I have heard of using a single foot guide as a tip top for reduced weight? Any comments? Good idea? Bad idea? Oh...this was in a message about 3-4 wt light stream rods.
JIm Williams

Only concern would be getting the foot ground down so that it is smaller than the tip thickness. Anything larger than the diameter of the blank will cause a gap, the wrap won't look good, and could fail due to loss of stability on the foot. I wouldn't doubt that an actual tip top can take more abuse without failure as well.

I have used a single guide foot for a spinning/noodle rod, but really didn't care for the look. Ended up getting some parts through a friend and redid the guides so that an actual tip top is used now on that rod. I like it better that way.

It does look rather strange but works well. The advice above about making sure the foot is tapered is right on....

Terrific tip about forming the single foot to match the rod. Thanks for that. Somewhere I read a post where a person said he ALWAYS uses a single foot guide for a tip top on his light rods, so it must work. It sounds a little odd, and, I have looked at some single foot guides and they don't have the same shape that a tip top has.....I would very careful about which single guide I chose to use if I were to try it. Basically, I am just trying to learn how to build a rod properly by finding it's natural charectistics and then building it. I was only going to build one rod.......uh......now I am thinking about many many rods to build. I am afraid I am getting hooked real bad. I know some people have already been there and can save me some grief......and I sure appreciate some people sticking their neck out and posting their views. Perhaps it is a good thing, but just look at a page of topics and look at how many have READ a post and how few took the time to post their thoughts on the subject. Anywhoooo......I also think a lot of the fun is not knowing........and therefore trying it for yourself. A lot of times I know the general knowledge and word out there is it will not work......but.....sometimes I just have to find out for myself. You would be surprised how many times that has worked out for me. Thanks again to all, and to all a good night.

Jim Williams
"....be that what you want to see in the world" Gandhi

Jim,

I build a lot of light weight fly rods,1, 2, and 3 wts. For these I prefer the look and 'fit' ,if you will, of a single foot guide for the tip top rather than the tubed 'tip top' guides.

Primarily, It's lighter. The line 'angle' stays constant (I use the same guide for the tip top as the running guides on the rod, usually a #5 or #6 single foot fly style guide). It looks very 'clean'. The guide wraps are all the same, the tip top has no extra exposed metal.

You do need to grind down the guide foot to match the diameter of the rod. Strength in this portion of the guide is not an issue, so you can thin it down a long way.

Anyway, I've had very good luck doing this, and I'll readily admit that I learned about doing it this way from this forum.

Good Luck!

Buddy

Thanks for the info. I have luckily ended up in my retirement 5 minutes from a nice 2 mile spring fed trout stream that has holdover trout. Biggest taken 33 (Not by me) 33 inches. I caught over a 100 trout averaging 15 inches and 1.5 pounds between October and January on my 6wt 9' fly rod. I do indeed want to build a light weight rod to fish this stream and the single foot tip really sounded like a good idea to me. BTW I have had severe sleep apnea for years and didn't know it. So tired every day I just did my chores and what the world expected of me. (well also 2 bad discs n bak and bad feet, basically every day just coped with pain) No enthuiasm or hobbies. I am just now starting to fly fish, and the rod building is my first enthuiasm/hobby in decades. I am enjoying getting into it and I really appreciate all the help from this board.

Jim Williams
Buddy, in my younger years I hunted, fished, camped, took wife and 3 kids camping in a tent 2 weeks every summer by a trout stream. Then hurt my back, got promoted to engineering in San Francisco. The time between then and now....has just been muddling through life. No hobbies, no fun. Just wine soaked dinners, watching the super bowl, the nba playoffs.....etc. That was about 27 years ago. Nothing of significance during that time. The only time the family got together was at weddings and funerals. Those years to me now seem wasted on working a job and doing my chores in an asphalt jungle of a big city. Sort of a plastic life....no substance to it at all. Ya'll don't do this. Leave the job at work, go to the garage, build a rod, tie some flies, build a cabinet, paint a picture, re-build an old car, DO SOMETHING.

Jim, AMEN!!!

Mike

Buddy,

I just re-read your post icw light weight rods and single foot guides. Now I got's anuther question. I read Al Campbell's rod building series on rod building and he would used single foot guides. He said he NEVER uses an oversized tip. But....his guide size list for a 9' light rod = (I assume a 1 tip top) then 11122334 (single foot WIRE snake guides) with a 10 & a 12 ceramic stripper guide. I like the way you built, and described your rods above.....I want to follow it to build mine. What better for a first rod builder to do than follow someone else who has done it. Printing this to do so. I am going to re-order all black single foot ceramic guides and put the chrome double foot guides that came with the rod blank, away for future use. BUT.....you said you use #5 and #6 size guides on a light weight rod? WOW!. Do the single foot guides not relate in size to the double foot guides? Al didn't come anywhere close to a 5 or a 6. And with that question......then what would YOU recommend for a tip, guides, and stripper guides list for my 2 piece 9' 4 weight? I would really like to know your take on this because I am ready to order new guides so I can continue building this rod. BTW this rod is for a beautiful small 2 mile spring fed trout stream with no brush to hinder casting a fly rod. (5 minutes from my house.....lucky me huh?) Thanks n advance.

Jim

Buddy,

You haven't answered yet? It's been 3 minutes! Can't wait! <grin>
Al's comments for the stripper guides were that he uses a 12 and a 10 "Spinning Rod" type ceramic guide for the stripper guides. Is there a difference in a 10 & 12 Spinning rod ceramic guide and a 10 & 12 ceramic fly rod guide?

BTW I sent this to Buddy because he @#$%& me.....uh.......helped me.....if I could type......

Anywhooo.....I would appreciate ANYONE'S comments or thoughts on this guide size list for a 9' 4wt trout rod.

Jim

(you all probably know this, but I can't ask Al, since he has recently passed away, sad to say)