Just like a guitar, rods come in all shapes and sizes and we all want to fish a rod that feels good that we can fish all day and not get tired. So I ask, what makes a rod feel good. Over the years I've fished with a lot of different double handed rods from 15 ' 10 wts and 7 wts that felt cumbersome to hold to 11'6 5/6 wts and 7 wts that were so sleek, and petite I could fish them for days. The most common rod I use in the winter is a 13 ft 7 wt for steelhead. I've tried many rods and have found that there are bends and cork shapes that I like better then others. First, I like a rod that bends all the way from the tip to the butt section, I want to feel the fish play. One of the most important components of a rod for me is the shape of the cork and handle. Like swinging a golf club, the shape of the cork for my bottom hand gives me leverage and I want to be able to wrap my bottom hand around the butt and feel like I'm holding a golf club and not a baseball bat, for me a smaller grip gives me more leverage.
What are you looking for in a handle and what handle shapes feels good in your hands?
These five rods are all 7 wts, three of them are 7130, one is a 7133 and one is a 7136.
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