A few months ago I picked up a Levante Braillist from Tackle Warehouse after sifting through countless reviews. I loved the styling of the rod and the action was just right for throwing texas rigs and mid sized jigs. The only thing I couldn't get past was how tip heavy it felt in my hands. I didn't want to send it back, but I also didn't love the idea of spending $200 on a rod that was super unbalanced. I looked up balancing kits online but didn't really feel like waiting for a week or two for shipping to come around, so I decided to make my own DIY balancer.
I found the balance point that I wanted by lining up my finger on the point and pulling down on the butt with a scale. The weight came out to be about an ounce or just over and by using a 3/8" galvanized steel plumbing cap, some electrical tape, and 1.5" heat-shrink tubing, I was able to balance the rod to where the balance point was almost on the spool of my reel.
This is the second time I've re-balanced the rod. It was perfect the first time but I realized someone else may benefit from this.
~5" section of 1.5" diameter heat shrink tubing, plumbing cap, and electrical tape.
First I taped the cap to the butt of the rod using electrical tape. I made efforts to make this look pretty even though no one would see it.
The tubing should cover the entire butt of the rod.
Completed product. It doesn't look or feel pretty but I never touch the butt end of my rod while fishing anyways so it's not a deal-breaker for me.
Balancing a Levante
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