Balancing 2025

Kevin Wilder reply :

I'm trying to find out about balancing and so far all i've read is people suggesting to add weight to the butt end of a rod. If you have a tip heavy rod wouldn't adding a real counter?

BassHole5 reply :

To balance you want the same amount of weight in the back as is in the front. Haha just kidding

A reel does counter but most of the time not enough so people add weights which obviously adds total weight but some people prefer balance over weight.

dodgeguy reply :

all rods are tip heavy.a properly balanced rod is balanced at the center of the reel seat.this means any reel can be used and it will not change the balance.this also makes the tip weightless so now you are feeling your bait and not the tip weight.

Delaware Valley Tackle reply :

This comes up regularly. There is no right or wrong it comes down to personal preference. The reel you mount, your grip, the technique and baits you plan to fish all affect the feel. The angle and plane that you fish a rod on is constantly changing. I prefer not to add weight anywhere on a rod except in rare circumstances, but again it's up to you as to what feels good in your hand. Don't over think it. Mount a reel and see how it feels then adjust accordingly.

K_Mac reply :

It depends on the rod and application IMO. I have a few Bass Pro Extreme rods (spinning and BC) that are more comfortable with a little added weight. They are used primarily for jigs/worms. I do not add weight to rods that are used for "moving" baits. Higher end rods are lighter and tend to balance a bit better in my experience.

J Francho reply :

All my rods are tip heavy with a bait tied on. Even more so with a fish on

OkobojiEagle reply :

John... I know your response was intended as a humorous retort, but it provides the very concept why someone would want a balanced rod/reel in the first place. So that the fine motor muscles of your hand can more easily recognize the slightest weight as bait not rod and any increase (or decrease) to that weight may be fish.

J Francho reply :

I like jig and worm rods to be lighter feeling in the tip. Same goes for drop shot. Otherwise, it's just a "feels good" to me thing. As far as "weight on the rod," I get that. I think that's more in the sensitivity setup than anything else, though. I've put together combos that felt terrible in my hands. Change out the reel, and it's wonderful. I know it's a balance thing, but I can't say for certain if it's because it's truly balanced. All my casting rigs, save my flipping/pitching stick are slightly tip heavy, if I use the center of the reel as a fulcrum.

SirSnookalot reply :

Unless the exact same weighted lures are used the balance will never be the same. On many of my setups I throw a range of different lure weights, 1/2 oz to 1 1/2 oz is not uncommon for me. I'm not into dedicated rods and reels as I prefer to have only 1 with me. The exception would be offshore, I have 3, 1 for trolling, 1 for drifting and 1 for casting, but only 1 at a time are used.

OkobojiEagle reply :

Sir... The goal would be to attain a balanced attitude without a bait hanging from the rod.

J Francho reply :

Quote
Unless the exact same weighted lures are used the balance will never be the same.

True, if you only fish moving baits.

SirSnookalot reply :

Quote
QuoteUnless the exact same weighted lures are used the balance will never be the same.
True, if you only fish moving baits.

I only fish moving baits, I may fish a plastic worm maybe 2 or 3 times in an entire year. Quite common for me to fish a variety of lure types from 1/4 to over an ounce at the beach or inlet, then use the same rod to do some bass fishing on my way home and use fairly light lures. Most people I encounter down here fish exactly the same way, carry only 1 rod, except bait fisherman. Our kind of fishing, perfect balance does not seem to be a concern.

J Francho reply :

On 10/5/2011 at 10:11 PM, SirSnookalot said:

I only fish moving baits, I may fish a plastic worm maybe 2 or 3 times in an entire year. Quite common for me to fish a variety of lure types from 1/4 to over an ounce at the beach or inlet, then use the same rod to do some bass fishing on my way home and use fairly light lures. Most people I encounter down here fish exactly the same way, carry only 1 rod, except bait fisherman. Our kind of fishing, perfect balance does not seem to be a concern.

