Fixing the Reel Seat to a Fishing Rod


First of all the lower (butt end) Hypalon/Cork grip must be fitted to the rod blank, see Fitting Grips to a Fishing Rod before you attempt to fit the reel seat.

The reel seat size should be chosen as close to the diameter of the blank as possible (making sure the reel you intend to use also fits the reel seat), this eliminates the need for excess packing under the reel seat. Roughen the blank where the reel seat will go, this will enable the adhesive to bond to the blank better. (Med-Fine Wet&Dry paper) Use only 13mm (1/2") masking tape as packing and apply it in even tight wraps to the blank. You should enable 3 even packings of masking tape in the area the reel seat has to go.

Once all the packings are to the required thickness the reel seat should be roughed up in the bore (this enables the glue to adhere to it better). Mix up a large amount of 24-hour Araldite/epoxy and apply it genourasly to the masking tape and gaps between the masking tape. Using excess glue in this step has more of an advantage than a disadvantage, so be generous. At this point it is important you line up the reel seat to the backbone, this is where the mark you put on the blank while checking where the backbone is comes into play, see Locating the Backbone on a Fishing Rod. Wipe off the excess glue and stand the rod up straight so the glue can evenly disperse itself around the reel seat and blank during the drying process. Allow at least 12-24 hours to dry before attempting to fit the upper grip to the rod blank (this prevents accidental movement of the reel seat while drying).


Listed is a guide to where a Reel Seat should be located.


Rod Type

Distance from the complete bottom
of the rod to the bottom of the reel seat
Fly (freshwater) At the butt
Fly (salt water) At the butt - 50mm
Light Spinner 100 - 250mm
Medium Spinner 300 - 350mm
Heavy Spinner 500 - 600mm
Side Cast 150 - 200mm
Overhead rock/beach 500 - 600mm
Game rod 250 - 350mm


All the above measurements are a guide only. Finer adju

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