Hypalon: Hypalon is the material of choice for 80% of the Southern California style fishing rods. It has proven itself to be a tough yet soft material, and should be your first choice in rod handle materials. Badfish stocks straight Black Hypalon in lengths from 6 to 16 inches. The hole diameters are 1/2 inch (small) and 11/16 inch (large)

Cork Handles: High quality cork handles come fully formed with various bore sizes. Cork reamers are available to open up the center bore to fit the rod blank. This type of handle material looks good on the "inshore" rods and bass rods.

Cork Tape: Cork Tape is commonly used on the longer jig sticks and rods where you decide you want to use something other than a reel seat and hypalon. You can save quite a bit of money by using this method, since no reel seat is required. Another advantage of the cork tape is that you can easily replace it without striping the rod guides. Cork tape comes with adhesive backing and installs quite easy. On smaller rods (196, 270) you may need 2 layers of cork tape to make the diameter of the handle bigger. On the big jig rods, one layer is usually sufficient. Cork tape is also known for being light weight.

3M Tape: Badfish has been the leading supplier of 3M grip tape to rodbuilders around the country. The 3M product called "safety walk" is commonly used on ladders, around pools and is a non abrasive hard rubber with a wrinkle finish. This material will proove to be most durable and a great alternative to the standard cork tape rod handles. We stock 60 foot rolls of 3M tape in black, with grey available on special order. We will cut you any length you need to complete your project.

Miscellaneous: Butt Caps, Winding Checks, Thread and Butt Cord in all the different colors and configurations from all the different makers are available from Badfish to complete your rods. Gudebrod is the most popular maker of rod winding thread. NCP stands for "No Color Preserver" and is available from the different manufacturers. "Nylon" thread is stronger and comes in brighter colors. Not sure which shade of blue to use? Go to our links page and check out the Gudebrod color charts!