Here's the thing, and don't take this as an insult - it's not meant to be. I wouldn't consider you a "bass fisherman." Yes, you fish for bass on occasion, but your style of fishing doesn't begin to scratch the surface of what a bass fisherman encounters on a typical day. This is why you will not find yourself in agreement with many of the opinions here, not because you are offering a different viewpoint as a bass fisherman. Most people you encounter are probably not "bass fisherman" in the sense that most BassResource.com members think either. Like I said, it's not an insult. It's really more a case of geography. Up here on the Great lakes, trout and salmon are held with high regard. We groundling bass/pike/panfish anglers (yes, the DEC thinks of us as one) are second class citizens. If you lived on the shores of Okeechobee, you would have a different perspective of "bass fishing."

SirSnookalot reply :

On 10/5/2011 at 10:23 PM, J Francho said:

Here's the thing, and don't take this as an insult - it's not meant to be. I wouldn't consider you a "bass fisherman." Yes, you fish for bass on occasion, but your style of fishing doesn't begin to scratch the surface of what a bass fisherman encounters on a typical day. This is why you will not find yourself in agreement with many of the opinions here, not because you are offering a different viewpoint as a bass fisherman. Most people you encounter are probably not "bass fisherman" in the sense that most BassResource.com members think either. Like I said, it's not an insult. It's really more a case of geography. Up here on the Great lakes, trout and salmon are held with high regard. We groundling bass/pike/panfish anglers (yes, the DEC thinks of us as one) are second class citizens. If you lived on the shores of Okeechobee, you would have a different perspective of "bass fishing."

I take no insult as I like the way i fish, do it 7 days a week and catch some great fish. Actually I grew up in Michigan and fished bass and most other species for nearly 60 years before moving to Florida. My dad was an avid fisherman and we either lived on or near lakes since i was a kid, being within 20 minutes of Canada we fished there a lot too. I have always kept my fishing real basic and simple, it has served me well. Got my first real taste of inshore saltwater fishing when my wife and I bought our first place in Florida ( as snowbirds) in 1982, love at first sight.

J Francho reply :

It's like that with me and the Esox guys. I love pike fishing, and make a few trips every fall and spring for big ones. But I just use MH bass gear, and a few basic pike lures. Pike are stupid, and they are either biting or not. It's light switch with them - no tricking them. Now, I say that to my Esox buddies....all hell breaks loose, LOL.

baluga reply :

A balance rod makes life easier may it be saltwater inshore or freshwater fishing. It's less stressful and less fatigue to the arm, elbow and wrist when working the baits for topwater, dropshot or throwing hard baits. The only time we don't care if the rod is tip heavy is when we are soaking bait, simply because we set the rod on a rod holder. JMHO.

SirSnookalot reply :

On 10/6/2011 at 6:52 AM, baluga said:

A balance rod makes life easier may it be saltwater inshore or freshwater fishing. It's less stressful and less fatigue to the arm, elbow and wrist when working the baits for topwater, dropshot or throwing hard baits. The only time we don't care if the rod is tip heavy is when we are soaking bait, simply because we set the rod on a rod holder. JMHO.

Today was no different than any other day, started the ICW at 4:am, hit the beach at 5:30, then the jettie around 8. Fished a top water for maybe the first 4 hours. All my fishing was done with 1 rod, I used maybe another 4 different weighted lures the rest of the time, oh yeh stopped off with the same rod and caught a few bass on a spinnerbait on the way home. All in all fished for better part of 6 hours, had a good day too.

Am I tired, body fatigued or stressed, not in the least bit. Doing this everyday and being fit eliminates those problems, I'll be going bass fishing for the rest of the day. Train your body and be in shape you won't get tired or sore whether your rod is perfectly balanced or not.

I never soak a bait................I strictly walk and cast.

piscicidal reply :

I agree with the point about balance as it pertains to moving baits. The variability in resistance associated with moving baits, really makes trying to achieve a "balance" a moot point, IMO.

