Reel Seat Opinions

[tblando]

Hey SU 

I’m looking for your opinion on reel seats— specifically aluminum seats like Alps. What are the benefits or cons vs graphite? Trying to finish up ordering a custom rod— like the looks of aluminum but function is more important to me. Difficult to find any info online that doesn’t involve cat fishing rods ha. 

Thanks! 

[Escondido_Talent]

I have em on all my nef rods.  Only down fall to me is, early spring and late fall gets cold to the touch in Chicago.  Don’t know where your from.  May not affect you

Edited March 16, 2020 by Escondido_Talent

[Tinos240]

I had em on two of my rods and they look awesome but i noticed with the the weather being too cold my fingers would freeze up and in the heat too hot lol also my reels would sit up higher on the rod than on a standard fuji especially the round reels, still have it on my travel rod but go rid of the other one, just my two cents....

[chefchris]

I’m not a fan personally. Like others mentioned, if you live in a cold area they get and stay cold in spring and late fall. They also can get pretty warm/hot if you leave em baking in the sun on the deck of the boat. 
 

I’d rather have a Fuji seat where I can feel the blank or just the standard double locking one is great. 
 

the alps seats do look nice but you can Fuji and matagi reel seats custom painted if you wanted it to match 

[FishNY]

I have the aluminum alps seats on A steelhead today I had built and as stated it gets cold. Other than that I love them. 

[tblando]

Thanks guys! I never thought about the temperature playing a part. Living here in the Midwest will definitely be an issue for aluminum! 

@Escondido_Talent @Tinos240 @chefchris @FishNY

[Bass_blaster]

Same comments as above. I live in SD and while it doesn’t get all that cold here, in the winter mornings those aluminum ones will definitely chill your hands. Also, depending on how wet/sweaty/fish scenty your hands are, the aluminum ones are more slippery than graphite. 
 

ultimately, I like the aluminum seats, but don’t have them on everything. One thing is for certain, the aluminum ones look the best in instagram pictures...

[Escondido_Talent]

I love, but when fishing cold winter nights it’s rough on the hands 

[bassbass]

I like mine , but like others said they get a little cold when I lived up north.

[tHeINFamoUS]

I really dig the alps single trigger exposed seat.  It’s got a bit more of an ergo feel and you can remove the carbon sleeves and have direct contact with the blank.  I think the newer ones are milled to expose the blank in both finger grooves.

I never had an issue with them getting hot, at least not hotter than a graphite seat.  I read that on here once and had to test it for myself.  Rods went into my truck bed on a drive home from the delta, temps around 102-104 for 1.5 hours, stuck a laser temp gauge on em and the graphite seats were actually hotter.  Did not feel too hot to pick up and the heat dissipated once I gripped em for a bit.  

They are pretty good at transferring cold into the hands though. Luckily that’s not too much of an issue in California unless I’m using them to chase saltwater fish.  Graphite is usually lighter (if you’re into light sticks) and less expensive.