This might be a dumb question, but I'll ask it anyways. Do you really need two stripping guides on a 9 foot big game rod?

There is only one stripping guide on a fly rod and that would be the first one. Whether or not you need more than one ceramic guide on that rod is open for debate. I use ceramics all the way up the rod.

Josh , I personaly use 2 double footed stripper guides on higher wieght rods, and anything over 7wt get ceramics all the way. On a 9wt , I'll use a 16,12,sf10 , then runners to acomidate the line system.
John

No, Use three. :>)

I think you could get away using one guide. and use snake or single foot guides, wire or ceramic. for the rest. I don't think there are any absolutes, but I'm sure there are more experienced observations out there than mine. When you consider the origins and designs of early flyrods that used a single guide, and then later as materials were developed for large species like salmon, I think the number of double foot ceramic fly guides may have grown out asthetics or placing another ceramic doublefoot guide after the stripping guide to calm the line down. Now, a number of builders are placing four df ceramic guides to improve castability, so who knows. Since you are a builder, make a choice, build it, and see if it holds up to your expectations. If it doesn't work out, rebuild the lower half of the rod the other way. I rebuilt at least four rods in the 18 months based on how and where I fish with them. That's the beauty of building rods and knowing how to improve them.
Patrick Vernacchio

I'm not sure that you ever really "need" double foot strippers, unless you're talking about a bluewater fly rod. I've gone to using all single foot ceramics on all my fly rods, no matter the weight. That being said, I typically only build up to 7 or 8 wt. rods.

Thanks alot everyone.