i've seen photos of spiral wrapped rods on the photo pages and read a little about them during discussions here. i think i have a grasp for it's intended use.

i'm wondering if anyone has mounted guides on a fly rod in a semi-spiral fashion, specifically, say the last 2-3 guides, closest to the grip. as an example, if someone held the rod in their right hand and loose line in their left, the last two guides might be mounted a bit to the left, towards the left hand. firstybeing perhaps 30 degrees from straight down, the stripper perhaps 45 or 60 degrees from straight down.

is there any benefit at all? how might it effect shooting ability? just a-wonderin'. i use 9 foot rods right now but am building a couple more from 7-6 through 8 footers, 3, 4 and 5 weights for small stream use on trout, so casting distance isn't quite a factor.

eric
fresno, ca.

No benefit. It's been tried and while some will claim it does something or the other, it really can't do anything for you. The line contacts only a small area of the actual guide ring - all moving the butt guide up to 45 or 60 degrees actually does is just move the opening about a half inch to one side of the other. It just doesn't have any effect. Give it some serious thought.

As far as spiral wraps in general, the main reason for spiral wrapping a rod is to put the guides on the bottom of the rod, where they want to be. Fly rods already have their guides on the bottom of the rod.



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Eric. Try a line tamer. Better result and does not create a right or left handed rod. Or tilt the rod 45 degrees towards the line hand.

The entire debate here is how to better shoot line on the forward cast. It is true that a straighter path between the line hand and the guide will help accomplish that. However, the same thing can be accomplished any number of ways other than canting the stripper guides. From my experience, the best line shooting occurs under these conditions:
1. The first stripper is over 30" from the reel. (Understand, the line will be coming from your line hand, not the reel, but this is an actual measurable distance that seems to work out in practice.) When test casting, keep moving the stripper further out, until line slap becomes a problem.
2. At least one sine-wave (or "collection") stripper is used right after the first stripper. On some rods, two "collection" strippers will give even more distance. The distance betwen these "collection" strippers should be right around 4". Don't know why, but it works. If you're a phenomenal caster anyway, it won't help much. But, for us mediocre casters, it's a life-saver.
3. Nice slick line and slick guides. I like Fuji SIC guides, and Sci. Anglers and Cortland lines for long distance casting.
4. Good line collection platform/basket on your opposite hip. If you're right handed, put it on your left hip; vice versa for left handed.
5. Create a circle with the ring and forefinger of the line hand. As the line is zipping out of the basket, the ring will force it to straighten out and not "rattle" so much into the first stripper.
6. Good, solid casting technique. Short, powerful double-hauls, and cast toward the horizon, not the water.

Eric,
I spiral wrap most of my heavier fly rods, 7 wt and up. The first guide is placed 90 degrees to the left for the right handed caster. Then 1/2 way between it and the next standard guide is one placed at a 45 degree angle.
It is my belief that a flycaster using the left hand as a "platform" from which to guide his/her line from the ground up to the rod, it goes over the fingers of the left hand, then directly to the guide. This prevents at least two angles of motion, hence I believe, two possiblities of slowing down the linespeed.
Hope that helps.

So you get at least one positive vote to spiral wrap fly rods...

good wrappin,
David A. Fuller
Great Basin Fishing Rods


Good Wrappin !
David A. Fuller,
Great Basin Fishing Rods
Full-Time RV'r Traveling- n- Fishing
www.mytripjournal.com/FullersBigAdventure

Hmmmmm. ok, besides the lone vote for, by david, most are in agreement that "spiraling" fly guides serves no practical purpose.

i posed the question not as a possible means to increase shooting line ability or for rod stability as is usually the case for spiraling bigger rods. it just seems like with my left hand held outwards a bit, "holding line," it would make sense to keep the line as straight as possible. decrease line wear? maybe theoretically, but in actual practice, one could easily simply turn your wrist, thereby angling the reel a bit more. but then i'm told to keep the wrist somewhat stiff, not flex it much.

and then i read that line friction, and so wear, is most critical at the stripper and tip top, it seemed possible to follow that canting the rear guides a bit might be helpful.

thanks for the advice and feedback. these winter months offer too much time for pondering i think ;-) at this point i have a fly rod with two rear guides canted a bit (did it last night before checking back with the forum), but it's mine and although i could redo them, i think i'll leave it on and tell my non-rodbuilding friends that it's my own personal statement and design. :-) and since left handed people tend to gravitate away from me in life, there won't be much confusion going on if someone were to borrow it.

thanks to everyone for their patience and putting up with elemental questions. they say there's no such thing as a dumb question although i fear sometimes i tread closely to the brink

eric
fresno, ca.

T-sometimes giving things waaaay too much serious thought ;-)

You're a good man Eric Z ! ! ! !
if it doesn't help it surely doesn't hurt either, at least in this case.
Most of my customers don't let go of the line when they cast. They let it run over the slightly cupped fingers of their left hand. Therefore the "fuzzy logic" of spiral wrap for flyrods. Once again, and as you pointed out, the line come off the left hand and heads directly to the first guide uninterrupted without any turns and twists to inhibit linespeed. I've got customers, and me, who swear by the method.

wrap it well,
David A. Fuller
Great Basin Fishing Rods

Good Wrappin !
David A. Fuller,
Great Basin Fishing Rods
Full-Time RV'r Traveling- n- Fishing
www.mytripjournal.com/FullersBigAdventure