I like the feel of cork grips, but today I can buy an excellent fly-rod blank for the price of a decent cork grip. Putty-smeared cork grips are not an acceptable choice. The putty turns to powder and the shoulders of the exposed holes in the cork quickly crumble. What alternative to cork is the best grip choice for a person who intends to frequently fish with a fly rod?

Because of the shape of the fly rod grips carbon fiber is a good choice if you don't want cork. . Even the recess for the seat hood is not difficult if you have it set up right. You can make any diameter you want (some like them larger than standard). Riley Rods for materials. I recommend buying the foam bars as opposed to trying to pour them yourself. They are not that expensive, and no mess, no mistakes. Riley has good tutorials , too.

Don't be worried about them being slippery; it's the shape that's important. I find them fine for all types of grips/butt knobs/ramps. And while they don't look traditional, they sure are sharp looking.

Many fly rod guys I know didn't want to try the foam-carbon grips early on, but since trying them they have become among the greatest proponents of that type grip.

You also have the option of wood, cored if you want to keep the weight down.

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Take a look at Winn Fly Grips, we sell (in my opinion) an awesome color/pattern that is similar to cork. This Winn grip will outlast cork and virtually no up-keep. [www.getbitoutdoors.com]



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/01/2016 02:31PM by Wyatt Rutherford.

if you want to keep that traditional look to the rod look at rattan wrapping or even bark. I've done a few out of cotton wood bark(as light as cork but with cool color) and I've seen them done with pine/fir bark from the northwest. also birch bark. custom fly grips on the left sells it.

As Tom and Michael pointed out, CF grips are excellent. I'm not going back to cork, and the people for whom I've built CF fly grips don't want to go back to cork either. If you haven't tried them, you owe it yourself to give them a shot.

What about using a cork sealer? I've only used it on a couple rods so far, and the oldest one has been used for half a year. So far it's holding up fantastic. Would this be a possible 'alternative', or will it have the same effects?

I'm curious to know because I agree with the cork issue, but so far I have been very pleased with using the U40 cork sealer.

I had never held a Winn grip in my hand before. However, I was over at another shop which had several rods built with Winn grips.

I see nothing but good things about the Winn grips and really no downside at all. If I was to build another fly rod, I would certainly use a Winn grip, based on what I had in my hand this morning.

Very attractive, non slip, long lasting and reasonably priced.

Be safe

In order to keep myself up to date with new stuff in the rod building market I have built a couple of fly rods each using Winn grips and carbon fiber grips. In my opinion they are both excellent but have distinctly different feels. The carbon fiber grips I used were the premade half wells CFX grip from mudhole; this saved me the time and effort of making my own. They were very firm/hard grips which come in a matte finish; I coated them with perma gloss, looks great. Even though they are hard they are not slick or slippery when wet and have a nice grippy feel. The Winn grips were also half wells and have a soft tacky feel which gets tackier when wet. They are really comfortable to fish with. I really like both grips and have not made up my mind which I like better. I do not think you can go wrong with either of these grips. They are both light but not a big difference when compared to each other or to cork. I should mention the Winn grips are about $11.00 cheaper.

I think that on a fly rod your best bet is a grip that is both light and hard. Any grip that is the least bit spongy or soft will eventually tire out your hand. For a fly rod the grip needs to be extra firm.

The winn grips work great. I use the fore grips on surf rods and the fly grips. Very comfortable and don't get slippery after handling a fish.

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Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 09/20/2016 05:01PM by John E Powell.

Any grip material covered with Perma Gloss (or any other coating) would feel the same to the touch. Is it necessary to coat carbon fiber or winn grips with a sealer or protectant? Is there any information about the useful life of winn grips or woven carbon/hard foam grips?

No do not coat Winn grips with anything, doing so will probably ruin the grip. The carbon fiber grips do not need to be coated, but many people making or using these grips like to coat them with perma gloss, lumiseal or epoxy. This will not harm the grip and gives them an added sheen/gloss that looks good. There is a u-tube video by Tom Kirkman demonstrating how to properly coat a carbon fiber grip with Perma gloss. I like the feel that perma gloss gives to the carbon fiber grip. But different strokes for different folks.

As far as longevity, the Winn grips for fishing rods are relatively new, but Winn grips for golf clubs have been around for a while, and my golfer friends say they hold up very well. For the carbon fiber grips I see no reason why they would not last a lifetime. They seem very durable and almost bullet proof.

The carbon grips that are coated so that they will exhibit a nice, smooth surface, offer a more tactile feel and gripping surface than the unfinished variety. Believe it or not, the coated grips are more "grippy" to the human hand than the uncoated ones. But no, you don't have to coat them if you don't want to.

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Boy those grips made from tree bark, rattan and banksia nut pods are really striking prices of art! Thank for sharing.
Norm

X2 on those pictures of materials they are something else.They are truly custom pieces of work.They are something that i will be aspiring to.Thanks for sharing.

Ray Balmforth
Figtree
NSW
Australia

Thread art and grip art are captivating. I'm looking for the most useful, durable and cost effective fly rod grips.

Thread art and grip art are captivating. I'm looking for the most useful, durable and cost effective fly rod grips.

Then the carbon skinned, foam core grips may be exactly what you're after. They don't cost much to make, but do require a good bit of hand labor, so there is that back end cost, at least if you're selling rods to the public.

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