Getting ready to place guides on a 7' Lamiglas med. popping rod. I am going to use Fuji Concept guides. Using the recommended guide placement from Fuji with some tweaking, I have found that during distribution testing I can't keep the line from touching the blank (very flimsy) with 9 guides. I am assuming I need more guides, any recommendations? Thanks in advance. Ken

forgot to mention the rod is to be a bait caster

I would use a spiral wrap. That puts the line on the bottom and keeps it off the rod in all conditions and gives you 100% stability at all times.

You can read more about it in the Sept/Oct 2000 Rodmaker or just do a search here on this board. It has been discussed quite a bit and there should be some good info in the archives.

Spiral wrap the guides.

Ken,

I built exactly the rod you are working on last summer. I started with a Lamiglas GP963 8' popping blank (I ordered a GP843 but they sent the wrong blank) then cut 12" off the butt to make it a 7-footer. I used Fuji Alconite guides on it in a Forhan "Revolver" spiral wrap. I used 9 guides, but could easily have gotten by with only 7 or 8. It's a great rod which I use for small, light crankbaits like Bandits and Shad Raps, as well as 1/4 oz spinnerbaits. I just finished building a St. Croix 3C66MHM crankbait rod using 7 guides in a spiral wrap. Every rod except one that I've built has used a spiral wrap in either Forhan and Ralph O'Quinn style. That other rod was built for a friend, and he specified a "guides up" configuration. Try a spiral wrap -- you'll like it. Jim

You could add extra guides, but a better way is to use the "turnover" wrap.
That is about the only way we do casting and trolling rods, and they really work out well.
Best wishes,
Ron