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Tennessee grip question

Posted: Tue Jun 18, 2019 9:29 pm
by lifeofRiley
I've got a Loomis 5'4" mag-light spin pole with Tennessee grip. Loomis sticks two black metal rings over the cork, to hold the reel in place, but I've always had trouble with them coming loose. How do you attach reels to your Tennessee grip? Thinking of trying to remove these metal "rings" and going with electric tape.

Re: Tennessee grip question

Posted: Tue Jun 18, 2019 10:56 pm
by Slazmo
You could smartly recess one of these into the Cork onto the blank and bind on, then refill over the binding with Cork and finish it off...

Would be quiet a smart option if done right and doesn't effect the weight of the rod too much.

I have seen people just attach these straight to the Cork grip and bind on for life - but looked a bit bulky.

Re: Tennessee grip question

Posted: Wed Jun 19, 2019 4:53 am
by Houndfish
lifeofRiley wrote:
Tue Jun 18, 2019 9:29 pm
I've got a Loomis 5'4" mag-light spin pole with Tennessee grip. Loomis sticks two black metal rings over the cork, to hold the reel in place, but I've always had trouble with them coming loose. How do you attach reels to your Tennessee grip? Thinking of trying to remove these metal "rings" and going with electric tape.
I have the same rod I think and I use self-amalgamating tape over the rings. It holds it nice and tight and leaves no residue.

That little rod is a beast, I am constantly amazed how much power it has once you lean on it.

Re: Tennessee grip question

Posted: Wed Jun 19, 2019 5:08 pm
by toddmc
Remove the rings. They are uncomfortable and useless. Use a no-stretch athletic tape under the electrical tape to attach your reel. The no-stretch tape helps keep your reel from moving. The whole point of a Tennessee grip is for it to be comfortable. Sand it down if you don't like the shape. You can also add tennis racquet tape if you want more grip.

Re: Tennessee grip question

Posted: Thu Jun 20, 2019 5:53 am
by Houndfish
toddmc wrote:
Wed Jun 19, 2019 5:08 pm
Remove the rings. They are uncomfortable and useless.
The rings are very useful for holding the reel in place while I get the tape applied!

What I should do is draw a line in indelible ink on the bottom of the grip inline with the guides, that would speed up mounting the reel a ton.

Re: Tennessee grip question

Posted: Sun Jun 23, 2019 10:40 am
by susQbassman
Remove the rings I once had 8 Tennessee handle rods tape them on with gray electrical tape don't use black leaves a nasty residue behind.

Re: Tennessee grip question

Posted: Tue Jun 25, 2019 8:36 am
by ogrich31
3M Super 33+ leaves no residue, and available at most hardware stores.

I would just tighten the slip rings after every 10 or so casts. You can also wrap a layer or two of tape on the cork itself for more pressure for the slip rings.

Re: Tennessee grip question

Posted: Fri Jun 28, 2019 8:30 am
by ncbass
Being from East Tennessee originally. That handle was extremely popular. Loved them and I just taped the reels on. Removed the split rings for the reason that it made the handle cold when we fished in the winter for smallmouth or walleye. That tape on cork was much warmer. Still have a couple rods but sold most thru the years. The one I liked the most was the Lew’s with the graphite Tennessee handle.

Re: Tennessee grip question

Posted: Sat Jun 29, 2019 9:55 pm
by lifeofRiley
Thanks for the replies everyone. I'm going to go with amalgamated (self-stick) tape over the slip rings for now. Once I fish this for a while and see how it feels, I can always take the rings off later if I feel the need to (although they are metal so might be tough to saw off without hitting the cork).

Re: Tennessee grip question

Posted: Sun Jun 30, 2019 7:20 am
by Houndfish
lifeofRiley wrote:
Sat Jun 29, 2019 9:55 pm
Thanks for the replies everyone. I'm going to go with amalgamated (self-stick) tape over the slip rings for now. Once I fish this for a while and see how it feels, I can always take the rings off later if I feel the need to (although they are metal so might be tough to saw off without hitting the cork).
If you want to cut them off, take some splitshims and shave one down until it slides under the ring between it and the cork. Then you can use a dremil to cut the rings off with the sims in there to protect the cork.