North Australian FISH FINDER TM forums

What's your experience, preference and why?

I don't like too long a handle as it gets caught on my beer gut swapping the rod from side to side...

Its a case of balance, get the reel just the right distance from your body.

A few months ago I snapped my rod. I purchased a new one and it was a long handle rod. I found that when working a lure, I was restricted in actions a could use as the extra length was hitting my arm. I could flick the rod tip up & down without a prob. The prob started if I wanted to flick the rod tip left or right.
I took the rod back and they happily swapped it for a shorter butt model.

I like the short handle. my hand only ever stays in the one spot and thats just under the reel. no need for any more than that. just gets in the way

I prefer a shorter handle but ive found it to be a bit harder muscling in bigger fish compared to a longer handle

I prefer the shorter type about one foot long as opposed to the pistol grip type. You can still get a bit of purchase when onto a biger fish.

Longer handle can give you longer casts as you use both hands leavering in opposite directions. Also good for under arm flicks around trees and things. It took me a while to get used to one but I liked the feel of the one I used recently and found it good for the above applications. I usually use a short handle GL2 Or GL3 but don't mind the longer handle after a while. Like every thing, depends on how they feel to you.

Short handle here and short rod ,I get tucked in amongst some fairly heavy vegetation growth a lot of the time and find it easier for back casting and under casting as well as flicking from the tip
Distance is'nt that important to me it's more of an accuracy thing

Hi all

Tks for the thoughts.

I;ve got short-handled rods so decided to build a longer handled one out of the new MHX blank.

My thoughts are that there are 2 phases in rod fishing that are important.

Casting is the first one and fighting a fish (particularly big ones) is the second.

A longer handled rod will give more power on a cast as it allows two hands to be used. I'm right-handed so my right hand is used as the fulcrum around which the rod pivots. The left hand pulls back on the bottom of the handle and the right hand pushes forward. The longer the handle means that there is increased leverage below the fulcrum point (the reel with the right hand on it). That means increased rod tip velocity and faster loading of the flex in the rod.

The left hand controls the vertical angle of the rod for better accuracy at faster cast speeds. I've sat in creek mouths and watched casters lobbing casts into the colour change. Looping cast with mechanical repetition. Little skill involved. I once sat in the Daly's Clear Creek at the first junction and placed 21 consecutive lobbing casts into a 1m diameter circle around a dead stick at 20 metres. No skill. No challenge. Could have done it with my eyes closed I reckon.

Longer handles mean powerful longer casts are easy. It also means low trajectory high speed casts are possible right up under over-hanging vegetation. You can't get there with a lob.

For that reason I think Cuddles is on the right track.

The second issue is fighting a big fish. Short handles means your wrist is the point which takes the weight and has to counter the leverage that the fish produces multiplied by the 1.6m (or so) rod.. With only 260mm of handle you have to produce a lot more force from the wrist to counter that produced by the fish and the longer lever. Force (from the fish) x rod length (1.6m) has to be countered by Force (from the wrist) x by the length of the handle (.26m).

Therefore the force produced by the wrist has to be 6 times that produced by the fish just to hold him. To get him in you have to produce 7 or more times the force.

No wonder the wrist tires quickly on big fish.

If the handle is 350mm long, the butt can be tucked just under the elbow and the necessary counter force can come from the shoulder. With a longer handle the shoulder has to only produce 4.5 times the fish force to break even. And that's from the much stronger shoulder and not the weaker wrist. Note that I didn't use the term "limp" wrist.

Makes sense but its just straight simple mechanics/levers.

Here's a couple of photos to demonstrate.

The rods are (from left) homebuilt MHX with 350mm handle, Homebuilt St Croix with 300mm handle, Carrot-stick with 320mm handle, Loomis with 280mm handle, Loomis 260mm handle and Loomis with 260mm handle.

The other 2 photos demonstrate the mechanical advantage of a longer handle when fighting a bigger fish. The elbow comes into play on the longer handle. Another problem with the short handle is that the butt also digs into the underside of the forearm increasing fatigue and hurting.

My views why I prefer longer handles.

In my mind there is an optimum length, too short and you can't perform a double handed cast using the wrists(important for those of us with dud shoulders), Too long and working the lure becomes problematic. I recently started building my baitcasting rods because I'm very particular about what I like in a casting rod that I will be using for most of a day, a longer than average med-light action med-fast taper blank with no foregrip (the tip of my index finger rests on the blank, better bite detection), double finger Fuji seat, split neoprene grip, minimal binding and Silicon/Titanium guides to cut down on weight and maintenance. I'm particular enough about it that all my factory rods also sport customised handles now as well and I just measured them all and they are all between 27-28cm from the trigger to the end of the butt, in terms of my arm this means they all clear the inside of my elbow by 15-25mm. One of my factory rods a Daiwa Extra heavy blue backer that I have my Black Sheep on was longer than my forearm and was relegated to being a trolling rod until it was shortened, now it's my go-to Elephant Gun for impoundment and runoff Barra.
Cheers,
John.

Went from baitcaster to a Stella spin a few years ago (casting) and enjoying the longer handle working bigger fish. Still troll with smaller handles with calcutta baitcasters

Standy

Why did you change to a spinning rig?

Find casting with a spin rod 6,6 or 7ft could cast alot further than with a baitcaster. Greater distance with plastics.

The drag on the stella is the ducks nuts for big fish and smooth.

Use a 4000fe and a Diawa black Swamp Donkey

Personally I think everyone has their own style, and will use whatever they feel most comfortable with.
In that regard, I don't think there is an 'optimal' butt length, where one size fits all.
With baitcasters, I only use Ugly stik 5'6" and the butt length never varies, it's long enough to use two handed at a pinch, but the overhead reel limits distance in comparison to the spin.
Surprisingly tho', the butt sits exactly in the same position on my forearm as pictured with yours.
On a good fish I can tuck it under my armpit and maintain the pressure.
Probably why I settled on using them in the first place, added to my being an inveterate 'high sticker' and smashing several less robust rods.
Sadly they've been relegated to the 'backup' corner.
I'm pretty much using light spin as standard nowadays.