Pistol Grip Rods

[Flippin TN]

Does it still have a following? Would you buy one if you don't have one? Would you buy another if you have one? How many do you have if you have more than one? What do or don't you like about them?

[OkobojiEagle]

I'd never use one as I don't have as much power or control of the rod and casting process as I do using two hands.

oe

[bamabassman]

i personally wouldn't go out and buy one myself. for me the rod itself that comes on these are too short for me now that i have a boat and use 7 foot rods. BUT if i were fishing from the bank i would use them for accuracy. just can't ge the distance on these rods you can get with longer rods. most of these are 6' and shorter. i no longer have any of these rods and probably won't ever use them again.

[keithdog]

I think for shorter rods, it's still a viable grip option. It works very well for quickly tossing baits around cover using shorter casts. Having the longer grip to place against the belly when fighting a hog is easier on the wrist though. Myself, I think I'm getting some arthritis in my casting hand and using a two handed grip with the longer style handle is less painfull. I couldn't do that as easily with a pistol grip.

[skeeter1804]

I have one that I use occasionally when I am pitching crankbaits or spinnerbaits in very heavy cover, usually in the spring. Beyond that it never sees daylight.

[BigBassin144]

There are three main reasons I don't use them.

The first is that longer handles and two handed casting give me more power, control, and accuracy.

Secondly, all of the rod I use regularly are at least 7' and most are longer (up to 7'8"). pistol grips don't work with rods this long and are usually found on 5'-6' rods.

Finally, most rods with pistol grips are on inexpensive rods that don't compare to the quality components & craftsmanship, sensitivity, and overall performance of the higher end rods I use.

BB

[carolina-rig-01]

I don't have one any more but I have owned several of them in the past. The benefit to them is casting accuracy in tight places but I think over the last several years my casting has got to the point where I don't think a pistol grip rod would improve my accuracy enough to justify giving up the power I get with a longer handle to wrestle fish out of tight places, and tight places are really the only time a pistol grip rod offers any benefit in my opinion.

[kennethdaysale]

Pistol grip is an excellent(only) option for someone with VERY VERY short arms and a VERY VERY big girth, other than that.........................????

[keithdog]

Another thought I just had. One place where a short pistol grip rod really excells is fishing from shore around a lot of woody cover such as brush and overhanging tree limbs. That type of rod allows you to get into and cast from some pretty narlly place where a longer rod would be a hindrence.

[Flippin TN]

There seems to be a pretty general agreement on them. Its usually the one that gets left at home which is when I usually wish I had brought it I like it maybe when Im fishing up close to the boat. I bought one some years ago just to see what they were all about.

[WTL]

If you have one balanced with the right reel and lure, they can be a joy to use. My father prefers them, primarily because he is a topwater junkie. You can really pick apart tight pockets with one. But thats not a tournament technique, so it has fallen out of favor.

[oglejust]

my dad has some, but i like the longer grip to put it against me when pulling in a fish, also i dont like the balance of them. im slowly getting dad away from them

[Top Tiger]

I've been using a 5-1/2' Shakespeare rod with a cork pistol grip for well over 20yrs. I realize that it's old school and younguns laugh when they see it come out of the locker but after so many years with that rod, I can put a worm in your hip pocket at 25 yds. and tell whether a bass has silver or porcelain fillings in his teeth when he picks up. Got a few of the longer rods for throwing distances but for accuracy and feel, I'll stay with the old school. I don't fish tournaments so covering a lot of water and filling the live well isn't that big a deal to me but the joy in bouncing a worm off a fish's nose and have him take it is a thrill that I don't plan to give up. Besides all that; my Ranger ha very short rod lockers.

[AUFred]

I still own 5 pistolgrip rods. I was raised using those. I rarely drag them out but they cast far more accurately for me than the long rods. I am not a fan of the really long handles. I find myself hanging on my shirt or belly when adjusting the rod. The old pistolgrip rods are great for spincast reels or baitcasters where feathering are real important. All these rods are 6' or under which suits me fine. They are for more manageable for in-hpuse casting practice than the longer rods. I love to roll cast and they are great for that.

