Slip-sliding away! That’s what happens to your hopes of landing a big fish when your fingers slip off the reel knobs on a quick and sudden hookset. The truth is, slips happen! And they happen most often when they are most costly – during tough bites and in encounters with the biggest, toughest fish in the nastiest cover or weather conditions.
But the risks of slippery reel knobs themselves will slip-slide away when you upgrade your reel handle with Winn Reel Grip Sleeves from Winn Grips, the Huntington Beach, Calif.-based maker of non-slip rod grips.
“When you set the hook really hard, sometimes your hand slips off the reel,” explains Bassmaster Elite star Brandon Lester. “That slip can give a fish a split-second advantage; and that is all he needs to escape a hook. Winn Reel Grip Sleeves enable you to keep the upper hand during that moment of truth.”
Avid anglers, tournament professionals and leading reel manufacturers all hail the virtues of “Slip Control,” the advantage that the WinnDry polymer brings to the fisherman’s fingertips. Made with the patented WinnDry polymer that has revolutionized fishing rod handles, Winn Reel Grip Sleeves (RGS) give the same sense of control and security to your fingers that Winn rod grips and overwraps deliver to the angler’s hand.
“From a user’s standpoint, adding the sleeves to your reel handle allows you to use more of your finger muscles with less fatigue,” explains Elmer Alfafara, director of business development for Winn. “You have more surface to grab, and the WinnDry polymer gives you greater control of the reel handle. You are not straining finger muscles, and you are not missing hooksets!”
Winn Reel Grip Sleeves come in two profiles: 1) a flat-sided Straight design, and 2) a rounded double-taper Barrel model, a thicker reel sleeve option. Both profiles measure 1-inch wide. A flexible EVA underlisting enables the sleeve to fit snugly over almost any paddle-style reel knob.
“I fished with the reel grip sleeves on both casting and spinning reels the last couple of months, including key events on the Bassmaster tour,” says Lester, who will have a rod locker filled with rods and reels graced with WinnDry polymer at the 2018 Bassmaster Classic on South Carolina’s Lake Hartwell. “They are just as nice on spinning tackle as they are with casting gear; and they work equally well. A lot of times you find yourself out of position when a fish hits suddenly. You are trying desperately to catch up with the fish, and you don’t want your hand slipping off the reel handle.”
Color coordinate, color code
Custom Winn reel knobs on high profile reels including Daiwa’s LEXA-WN line and four ICAST New Product Showcase award-winning reels and rod/reel combos from Lew’s during the past 15 months foreshadowed the genesis of the RGS line. Now anglers can add the same tacky feel, control, and comfort these great reels deliver to most of the reels in their tackle arsenals.
“When it comes to tournament fishing, you need to put every single advantage you can into play,” says Lester. “And having Winn Reel Grip Sleeves is definitely an advantage, especially when you are setting the hook while fishing grass and heavy cover.”
Winn Reel Grip Sleeves are available in single-pair and three-pair packs in both the Straight and Barrel profiles. The six rollout colors – Chartreuse/Black. Charcoal/Black, Red/Black, Black, Blue Camo and Gray Camo – match well with a wide assortment of Winn rod grips and overwraps. The colors can serve a tackle organizational purpose, too – to identify reels by gear ratio or rod/reel combinations for a specific technique.
But, make no mistake, it’s the performance value that will make Winn Reel Grip Sleeves indispensable to the serious angler.
“Fishermen will find that, once they get used to the feel of Winn Reel Grip Sleeves, they will want them on all their reels,” adds Lester. “It just makes sense to put the sleeves to work on your reel handle, to have the same WinnDry technology that works so well on your rod handles working for you at another critical point of hand contact. When you are flipping and pitching, throwing a frog, or fishing other heavy hookset techniques… they are really going to shine!”
Alfafara, architect of the Finger Grip Comfort (FGC) technology used in the Winn Reel Grip Sleeves and in the recently introduced Contour Overwrap line, says it all boils down to the bare essentials. “I have to tell you: Once you get used to the reel grip sleeves, fishing without them is like fishing with a naked reel.”