Shimano Expride Mod

[jbabin76]

I have some gen 1 expride rods, but never liked not having a hook hanger. I tried some of the hook hangers you strap to the blank with rubber rings, and really didn't care for those and didn't have much luck with them. So I took a 1/8" drill bit and made a hook hanger on the reel seat trigger. Works great, and if you drill it out right, you never even feel the hole in the trigger... just wanted to share in case others have the same issue. I understand you can take these rods in and have a rod builder attach a hook keeper, but you lose the stock look. This mod is very subtle, hardly noticeable, and works great.

The CI4 reel seat material is very strong, so from what I have experienced there is no worry of creating a weak spot or worrying about the seat cracking. I put painters tape over the front and back of the trigger and drilled the hole from the back to the front of the seat (it's angled, so it's really the only way you can drill it). After you drill the hole out, remove the tape and use your fingernail to remove any burrs on the exit side. Smooths right up when you do that, and you are good to go. Substantially better than any after market hook keeper, and this keeps your baits and weights from banging on the blank.

[jmd143]

Looks great! I myself opt for the fuji bait keeper on my exprides.

[LuS]

That is a real engineer’s solution to the issue - solving the problem with less material rather than adding more pieces! Love it :)

[basscat tyler]

I’ve got a few cheaper Lews rods from Dicks and they have the same style of keeper. They do work great, just be careful when grabbing the rod ha