Lee’s Tarpon Rod Grip
In 1974, when Jason was four and a half years old, I gave him a 6-foot, 5-weight, glass rod that I had built for him. But because his hands were so small, he had trouble using the standard Thumb on Top Grip or Trigger Finger Grip employed by most fly anglers of the day (including me). He would try to make the backcast, and the rod would drop back too far, no matter how hard he tried to stop it at the correct point. His little hand just wasn’t strong enough to stop the rod in its rearward travel. Frank Gray, Director of the Rocky Mountain Region of the Fenwick Fly Fishing Schools showed me the grip that Lee Wullf used for his big glass tarpon rods, and said that Lee told him it was the strongest grip that one can use to hold the fly rod. As Director of the Midwest Fenwick Fly Fishing Schools, I didn’t really give it too much thought because we taught the Thumb on Top Grip—the grip that Jim Green used. Jim was the rod designer at Fenwick, and a long time tournament caster. He was, in fact, the first person to cast over 200 feet, and as the National Director of the Schools, he set the curriculum, and we followed.
The grip Lee used on those heavy rods has the thumb on the top and the forefinger up on the side of the rod. The forefinger is then slid back until it bends inward. This is a slightly stressful grip for the index finger, but Lee would only hold the rod like that for the cast, immediately relaxing the finger after the last forward stroke. Jason tried Lee’s grip and noted “That sorta hurts, dad.” “Try it, anyway,” I encouraged him. And try he did. It worked like a charm. He was happy, casting like a wild fiend all over the back yard. The dog loved it, too, jumping for the line and generally being as helpful as he could be. I was happy because Jason, at such a young age, was casting like he’d done it for many years. I went on teaching the Thumb on Top Grip and Trigger Finger Grip at the Fenwick Schools.
With Lee’s Tarpon Rod Grip, even small hands can hold the rod firmly.