Modified my new casting rod....wine cork included!!!

[davet]

I bought a casting reel earlier this year and then after looking at the sad state of my rod options, I decided to buy a new casting rod. (Spin not Bait) Well, I wanted to keep the cost "cheap" so I ended up with a Shimano Sensilite Casting Rod that cost $49....but add in shipping and it was $65.

Well, it was a one piece 7' rod which is difficult to travel with. So, $16 of Ferruls and epoxy to make it a two piece then happen.

Of course, I wasn't happy with the "short cork" grip on the rod. I kept looking for cork extensions....but they were in the $20 range. Then the idea hit me to just use a wine cork. So, I centered up a wine cork in the drill press, drilled the correct size hole (took two wine corks....the 1st got a bit wonky), then slit the cork to expand and slide over the rod. Some 3M special glue and a day later......"Wha-La".....grip extension:




Then of course, I needed to dress up the grip, so $12 later I added a heat-shrink grip "enhancer" as it's called. But it's really nice and worked well.




So....tally it all up and my "cheap rod" is now $93. But it's a nice rod!!

[Loggy]

Nice job!!  Hard to beat a cork handle!!  All my saltwater outfits are casters. They've come a long way with anti-backlash controls such as (centrifugal or magnetic type) braking systems etc. Seems even with such I still manage a nasty birds nest now & then!!

[davet]

Thanks Loggy. At least now I can make one-handed cast. With that short cork one -handed cast were tough!!

[Dutch]

That's a very nice job, but how much was your labor? Lol

[acorn20]

That's a neat fix, Dave. I'd have to give you an "A" for that.

[davet]

Aug 29, 2021 19:51:13 GMT -5 Dutch said:

That's a very nice job, but how much was your labor? Lol

I charge HUGE fees for this kind of work!!!