I am building a 5S70MF and have decided to go with the new Recoil guides, but the word I have heard is that they are noisy. Would putting a ceramic guide, such as an Alconite, on as the first guide by the reel help to solve this problem, or would it not make much difference? Also, I am asking for opinions on the recoil tiptops versus a good silicon carbide tiptop. Thanks in advance for your opinions.
Mike

WHY WOULD YOU USE ANY RECOIL GUIDES IF THEY ARE TROUBLESOME. BUILD ONE ROD WITH ALCONITES, AND ONE WITH RECOIL, EVERYTHING ELSE THE SAME. GIVE YOURSELF TWO FISHING TRIPS AND YOU WILL THROW THE RECOILS AWAY AND REWRAP THE ROD WITH ALCONITES. RECOIL GUIDES GUIDES ARE LIKE LOG HOMES, ONCE UPON A TIME THEY WERE STATE OF THE ART, BUT NOW THE TECHNOLOGY IS MUCH ADVANCED. JUST MY OPINION.
KEITH

Mike,

I haven't use them myself, I've been waiting to see how they stood the test of time. However, yesterday I talked to repair people at one of the major rod companys and they told me that they have stopped making their 'new flagship' boron rods out of them (they are going to use light wire instead). I ask them if it was because they didn't preform as expected, or if they popped out of the wrappings or if it was because they were more work to put on the rod. Their answer was, yes. Food for thought!

Wow, I'm glad I read this post. I was thinking about trying them. Twenty years ago I was making noodle rods with the old foulproof guides. They preformed well except for the grooving. I figured the new recoils had solved the grooving problem. I was going to try them on a noodle rod or a nightcrawler secrets rod, but I think I'll pass. Thanks.

I wouldn't give up on the recoils , one oppinion shouldn't keep you from trying them . I've used them on flyrods and they are fine guides as far as fly guides . I just built a rod using the strippers and have yet to try it . They are incredibly light , and you can be assured the guides will not grove on you .They are no in any way old technolegy , the shape may be , but the material is not . JUST MY OPPINION. John



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/23/2005 05:23PM by John Dow.

There is no way to eliminate the noise, which is worse with some lines more than others, other than not to use Recoils. Prepping the guide feet is indeed more difficult, and positioning them on the rod is also more difficult. Were I a high volume rod maker, these considerations might be the deciding factors. But I am not a production builder, and I rarely fish any of my factory rods anymore. I got trapped in the quicksand of rod building because I could not find what I wanted in factory rods, and of course because I cannot afford 40+ rods at retail prices.

I only build for family and friends, and for myself of course, about 8 to 10 rods a year. I use components that are best suited for the finished rod I want to achieve. For trout rods, in line weights 1 to 4, I usually want the lightest possible rod I can make, with fast dampening. I use DF Recoil snakes, which are amazingly flexible and weigh the same as the SF guides. I wrap only ¼” to 5/16” on each foot, and the total length of the two wraps is barely longer than the one wrap on a SF guide. Finally, I use only as much finish as is necessary to cover the wraps. I have not yet had a guide pull loose from the rod, but I won’t say that can’t happen.

For heavier line rods I use Fuji SF titanium framed guides with SIC rings. The weight of the guides on salmon and saltwater rods is not important to me compared to the other advantages of SIC guides. I am finishing a Dan Craft 10’ 7 weight Signature V for a steelhead trip to B.C. this summer. I intended to build it with Fuji TSG guides. I worked out the spacing, taped the guides on, and took it out for a test drive. The rod was fine, and with only a slight double haul would shoot a lot of line. At that length (actually 9’9” assembled), however, it was somewhat tip heavy and slow to recover. I then removed the Fuji’s and taped on a set of Recoils. With the same reel and line the rod was nicely balanced in the hand, and would shoot a line just as far, and dampened very quickly. I chose to finish the rod with Recoils, despite the noise and the rougher feel of the line through the guides.

I agree with John Dow. Don’t give up on Recoils without giving them a try. You might not like them, but you might also find them to be exactly what you want. Start with a light line trout rod if you are inclined to experiment, a 3 or 4 weight.

Mike, please excuse the final comment about trying Recoils on a fly rod. I forgot that you were asking about spinning guides.