[pro reel]

I have to agree with aufred, I love them. It just sucks that due to a very low demand, it's very difficult to get them in a high quality rod anymore. I still have several berkley lightning rods with pistol grips. I would feel lost without them anytime I wanted to fish a spinnerbait or crankbait around cover. I personally hate long handles for anything except c rigs and big cranks. I use the shortest handles I can get on my 6.10 and 7 ft rods. I can pitch most baits to the same places i would roll cast a bait to, but with a good pistol grip, i can role cast any bait into just about any little pocket there is. Most of the reasons i see here that were against them, are the reasons tourney pro's don't use them. Tourney pros on big water don't fish the same areas and cover that i fish on my little lakes and farm ponds. I doubt that you will ever see a major event won by someone beating the bank and picking apart every little bush or overhang, but thats still the way that many weekend anglers fish, and it's easier with a 6 ft pistol grip.

[Raul]

Call me old school if you want to but when it comes to dead accuracy to the point where the bait lands on a spot like if I went and drop it right there with my very hand a pistol grip is hard to beat, I still have a couple of pistol grips in my arsenal, that´s the advantage of the pistol grip; the disadvantages are more than the advantages, fighting power suxs bigtime, all the strain of the battle takes place where you don´t want it: your wrist, which is probably the worst place in your arm anatomy to place a load. Setting the hook also has a problem, since there´s very little handle you can´t rest the handle on something with more muscle to it ( your forearm ) so the load goes back to your wrist, after you set the hook then you go to problem one ( fighting the fish ) to gain some harder place to fight the fish you have to use your chest. Unfortunately like AU says, nowdays pistol grips have been relegated to low end availability.

However, sometimes you need that dead accuracy to place a bait and that´s when the pistol grip shines.

[Flippin TN]

If you could elect the action that would help with the hook set issue and increase the leverage without sacrificing accuracy found with the pistol grip how could the performance be improved if you were to have a rod made?

What is the characteristic of the pistol grip rod that adds to the degree of accuracy im reading about.

If you were to have a pistol grip rod made what would be your choice for the blank.

Ive made a number of baitcasters and spinning rods always with the idea of making a pistol grip rod. With the cost of good blanks I'd have to limit it to one maybe two rods.

What would be the ideal pistol grip rod with accuracy first, hook set second and fighting advantage third? What is it about the pistol grip style rod that gives it such an accuracy edge?

[AUFred]

Originally Posted by Flippin TN

If you could elect the action that would help with the hook set issue and increase the leverage without sacrificing accuracy found with the pistol grip how could the performance be improved if you were to have a rod made?

What is the characteristic of the pistol grip rod that adds to the degree of accuracy im reading about.

If you were to have a pistol grip rod made what would be your choice for the blank.

Ive made a number of baitcasters and spinning rods always with the idea of making a pistol grip rod. With the cost of good blanks I'd have to limit it to one maybe two rods.

What would be the ideal pistol grip rod with accuracy first, hook set second and fighting advantage third? What is it about the pistol grip style rod that gives it such an accuracy edge?

I think the pistolgrip is more like an extension of your hand which contributes to its accuracy. The long handles tend for me to create a leverage issue on casting which helps with fighting the fish. I don't know how to explain it but since I generally cast one handed I felt less wrist fatigue with a pistolgrip. There again when the fishing is really good then the long handle creates less wrist fatigue from fighting big fish. Most days I either catch very few fish or very few big fish it worked for me. As I have upgraded my rod quality I have noticed the pistolgrips have become passe'. Like others have stated I still look for the shortest handle possible.

As to action I prefer a medium to medium heavy over a heavy action. I like a little tip action although I have fished the old Lew's speed which were like a cue stick.

