Reel Seat vs. Cork Tape - Kayak Fishing Adventures on Big Water’s Edge

bubblehide · 01-06-2012, 07:08 PM

There are advantages and disadvantages to everything; or some things are better suited to specific purposes.

Most jig sticks (8' or longer), don't have reel seats; Why, as was pointed out, so you can place the reel at the fulcrum point best suited to you; the longer the rod, the more important this becomes. Reel seats generally add weight, and if you ever use a heavy jig stick all day, you"ll know why cutting weight can be so important. Cutting weight simply cuts fatigue. But this is true for any type rod. If you like the X-wrap, you can always put some over the cork as it's a bit more serviceable.

as long as you can use a rod clamp, you don't really need a reel seat until you start to get into the bigger fish (as long as your rod is properly splined; as the reel can twist on the rod with enough pressure applied to it. But, for us yak fishermen, this usually isn't an issue.

You might want to also look at it this way, if your out to catch big fish, you might also want to use a gimbal and a belt, for that the rod will have a real seat, and the odds are that the rod will be 6" or under. Granted spectra has changed fishing and this a standard any longer since the advent of rail rods. But since this is a yak site, I'll leave fishing the big fish at what I said.

But lets face it, if you have a reel or reels that fit your reel seat, it's simply more convenient to have a reel seat when changing out reels. However, all or my jig sticks do not have reel seats.

With that said, and looking at your question again. I prefer reel seats on rods under 8' long, and cork or X-wrap over cork on rods 8" and longer. Not to say that I wouldn't make/buy/own a short rod without a reel seat.

01-06-2012, 07:08 PM	#3
bubblehide Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Posts: 552	There are advantages and disadvantages to everything; or some things are better suited to specific purposes. Most jig sticks (8' or longer), don't have reel seats; Why, as was pointed out, so you can place the reel at the fulcrum point best suited to you; the longer the rod, the more important this becomes. Reel seats generally add weight, and if you ever use a heavy jig stick all day, you"ll know why cutting weight can be so important. Cutting weight simply cuts fatigue. But this is true for any type rod. If you like the X-wrap, you can always put some over the cork as it's a bit more serviceable. as long as you can use a rod clamp, you don't really need a reel seat until you start to get into the bigger fish (as long as your rod is properly splined; as the reel can twist on the rod with enough pressure applied to it. But, for us yak fishermen, this usually isn't an issue. You might want to also look at it this way, if your out to catch big fish, you might also want to use a gimbal and a belt, for that the rod will have a real seat, and the odds are that the rod will be 6" or under. Granted spectra has changed fishing and this a standard any longer since the advent of rail rods. But since this is a yak site, I'll leave fishing the big fish at what I said. But lets face it, if you have a reel or reels that fit your reel seat, it's simply more convenient to have a reel seat when changing out reels. However, all or my jig sticks do not have reel seats. With that said, and looking at your question again. I prefer reel seats on rods under 8' long, and cork or X-wrap over cork on rods 8" and longer. Not to say that I wouldn't make/buy/own a short rod without a reel seat.