I doubt your knots are going to hang more often than whatever they do now. If, however, you use one of the quick transition methods that stack 3 or 4 guides in the first 15 inches, they might. But you shouldn't have any knots running down to the reel. Why are you using mainline to leader knots for bass? Are you putting fluoro on the end?

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Gary's early Loomis Composites rods were spiral wrapped, like others he went where the money was.

"But you shouldn't have any knots running down to the reel. Why are you using mainline to leader knots for bass? Are you putting fluoro on the end?"

I generally don't use leaders, but the BFS video I watched suggested doing so because the lightness of having braid backing would allow the lighter weights to cast better. I'm skeptical myself, but the whole idea is kind of wild anyway.

Here's the video: [www.youtube.com]

Brian

The size of the guides are likely to be a bigger problem than the fact that the rod is spiral wrapped. Regardless, if the type spiral wrap you use features a very straight line path then it'll pass the knot as easy as if the guides were on top in conventional fashion.

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@brian - don't be skeptical. The lighter line keeps the spool light which affects the spool inertia - plus with light lures braid absolutely casts farther with less effort. I plan to give BFS a go either this season or next, Keep us posted how your rod build comes out.

Building rods in MA, daydreaming of fishing in CA

6-6” is fine. I fish a 6-8 for bfs style in the kayak often. Throwing zman trd on a 1/32 or 1/16 bonefish jig. Diawa Zillion (bfs spool added) with 8/10 braid to spooky redfish. The lighter spools are money. I stay with 5-5.5 torzites, upsize one for regular.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/11/2023 01:51PM by Tim Scott.

Thanks.

I'm not likely to be building this rod until July, but I will keep everyone posted.

Brian

It does not affect casting distance at all. Some bass guys who lay their rods down don't like how they lay. Others want the spiral either to the left or right, depending on how they lay their rods down when running.

Spiral wrapping is a benefit in rods that are cast or when fighting larger fish because you can use lighter guides, yet still retain maximum fish fighting power. My favorite redfish/striper conventional rods are spiral wrapped. I rarely let anyone else use those two rods. They have a few double foot guides at the spiral and then transition to single foot and then fly guides to the tip.

Those rods literally FEEL like they are half the weight of the others on similar blanks, but with standard guides. I never use the old ones anymore. I probably need to strip them and convert them over one day.