Hey guys, I am building a 3 piece, 8'6" 5 weight flyrod. All guides are wrapped and epoxied but the butt stripping guide. Placement of the guide, according to my guide chart, falls upon the most proximal ferrule. Here's the dilemna: the distance from the stripping guide to the end of the handle is about 20 inches, which seems too excessive? Give me some wisdom regarding maximal distances from handle to 1st butt guide and whether an additional guide should be used. Thanks.

i've only built one rod so far, but i placed mine by reaching forward with my left hand while holding the grip in my right hand and acting as if i was grabing the line. i placed the stripper just beyond that. does this help at all?

eric
fresno, ca.

I use Eric's method. I cast the rod with my right hand and control line with left. So, I hold the rod in my hand at waste level with the reel seat directly under my armpit. Then I reach across comfortably with my left hand to the rod and place the stripper guide just barely past my reach. I have occasionally moved it in closer if I have a very "full flex" blank but not farther out. Farther out becomes a pain if you drop the line which happens several times during a fishing day - for me at least.

Marc, That doesn't sound too excessive to me. However, I'm not the most savvy of fly fishermen, so I'm sure you'll hear more accurate opinions than mine. But, in my mind, the reel plays no part in the casting process, so I prefer to locate the first stripping guide to accommodate my left hand which feeds and controls the line during casting. That is not to say the guide is located at extreme distances because, I also try to locate all 3 stripping guides on the butt half of the rod. So adjustments are made until I'm staisfied with the placement


Patrick Vernacchio

Don't forget that you can have a tamer 4 inches from the first stripper. That would allow you to have a guide on the ferrule and a stripper a bit closer. I agree that the stripper should be placed just beyond the point where your stripping hand comfortably stretches to retrieve line.

I don't know how the location of the stripper got be determined solely by the accomodation of one's hand! There are other important design factors. Try 28" from the butt and work from there.

If the handle is about 6" long and the reel seat about 4" long and you are 20" from the top of the handle the total is around 30 and that is about what I like. Maybe a little closer on a 5 wt, maybe a little longer on a saltwater rod. I think you ought to at least try it on that location. Space the guides and tape or tie the guides on and cast it. Go with your instints from there. I have cast winston and bamboo rods with the guide closer, saltwater rods with it further.

In my experience it has nothing to do with how far away the reel is from the Stripping guide. What I find it has to do with ones reach I have a short arm reach so a person with a longer reach has a uncomfortable time using one of my rods. How I determin the correct stripping guide position is. I place my rod in my casting hand and pretend I am casting and stripping line I do this 5 or 6 time and at each stripping action I notice where my stripping hand falls I mark this spot and about 4 inches above that mark is where I place my stripping guide. Please email me at warren334@my way.com if you think I am wrong or you my have a better system
Good Wraps Bob

Ed Michura, I don't know either. But it makes more sense to me than trying to orient the guide to the reel seat. Change to a 12 wgt or to a 7-8 wgt on my favorite 10 wgt rods, and the orientation of the line and the first guide goes out the window. You mentioned other factors in your post. What other factors do you consider? While I have read quite a bit on guide orientation on other types of rods, it seems fly rod guide orientation is pretty scarce unless the text or conversations revolve around the snake, single foot, or ceramic single foot guides. Now there, everyone seems to have strong opinions! Anyway, I would be very interested if anyone has hard data, just to use (ahem), as a better guide.

Patrick Vernacchio

Ok folks. I have assayed all input and have experimented with masking tape, a spacious front yard, and an unseasonably warm,Michigan, November afternoon. The guide chart called for placement of the twelth guide/ 12mm to be placed at 70 5/8 from tip top. This placed the guide squarely on the ferrule closest to the grip and 10 5/8 below the previous guide. I used masking tape to hold the stripping guide 6 inches below the ferrule, and three inches above a comfortable left handed retrieve position. I loaded my favorite Ross reel with 5 weight line and laced the guides. Wind was out of the west and I was pleased to be outside, short sleeved, and loving life. The progressive flex was slower than my Sage Rpl, though with in a few false casts, I was easing line out to about 45 to 50 feet comfortably. The rod had a balanced feel with the line extending fully and dropping like a lace tablecloth. Gentlemen, thank you for your input. The final guide is wrapped, epoxied, and turning a gentle, dizzying, pace to its final circumference. Once again, this board and its members rock!

Sounds like you are enjoying a little bit of " heaven "

The only real reason to do the "slightly further than your non-casting hand can reach" is for comfort grabbing the line after a cast. It really doesn't have anything to do with actual casting. I've found that 29" to 32" from the butt of the fly rod is optimal for me. The further away the first stripping guide is from the reel, the better line will shoot (at least to a point). You can get far enough away that the line will chatter and slap on the blank badly as it goes through the first guide. Obviously, if this is happening, it's too far away. There are other factors to consider, such as guide type, length of the angler's arms, where the angler holds the line prior to shooting it, etc. Regardless, though, the distance away from the reel should be further than the typical factory rod, IMO.

I use this logic on all my fly rods, even little ones that will typically fish no further than 20-30 feet. Here's the reason: If you set your fly rod up to shoot line a long ways, then it seems to cast easier at all distances. The line just naturally flows through the guides very quickly. Over a long day of fishing, that eliminates 100 extra false casts.

Pat V - Too far from the butt and line will slap and wrap when shooting line. Too close to the butt and it will choke when shooting. Antropometric tables (lists human sizes; arm lengths, grip spans, etc.) indicate that us humans vary very little in size. When combining the use of a tool (fishing rod) and the specific location of a stripping guide, these arm lengths make little or no differences in such placement.

A high frame guide such as SVSG spin style really does wonders in keeping the line from slapping the blank on the cast.

I find that about 30 to 32 inches from the very rear of the blank to the stripping guide is about right on most rods. On very short and very light rods I might pull back to 28 or 29 inches.

Ed, I agree with your most-excellent explanation as it relates to a spinning or baitcasting setup. But you mentioned other factors that orient the first guide. I was just curious by what you considered other factors. Patrick Vernacchio