To me "balance" is important on the finesse and esp. jig/flipping/pitching rigs at which point slack line ergonomics come into play...

baluga reply :

On 10/6/2011 at 11:50 PM, SirSnookalot said:

Today was no different than any other day, started the ICW at 4:am, hit the beach at 5:30, then the jettie around 8. Fished a top water for maybe the first 4 hours. All my fishing was done with 1 rod, I used maybe another 4 different weighted lures the rest of the time, oh yeh stopped off with the same rod and caught a few bass on a spinnerbait on the way home. All in all fished for better part of 6 hours, had a good day too.

Am I tired, body fatigued or stressed, not in the least bit. Doing this everyday and being fit eliminates those problems, I'll be going bass fishing for the rest of the day. Train your body and be in shape you won't get tired or sore whether your rod is perfectly balanced or not.

I never soak a bait................I strictly walk and cast.

Fishing is supposed to be relaxing, why would anyone need to train their body to be fit just to enjoy fishing? With the balance rod you don't even have to be in shape and fit to enjoy fishing.

Try to use a balance rod like Dobyns DX or a phenix umbx rods and you'll find out why a lot of folks here talk about balancing a rod.

Take if from somebody who's only exercise is a weekend fishing.

SirSnookalot reply :

I have a number of combinations that have excellent balance, then I change a lure and the balances changes, not that bothers me, especially considering that except for boat fishing I have but 1 rod with me. The balance changes with the position of the reel on the rod, how many guys tape their reel on to a bare cork handle these days to alter the balance.

By your own admission your only exercise is fishing once a week, I think that plays in perfectly to my point, Most activities I can think of require a repetitive motion, doing it infrequently would probably cause some pain and discomfort at times, even with the world most perfectly balanced rod and reel . A person doing it day in a day out doesn't tire out or get sore, perfectly balanced or not, the muscles are trained and strengthened for that activity. I'd be willing to bet a world class marathon runner would get a little sore and tired from an activity they seldom do, like casting, or bowling, or golf or tennis.

I'm fit and my muscles are conditioned to cast for hours regardless of what kind of rod and reel I'm using with whatever lure weight, since I don't tire I'm always relaxed. I'm 66 years old too !

I apologize to the rest of the members for getting slightly off track, but some fisherman actually think there is some kind of magic bullet out there, the magic is really within each of us, not the equipment. I happen to fish with some really nice gear, but that isn't what catches the fish.

baluga reply :

Two years ago I developed a rotator cuff and elbow issues from using a tip heavy rod and it took me 9 months to recover. I switched to a good balance rod like Dobyns DX and Phenix UMBX, and to this date I have not had any fatigue or sore shoulder/arm/elbow and wrist after my usual fishing trips. I did not even have to go to a PT or get any exercise or change my casting style.

Kevin Wilder reply :

This is filled with nothing but oldness!! lol I'm sorry I don't mean any disrepect it's just I go round and round with my dad who is 67 himself on this stuff... Look I understand you could tie a string on the end of a stick and catch a fish. Hell I've caught a fish without a stick and just some line in my hand and a hook with a worm on the other end... Bass fishing is a whole other world of fishing. Yes someone could go out on a lake with one rod balanced or not, an assortment of lures and be successful, however when it comes to competition believe me every edge you can have to your advantage helps hugely. If you enter a bass tournament and go with one rod you're going to loose. You could get lucky but most likely not as the odds are stacked against you... while you're switching lures using a snap or not you will spend considerably amount of time out of the water than someone who has multiple rods... Not to mention that even if you were using a snap it could affect the action of your lure. So right there you can see already the things that start to go against you. Balancing your rods is just part of the artistry and is a bonus to getting the advantage against others and so it is with multiple rods.

On 10/7/2011 at 4:54 AM, SirSnookalot said:

I have a number of combinations that have excellent balance, then I change a lure and the balances changes, not that bothers me, especially considering that except for boat fishing I have but 1 rod with me. The balance changes with the position of the reel on the rod, how many guys tape their reel on to a bare cork handle these days to alter the balance.

