows of any others and if I may be able to find any around the cities. Thanks.

[delmuts]

i'm not sure if other brands have that built in .( other than a custom rod, and BP) but i have seen guys take one of those rubber cups that you put on a table/chair leg to protect a floor. put some quarters in it and then tape it to the rod handle to blalance a rod.

[ikeslayer]

i think that there are a couple of other eays to make it look nicer. whether your handle is wood or cork or foam you can drill a hole in the back glue a nut in the back of the handle then you have a threaded handle and then you can fasten washers on a bolt and then just thread it in. Also i have heard of the same way as described before only people using lead or washers instead of quarters. Good luck. i know it helps when you are making 1000+ casts in a day and your rod is balanced. ike

[Pherris]

I use a product called "THE BALANCER" rod balancing system it was designed by Larry Dahlberg of "Hunt for Big Fish". I know you can get it from Bass Pro ($6.99 each) and locally it is carried by Capras and Frankies Marine. It will fit 99% of the rods out there and can be adjusted to balance any type of Rod and Reel combination. I have them on each of my rods but if you are on a budget you could easily move it from rod to rod. A couple of other things to note: THE BALANCER is made locally here in Minnesota. The majority of the labor is done by people with disabilities so my $$ stays local and helps keep people working that otherwise may not have a job.

A balanced rod not only significantly reduces arm and wrist fatigue but also substantially increases the sensitivity so you can detect even the lightest bites.

I personally would avoid drilling a hole in the butt of my rod fearing I would do damage to the blank however not all rods have the blank running into the handle. Everyone I have turned onto these has been very impressed. Once you fish with a properly balanced rod you will never be without. Good fishing!!

[Deitz Dittrich]

I was very big into the ballencer for quite some time. I then felt the added weight on many rods was not needed. I now really only ballence a flipping stick...

For those that do like it.. I too like the Ballencer.

[LuckyNorm07]

The cabelas Fish Eagle XML rods have the weight balance weights built in the rod.. You just buy the weights seperate..there 4 in the pack and add them to the rod as the balance you would like..pretty neat..check it out..

[ikeslayer]

If it is legal would someone post a pic or a HSOforum of these ballancing acts. I would love to stare at them for a while.

ike

[Deitz Dittrich]

This is what they look like.

Just lead weights inside a cap.. You can makethem yourself with quarters inside a chair leg cap. Just need to find the right chair leg cap.

[delmuts]

isn't that what i said in the first place??

[Deitz Dittrich]

Yep.. just saing it again! Settle down buddie!

[Captain B.R.K]

Dietz- Why don't you use them on all your rods? Sounds like you used em' at one time and then don't anymore?!?

I was debating about putting these on a few of my rods late last year, but winter came and kind of forgot about the whole thing. Now the subject has arise and here I contemplate about doing this to my rods.

Is it worth spending an additional $6.99 for each rod? I could get quite a few Exude products with that kind of money

For others that have them, what are the pro's vs. con's on the balancers?

[RobertELee]

Thanks everyone. I was seriously looking at The Balancers for my rods but I just wanted to see if there are any others out there just to compare. Now that I know they are made in MN and helping out the less fortunate I will go with them. I will be putting them on my flippin' sticks and worm rods, i dont think I need them on my crankbait or spinnerbait rods, but I will see. Just to let you know I did do some of my own balancing on an old rod to try if it would work. I drilled a hole into the butt and epoxied a plug about 4" down, I then poured molten lead in and epoxied it up. Worked great but it was a lot of work and I don't want to take a chance on voiding a lifetime warranty on $200 rods.

[delmuts]

[Deitz Dittrich]

Capt- I was buying $140 rods and reels to make a light rod and then adding 2 oz of lead to the handle.. Seemed like I was defeating the cause for getting a nice rod. It also seemed to add to fatigue in casting over a long 10 hour day. I do like it for applications when you are working a bait really slow. Flipping, texas rigs, shakey worm.. but not for others...

Get a couple and try it for yourself.. they are cheep!

[Ralph Wiggum]

That's what I was thinking, Deitz. If you're going to pay a couple of hundred bucks for a lightweight rod, it seems funny to add some lead to it.

[Captain B.R.K]

10-4 Dietz! I think I'll have to get me a few and give em' a whirl.

[Pherris]

I use them on my casting/Crankbait rods too. It has been my experience that I get more distance casting with a balanced rod. The two main things that I really like about THE BALANCER kit on my rods:

1. I can accurately balance any rod by using a combination of the weights that come with it and quarters to get a perfectly balanced rod.

2.I catch more fish when using slow and finess presentations because of the increased sensitivity a balanced rod provides.

As far as making them myself I guess I could do that and I could also use hefty garbage bags for rain gear and get long sticks off trees to make fishing poles too. to me the benefits far outweigh the cost. Like Dietz said they are not expensive so get a few and decide for yourself.

On a side note I would be curious to know how many FMer's have fished with balanced rods and what they think. Good Fishing!!

[Deitz Dittrich]

as you said, it cost about the same to make them yourself vs buying them. I was not aware of them being made by people who needed the work. I think that is a great cause.

If I were just a weekend angler I would have these on many of my rods...They are a great product! I will always have this kind of product on a flipping stick... I still am not a firm believer on cranks and spinnerbaits..but texas rigs and carolina rigs I can totally see the advantages!

[delmuts]

i have three of my BPS rods balanced. these rods get used for spinnerbaits,tubes ,lighter jigs and texas rigging.