OTHER CONSIDERATIONSSome other stuff to consider is whether you would like an up locking reel seat or a down locking reel seat, fixed fighting butt, detachable fighting butt, no fighting butt. Up locking or down locking? A down locking reel seat puts the weight at the very end of the fly rod. While some people like this others do not. The other thing to consider about a down locking seat is that your reel will end up in the mud while you change flies. Fighting butts - If you are fishing for big fish and sometimes have long fights you should consider a fighting butt for your rod. With a good fighting butt you can set the butt of your rod against your leg, chest or stomach and the butt will stay put. Fixed fighting butts are permanantly attatched to the rod. Detachable fighting butts usually screw into the butt of the rod and are interchangeable. You can fish with no fighting butt, a 2 inch fighting butt or a 5 inch. Also remember that according to IGFA rules a fighting butt must not exceed 6" in overall length. A swivel gimbal is an excellent investment if you are targeting tuna, marlin or any other large saltwater species where long hard fights are expected.
Locking reel seats vs. cap and ring or slip rings Many people prefer either a cap and ring reel seat or slip rings because they are lighter than a locking reel seat with a threaded barrel. I sell all of these but there are some major draw backs tocap and ring and slip ring type reel seats. It is inevitable that slip rings will slip at the exact wrong time. Some reel seats are better than others at keeping the reel in place. With slip rings the reel can work its way around the rod putting it off to the side. This is not good if you hook up with an unexpected big fish. Mortised cap and ring type seats fix this problem
The best cap and ring type reel seat that I have found is made by bellinger and costs $150. It has a highly figured hardwood body with a cork core. These are great cap and ring seats but VERY expensive.
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