I guess you can call me the odd ball of the group, but I use a left handed casting reel. I'm attempting to build my first casting rod but I want to try this spiral wrap with the fuji concept system. My two questions are, would I have to spiral the guides to the right instead of the left? #2 what modifacations would I have to make to the fuji concept for this to work? I mean do I have to move the choke point from where it should be because of the spiral and other things like that. Like I said earlier I've never done this so I can't think of any other problems I'll encounter. If there's any problems I'm not seeing right now I would deeply appreciate any do's or don'ts. I think the more I prepare for any problems now the better my rod will turn out in the end. Thanks for the help. Mike

The concept system is not part of the spiral wrap. Although you can certainly use the idea of using the smallest and lightest guide possible.

It appears that most people will spiral their transition guides to the same side as the reel handle in order to facilitate the storage of rods on their boat decks. From a performance standpoint, it makes no difference, however.

................

I once accidently built a rod which spiralled in the direction opposite the reel handle. After much crying and gnashing of teeth, I stripped off the bottom four spiral guides and re-wrapped them in the correect direcrtion. I like it MUCH better this way.

Moral of this story -- if you use a left-hand crank reel, spiral to the left.

As a starting point, I usually end up with 7 Alconite guides (12-10-8-6-6-6-6) plus Tip-Top on a 6'6" - 7' baitcasting rod depending on the blank. I use 4 to make the spiral, and the 4 guides nearest the tip are at 180 degrees. Good luck -- once you've used a spiral wrapped rod it's hard to go back to guides up.

Micheal,
I build a lot of spiral wrap rods and if you are left handed and cast with your left hand start the spiral to the right, if you cast right handed start the spiral to the left. THis goes back to the way you cast most of us when we cast we turn our hand to the left to get the most of the line coming out of the reel for a right hander, for a left hander you have the normal tendencie to turn your hand to the right. I have found and some other rod builders I know have also that this is the best way to get the most out of the spiral wrap. But at the same time if you only use 3-4 guides in the spiraling it doesn't matter which way because you are turning the line to fast. I use 5 guides in my spiral and have found that it is smoother and I get better casts less backlass and in the hook set andfighting the fish it works that much better. Good Luck George

George, Where do you set your first guide? 0? 45? Thanks, Dave

I've only built one spiral wrap rod. It was about ten years ago and I didn't have the kind of support we have today with this board. I just saw a rod with the wrap and thought it was a great idea so I copied it.

With no expert guidance I just taped the guides on both ways to check it out. What I found was that if I wanted to grab the line in front of the reel for a little flip, or in front of the butt guide for a longer flip, it was best to have the line rotate in the direction of the hand I would use to grab the line. If the rotation was away from that hand it was a real pain. In my case the "correct" direction was toward the handle.

I've just built spinning rods since then(for my own use), but I plan to build another casting rod this year and I will do a spiral wrap in the same direction as my first one.

Joe

Michael,
I bet that you'ne not that much of an oddball. I am by nature (and birth, I suppose) right handed in that I write with my right hand.
I do prefer to use a left hand wind baitcasting and it's by second nature. I feel its more efficient and feels natural to cast with the right arm and to reel with the left hand. It's a quick way to handle bait retrieving and accurate placement. Maybe it's just me, but I find that anglers who have used spinning reels, and transition to use of a baitcaster have little problem in adjusting to a left hand wind baitcaster which I recommend. Again, it might be just my thinking, but if just feels better. I do find that right hand wind baitcasting anglers have difficulty in transition to a left hand wind baitcaster later on, yet they have no problem cranking their spinning reel with their left hand.
I've found this strange, but no point going on about that.

The point is I do my spiral wraps counter clockwise. This is in keeping with the idea of having the spiral on the same side a the reel handle. make any sense???

Rich
Richard's Rod & Reel

Mike,

I'm also a 'true righted handed' baitcast reel user who 'winds' with his left hand. THAT'S the 'natural' way to do it. All of the other reels with the handles on the right side are for left handed fishermen, or others who choose to waste time and lose fish by actually SWITCHING HANDS during the most critical part of the presentation (I'm a bass fisherman, if you aren't ready to set immediately when the bait hits the water, you are missing fish).

As far as the spiral goes, I've listened to the advice here and put it on the side of the reel handles. Works great so far. I've done a couple of rods for friends who are a bit backward, and I put their spirals on the right. They seem to like it that way.

Good luck with your rod.

Buddy

I'm glad to see that I'm not the only right hander who uses a left handed baitcaster. Thanks for all the help you guys. Looks like you could go either way with it, so I guess I'll tape it both ways and see which one feels better. I'll post when I'm done to let you guys know how it turned out. Mike

Maybe I'm more oddball than you guys. I'm right handed ( I write with my right) but when it comes to casting, I cast with my left hand and therefore have all right handed reels. Go figure..........

I have a couple of salmon rods I'm going to build and I think I'll have to try this spiral wrap thing.

The only objection to a spiral-wrapped rod I've ever had was when I made the spiral opposite the reel handle - - the guy loved the rod but was frustrated when he laid it down - if the water was rough it rolled around on his deck. Since then I always spiral the same side as the handle.