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.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwb2Fg-kQvSydWRvaZHGiXsHv3QdEcaq_9nO5CcWG0Cy_7_3uO1D7SpbBtTBbL8jZVAG59zDw6Baa6njZoplI06RcJNAPzd_lQR-sKqbw8MNHAia67buX6VVv0rS7terWh40yodKudFv2y/s640/rods+(2+of+2).jpg) |