[Tinker]

I've never owned a rod with a wooden reel seat insert and don't know anyone who has, or does, own one.

I often fish from a kayak, and wondered, if you're prone to accidentally dunking the butt of a rod when fiddling around at the tip, is wood durable?

 

[nailbender]

Most all of them are impregnated, stabilized with some kind of resin.

 

[Mike T]

They'll do fine in fresh water. I'd rather not have wood inserts for salt water use, however if you do be sure to rinse your rod down well after use.

 

[Porter]

Just rinse w/o reel on after fishing any type of water and store dry, dry, dry, dry!

 

[Tinker]

Most all of them are impregnated, stabilized with some kind of resin.

Thank you. I thought they might only have a "bar epoxy" varnish to protect them.

They'll do fine in fresh water. I'd rather not have wood inserts for salt water use, however if you do be sure to rinse your rod down well after use.

I might have mentioned that it would be a freshwater rod. Duh! The rods I use in saltwater all have reel seats that are all aluminum, or have a carbon fiber insert. And yes, those rods get thoroughly rinsed after every use.

Just rinse w/o reel on after fishing any type of water and store dry, dry, dry, dry!

Thank you. I can be a bit haphazard about rinsing rods after a freshwater trip - which is stupid since I rinse the reel every time, regardless of the type of water. But dry? I try, but considering the weather we've had this year, if I waited for a rod to dry, dry, dry I'd only get to use it one time until mid-July. Maybe August.


Thank you, all. Good to know wood inserts are (almost surely) resin impregnated but may not withstand saltwater for long, and always a good reminder that packing away gear while it's still wet is not the best idea.

Appreciate it.

 

[Porter]

Im usually pretty good at taking care of my gear but there has been a couple times in the past where I have pulled out a reel after being stored a month or two after a fresh water trip and yuck ....like moldy cheese spores growing on it. Disgusting!

 

[Nooksack Mac]

Of course, always rinse tackle used in salt water. And fresh or salt, I always air-dry relevant tackle, putting rods in their bags on top of high furniture overnight. Put a damp rod in a cotton bag into a closed tube and leave it there?!!! Never!

 

[freestoneangler]

There are millions of fly rods using these, you should not have any issues.

 

[Tinker]

There are millions of fly rods using these, you should not have any issues.

Millions and millions, more likely - but I can get klutzy about dunking the reel seat. After the answers here, I not longer worry that I'll really be able to pooch the reel seat. Not too badly, anyway.