I notice that spinning reels sit at a slight angle compared to rod centerline. Does anyone know what that angle is? Is it good to set the guides so that the line passes right through the center? Someone should make a laser device that mounts in place of the reel and is adjustable, then you could align guides like you precision align shaft couplers. If I leave a bowl of milk outside my door, will kind magic gnomes lay out my guides and fix my shoes? How many questions can I ask before noone responds to my posts? Oh man, what if that last question was the one that puts me over the line? I better go.

Read the article in the online library on the New Guide Concept Primer. It will answer most of your questions.

The upsweep angle on spinning reels vary - there is no particular amount or degree of upsweep. After making an adjustable reel seat to allow me to change and set the upsweep angle of any reel, I've come to the conclusion that the amount of upsweep make almost no difference in terms of casting distance or smoothness.

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I agree with Tom. I use a number of reels and no two are exactly the same. I have ended up using the concept system to about the average of the reels on my personal spinning rods. John Butterfield

I no longer worry about the reel angle or intersect point. If I can find a reasonable intersect point, I'll use it.

If not, I'll flex the rod to determine the flex point and put my first running guide there. I'll work the first three(two?) guides out from there.

I've had no problems using this method. The rod casts and fishes well. C2

I'm glad to see that others are not equating the true intersect point with the holy grail. Often, I find that that point is way out near the tip, so I put the last drop-down guide well before that, somewhat arbitrarily. I'm more concerned about getting down to small guides (size 6 in my case) quickly. I'm happy with the results (as judged by casting performance) and consider this a "modified new concept" layout.

I read the article. Its ok I guess. I think I will buy a whole set of guides (cheap) and use them to set up guides like the article says. I just like the way big guides look on the unnecessarily fat blanks I like. Hmph.

The upsweep on the reel spool doesn't "aim" or "shoot" the line like the barrel of a gun directs a bullet. A small amount of upsweep keeps the line from hitting the spool lip on the cast, but to really get the spool to interfere with the line on the cast, you'd have to actually aim the spool downwards or far off the to side.

It's what happens once the line enters the butt guide and from there on out that really affects the cast. That's why the article shows how to set the guides up as it does - it creates a staight line path via the smallest and lightest guides possible. Line flow is improved and rod efficiency isn't compromised by large or heavy guides, particularly near the tip.

The intersect point location found by using the spool upsweep is simply a convenient method for doing all this - but you can move or select that intersect point within a reasonable distance and as long as the straight line paths are maintained between butt guide to intersect and from there to the tip, you'll find little difference.

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