I have a baitcast rod that I like, actually I like the blank but don't care for the reel seat or the rear cork handle.

Is it possible to take off the rear cork butt section & the reel seat?  If so, how do I go about it?

I was thinking of looking at Cabelas for the replacement parts.

I have a baitcast rod that I like, actually I like the blank but don't care for the reel seat or the rear cork handle.

If you have never modified a rod. Then instead of modifying that rod. Get a kit and build one like it only the way you want....

Is it possible to take off the rear cork butt section & the reel seat?  If so, how do I go about it?

While it can be done, I don't recommend it because those 2 items on the rod are fitted from the front of the rod to conform with the blanks taper, before guides are wrapped.

What to look forward to:

You will need a Dremel tool, a cutting wheel, and a good steady hand. You will need to cut the cork and reel seat length wise and with a screw driver blade pry the cork rings apart and the reel seat apart to remove them. Make sure you don't nick/cut the blank, do this and your done..

Now you need to clean the areas that your working in, you need to remove all the old epoxy (again being careful NOT to damage the blank). Once the area has been cleaned and readied for the new cork and seat, then you need to purchase new cork rings in the quantity that it will take to form a new grip, and you will need to purchase a new reel seat.

These items will have to be fitted to the blank, the reel seat will need to be reamed to fit from the back of the rod, instead of from the front. This will mean that the reel seat will be lose and need heavy shimming, and then epoxied.

Then you need to fit each individual cork ring to the blank by reaming it to fit. Once you have it all sized and reamed, then its time to epoxy it all up.

That to a builder is the easiest part of it all, for you not quit so.

Next is shaping the grip, providing you haven't screwed the pooch and given up. This is the hardest to do on the blank even when you have a lathe you can chuck the blank up in and turn the grips. Without one your looking at a couple of days to shape it.

This is like I say, if you have the steady hands and the patient's

I was thinking of looking at Cabelas for the replacement parts.

That's one place...MudHole, Jann's, etc. are others.

Good Luck.....

I should have mentioned what kind of rod is it.  

It's a Berkley Series One, the older model that has an almost skeleton seat, & has graphite seat stays.

If I can't remove the reel seat, I would like to at least take off the rear cork & try & make a split grip out of it.

You think this would be possible RM?

ghost,

Even splitting the rear grip, you will need to measure were you want the heal of the grip (the 3-3.5" of cork coming from the seat) to end, then you need to figure the size of the fighting butt your going to make (Usually about 2 - 2.5" long from butt cap)...

Now mark every cork ring in between with an BIG DARK MARK. This is cork you cut away, also making sure you don't nick/cut the blank or again your done. When the cork has been cut away, clean up the old epoxy and the newly exposed blank. Now you can take the new fighting butt and add a slight tapper toward the center of the split, and repeat on the heal of the grip.

Now you have your split grip.

Hope that helps some.....

I saved this from an older post:

http://www.georgescustomrods.com/split_your_grip.htm

Hope it helps