By your own admission your only exercise is fishing once a week, I think that plays in perfectly to my point, Most activities I can think of require a repetitive motion, doing it infrequently would probably cause some pain and discomfort at times, even with the world most perfectly balanced rod and reel . A person doing it day in a day out doesn't tire out or get sore, perfectly balanced or not, the muscles are trained and strengthened for that activity. I'd be willing to bet a world class marathon runner would get a little sore and tired from an activity they seldom do, like casting, or bowling, or golf or tennis.

I'm fit and my muscles are conditioned to cast for hours regardless of what kind of rod and reel I'm using with whatever lure weight, since I don't tire I'm always relaxed. I'm 66 years old too !

I apologize to the rest of the members for getting slightly off track, but some fisherman actually think there is some kind of magic bullet out there, the magic is really within each of us, not the equipment. I happen to fish with some really nice gear, but that isn't what catches the fish.

Kevin Wilder reply :

I don't care for my bass fishing to be relaxing. I wish it to be fun... Relaxing is not fun it's relaxing... Once you put relaxing in the same category as fun, relaxing becomes boring!

On 10/7/2011 at 12:44 AM, baluga said:

Fishing is supposed to be relaxing,

Try to use a balance rod like Dobyns DX or a phenix umbx rods and you'll find out why a lot of folks here talk about balancing a rod.

Take if from somebody who's only exercise is a weekend fishing.

baluga reply :

On 10/7/2011 at 7:15 AM, Kevin Wilder said:

I don't care for my bass fishing to be relaxing. I wish it to be fun... Relaxing is not fun it's relaxing... Once you put relaxing in the same category as fun, relaxing becomes boring!

Last week I just had a relaxing weekend (Oct 2, 2011). I caught my biggest bass on a dropshot/5" berkley jerkshad on w/ 12# FC inviziX using Calais on CUC68M. But I have to admit it gave me a sore arm and wrist after the fight and letting it go back to the deep. If you think this is boring then I have no clue what is your definition of fun...

oh btw, I balance the cuc68M by sticking a dime and a quarter at the butt end with shoe goo then added a felt slider sticker with the size of a quarter.

SirSnookalot reply :

@ Ken, I don't think anyone is talking about tournament fishing, which I could care less about being personally involved. When I do my offshore fishing I have multiple rods with me, for trolling, drifting or casting, all are important. I think the thrust of the last few posts have more to with recreational fishing from shore. Many people such as myself fish from shore with only 1 rod, quite common to walk and cast for a mile or more, when changing a lure the balance and aerodynamics are going to change, adapting should come natural, not a whole lot thought to it. Whether it be bass fishing or inshore saltwater fishing the techniques and equipment are quite similar, The bass world may be different, but fishing is fishing, if a semi experienced fisherman can catch bass they are more than capable of being successful inshore and the reverse is just as true. My roots are freshwater for 60 years, and have inshore fished about 30 years, I fish 7 days a week both saltwater inshore and bass fishing and enjoy both, there really is not a whole of difference. This is as simple as it gets, present a bait in the vicinity of a fish, hope for the best.

@ Baluga, I didn't realize some people are that fragile. Conditioning and proper techniques go a long way in prevention of injury, discounting any predisposed health conditions or accidents. Let the rod load and do the work, a long flowing arc to your cast is much easier on your body, that's called a saltwater cast, a freshwater cast is wristier with more of a snap to it, having my roots in freshwater I've been accused of casting improperly in the surf. Doing this for 60 years has conditioned me to do this daily with no discomfort.

Kevin Wilder reply :

So you were relaxing? You were sitting down with your rod over the edge in a a rod holder, reading a book and dozing off at the same time and a monster took your rod down? haha... you don't have to answer that.

On 10/7/2011 at 8:41 AM, baluga said:

Last week I just had a relaxing weekend (Oct 2, 2011). I caught my biggest bass on a dropshot/5" berkley jerkshad on w/ 12# FC inviziX using Calais on CUC68M. But I have to admit it gave me a sore arm and wrist after the fight and letting it go back to the deep. If you think this is boring then I have no clue what is your definition of fun...

oh btw, I balance the cuc68M by sticking a dime and a quarter at the butt end with shoe goo then added a felt slider sticker with the size of a quarter.

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