I'm building a buddy a 10 weight (Dan Craft 5 rivers blank), and have a couple of questions. As this is my first rod that isn't for me, I'd like to really do well at building a great rod.

I'm locating the stripping guide, and during the test cast, want to minimize the overshoot while also keeping the guide in a comfortable position to reach the line for stripping back in (any other reasons for test casting to locate the stripping guide?).

When shooting line, the line sometimes wraps around the blank just as the end of it is shooting through... so that it's wrapped around the blank but tight to the reel. Is this normal? Any way to minimize this from happening by moving the stripping guide? It also happens to the 10 weight I built for myself last winter, and actually is more annoying because it wraps around the hookkeeper, and doesn't "self-correct". So maybe it's my casting/hauling/shooting.

Also, anyway to minimize this problem with the hookkeeper on a fly rod? Anyone put the hookkeeper at an angle to minimize this problem (i.e. on the outside of the blank)?

Thanks for any suggestions/thoughts.

Mike

Try mounting the the hook keeper so that it is in line with the guides, in other words, on the "bottom" of the blank.

You could also drill a hole somewhere in the front hood of the reel seat as a hookkeeper. (assuming a large enough peice of the hood is exposed.) Some higher priced seats are already outfitted in such a manner.

Kevin

Mike. Did you use a tamer? If not try a smaller guide 4 inches from the biggest stripper or a bigger guide 4 inches in front of the current stripper. I have gone to using taller single foot spinning guides for strippers to help with the winding line problem. You might want to try a 2/0 single wire as a hook keep.

I would leave the hookeeper off on a 10 wt. My line wraps around the end of the rod also, sometimes. I am pretty sure it is bad casting. I don't see how where the stripper is would affect this problem much.
Ditto the double stripper setup. I use it on most all fly rods now.

This is a common problem.It is an operator error mostly. It is caused by completely letting go of the line and leaving it to do whatever.
If you will practice forming a circle with your thumb and Pointer finger around the line when you release it for the shoot,the problem will go away. No more difficult to learn and just as practically effective as using your thumb on a baitcaster/revolving spool reel.

What Alex said, forming another guide with your line hand will prevent this most of the time.

Alex and Rob. Forming an extra guide with your finger will cerainly work, but what do you suppose the friction coefficient across a finger is? As a wild guess, I suspect the line is being slowed through the upper guides, leaving the line between the reel and the stripper to whip around with the excess momentum. A slicker set up on the upper half of the rod might also cure the problem.

There is nothing you can do to the rod or guides to prevent what you describe - it's a casting error.

...........

Thanks for all the suggestions... and I do make the "OK" sign with my left hand when shooting line. actually did it when test casting, got rid of the wrap around, but wanted to confirm if it's caster error, or design error (caster error... and trust me, he's an idiot).

As for your question about the hook keeper, I no longer put them on the rods I make. Personally, I NEVER use them. Rather, I bring the leader down around the reel foot, and back up the rod to the first stripping guide, and hook the fly to the near foot of the stripper. That way I have about three feet of fly line out of the tip top, and simply release the fly from the stripper, shake out some more line, and start my cast. My "customers" who asked about the lack of a hook keeper were tickled to learn this old trick, and not one has complained since.

Andrew