I've read all of the threads on using the smallest guides possible and even built one 9wt rod with mainly 7mm ceramics for most of the length. Since I use my heavier weight rods for Steelhead and Salmon fishing, and the majority of casting is actually some form of chuck n' duck or swinging/drifting line using .031 shooting line. The only knot that may come back into the guides would be my leader tied with a nail knot onto the shooting line.

Based on this, could I use 6mm ceramics for the main length of the rod and gradually move to an 8, 10 and then a 12 and 16 stripper? I realize I would be restricted in the future using multi tip/loop connector lines.

The smaller guides are lighter but would 6mm guides on a 10' rod "tame" 60'-70' of shooting line better than 8mm guides? Thanks.

Tim Collins

2mm of difference would be hard to notice, I think. On a rod that long the reduced weight might be noticed in a crisper rod.

Tim, If concerns about knots are not an issue, there is no reason why you couldn't go down to a size 4 or size 2 even. As long as your tippet and lader can be threaded through, I would build with the smallest I could get away with.
Patrick Vernacchio

Tim,
There is one other factor you may want to consider in selecting your guide size. As a steellheader, you will probably be fishing in some sub-freezing weather, where guide icing is a problem. Fishing here in the Great Lakes region, I seem to find that larger guides don't ice up quite as fast. For this reason, I use size 7 ceramics as my running guides, even though I could easily pass my line-leader knot through size 6 or even smaller. Nothing scientific here, just my opinion.