[carolina-rig-01]

I guess the answer to that question would depend on what bait you are talking about fishing. Pistol grips get used heavily as spinnerbait rods but they are also used for a lot of other techniques in addition to spinnerbaits. What makes them so accurate casters is the short handle and the short rod. The longer handle gives you more power but will take something away from your accuracy, the same could be said for the overall length of the rod. If I were to build a pistol grip rod for spinnerbaits I would want a rod that was somewhere in the 6' range with a medium heavy power and a moderate fast tip. I generally like a fast tip on spinnerbait rods but when making a roll cast with a pistol grip your bites won't be far from the boat so a softer tip will be plenty and it will also allow a little more accuracy on the cast. I didn't do a big search on blanks but I did look at a few options for you and from what I can tell St. Croix is one of the few brands of blanks that come in a 6' casting model. However they all have a fast tip so if you wanted a moderate fast tip you might have to get a longer rod and cut it down to length. I have never cut a rod down so I can't say personally how well it works but I have heard of a lot of guys doing it and as long as you use the right epuipment they claim it doesn't hurt the blank. Another option would be to buy a spinning blank to build on as it seems there are more options in the 6' range than there are in casting blanks. Again I have never built a casting rod on a spinning blank but I can't see where it would hurt anything.

[Raul]

Originally Posted by Flippin TN

If you could elect the action that would help with the hook set issue and increase the leverage without sacrificing accuracy found with the pistol grip how could the performance be improved if you were to have a rod made?

What is the characteristic of the pistol grip rod that adds to the degree of accuracy im reading about.

If you were to have a pistol grip rod made what would be your choice for the blank.

Ive made a number of baitcasters and spinning rods always with the idea of making a pistol grip rod. With the cost of good blanks I'd have to limit it to one maybe two rods.

What would be the ideal pistol grip rod with accuracy first, hook set second and fighting advantage third? What is it about the pistol grip style rod that gives it such an accuracy edge?

It has more to do with where the load is placed vs the rod action & power, the lack of leverage is caused because the leverage load goes to the wrist and the wrist is articulated to be hinge vs the forearm which is rigid. What makes the pistol grip more accurate is preciselly the wrist and it´s ability to bend in several directions, flicking and snapping the wrist during the cast allows you to direct the rod and bait, being the handle so short ( palm hand length ) you can do that movement with nothing interrupting that motion.

[Tavery5]

I know that St.Croix and G.Loomis both made pistol grip rods back in the day.

[WTL]

MEMO: Major rod manufacturers (especially those doing market demand studies)


Build more high end pistol grip rods. New blanks. No foregrips. #4 microguides. Fully exposed reel seats. Absolute minimum thread and epoxy buildup. Super light.

Signed,
Bassfishin.com popular demand.

[Tavery5]

Originally Posted by WTL

MEMO: Major rod manufacturers (especially those doing market demand studies)


Build more high end pistol grip rods. New blanks. No foregrips. #4 microguides. Fully exposed reel seats. Absolute minimum thread and epoxy buildup. Super light.

Signed,
Bassfishin.com popular demand.

Nice, what do you think for power, action and length. Myself I would like a 6ft MH F.

[Flippin TN]

Really the blank doesn't know what its going to be used for. I've cut down blanks and it has not been a problem I use a Dremel and a cut off wheel and a water spray bottle it cuts clean fast with no heat. After the cut I "mend " the end of the blank with 2 part epoxy.

Its my understanding GLoomis no longer offers blanks though still available limited to whats on hand. To bad

St Croix offers a 6' MH F 1pc 12-20 3/8-1 .515 butt 5.5tip 2 oz. Carbon pearl finish for $95.00. I think I will order one and do it.

Cork handle and Pac Bay 2 pc no center exposed blank reel seat very light.

Ive used Rec titanium guides on a couple of spinning rods and they are really light but they sing. They're fast but you hear the braid passing thru the guides during the cast. They are pricey but really durable almost impossible to ruin.

I agree using as little thread as absolutely necessary and low build epoxy no fore grip I think always looks good, nice and business like.

I haven't build a rod for a while and this would be a fun one to do. I really think the opinions offered up here were great.

[Jrob78]

I agree with Flippin, a custom pistol grip rod would definitely be the way to go. I know a few manufacturers are still selling pre-made pistol grips. The quality of the cork probably isn't all that great though.

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