Well, I searched the archives and can't find the answer, so I'm starting another thread on this topic - here it goes!

My blank is a 6'6" light action Forecast two piece - I have alconite guides, 25/16/12/7/7/7/6/6/6. Using an Okuma Avenger AV-15 reel, I set up the rod and the butt guide ends up at about 18 inches from the reel (49" from the tip), while the first size 7 is at 30" from the tip. Equally spacing the rest of the small guides out to the tip I end up with equal 5" spacing. Then, I go back to the butt guide and transition down to the small guides using the 16 and 12, and the spacing ends up to be 5 and 6 inches. So, I end up with a 6'6" rod with 9 guides. Casts awesome, and the static deflection looks great, but I wonder if I can enhance the action a bit more by removing 1 or 2 guides - 9 sure is a lot for a 6'6" rod. Now the problem comes in - if I remove one of the little 6/7 guides I end up with more than 5" between guides - Tom K. recommends a 5" maximum spacing here. I can also remove either the 16 or 12 guide, but I worry that the line transition won't be as good.

Any advice? Am I doing something wrong? Does the 30" location for the first small guide sound about right or is it way off? Thanks!!!

Rich

What seems to work for me, I forget about using the reel itself to locate the intersection point of the line to the blank. What I do is put the rod in the 90 degree bend position and find the location that the bend starts on the blank. This is where I locate the first smallest guide from the reel. Then I lay out the rest of the guides to the tip making sure I have the correct spacing. Then I use what guides are needed to go from the intersection guide back to the reel. From what I see from the guides you are using, to me you could replace the 7's with 6's to maybe save a little bit of weight. If the static deflection looks correct with the guide setup, then I would leave things alone.

I made a 7 foot light action rod for a stradic 1000 and my choice of guides were one foot regular spinning guides(I cant get highframe here) of sizes 25-16-10-6-6-6-6-6+tip top. I used a little bit of progressive spacing to cut down on tip guides, worked like a charm. Static deflection is good and it casts a 1/2oz lure like a dream. Hope you get something useful out of this. Thanks...
-Kim-

You may want to remove one of the small guides between intersection point and tip. Then, use progressive spacing between those. I did not say to go no further than 5 inches between those guides, I said not to put the first guide more than 5 inches behind the tip.


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Sounds good Tom - thanks for the clarification. I will drop one of the size 7 guides, and start them 4 inches behind the tip, space progressively. I wish I had all size 6's for the small guides, but I bought them in a bag at the St. Croix factory - I'd order more 6's, but the shipping would kill me :-) Does the 30" from the tip sound like a "fairly typical" location for the first small guide?

On that length rod I'd say it is, but much of that depends on the handle length and reel seat location as well.

You did mention that it casts great and that your static deflection test looked good. So I'd say you're pretty darn close either way.

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It does cast well - I stuck a 1/4 oz lead on it (couldn't find anything lighter) and my first cast spooled the reel (4lb test) Won't be fishing 1/4 lures on this rod, but it was fun to load the thing up :-)

Rick,

Particularly for 4 lb line, why not order some 20Y /10Y/8Y also to see how it works with a lighter, smaller choke guides. Keep the extra guides for your next project. As stated iin a Rodmaker article, rods cast 2-3 times the fishing distance. The smaller choke guides may or may not cast as well as your present set-up; however, you will defintely find the rod is much more responsive due to lighter tip weight. Check St Croix's guide spacing recommendation - you may be able to move the first guide up a bit higher and also reduce another guide to 7 total + tip.

James

Greetings Rich,

For what its worth, Rich, I 'ran' your info thru my spreadsheet method.
That means the following:
o used the Stradic 2500 dimensions( a similar reel) for this example (had no OZUMA reel data)
o used a 'target' gap from reelface to buttguide ~20 inches (almost always a 'good' assumption)
o crossover-location at 25inches from tip, and a reelface-to-tip distance of 63.48inches (all dimensions from the Tip)
o reel-end guides: BYAG25@43.77inches from tip, BYAG16@34.88inches from tip,
BYAG10@28.95inches from tip, BYAG8@25inches from tip (This 'spot' ,also, is the X-Over),
o four forward guides of : BLAG6 @ 18.52" ,12.88" , 7.97" , 3.71".

More details:
o blank possibly like a Batson 'IS781F' with a .300" butt and a 5.5 tip
o if so; It could be fitted with:
---10 inch back grip
---4.25" long #16 reelseat
---2.5 inch fore grip
---.250" winding check

Anyway, I hope this comment helps by having this data.
I can e-mail a copy of the spreadsheet 'plot' of 1) guide sizes and 2) ring centerlines versus position for the above rod setup. If you want that.

Good catchin,
Bob

Bob - thanks for the info - I would be VERY interested in seeing the spreadsheet. Can you mail it to:

richard.handrick@dot.state.wi.us

Thanks alot!!

Greetings Rich,

The SS has been sent. Basically, the SS requires a little tailoring which took about ~3/4 hour to revert from a 9' Tarpon Surf Rod. to your configuration. You'll notice that there are several subordinate SS's.

The BOM (bill of material) SS enables me to construct an order (which is) free of math errors and includes what ever S&H is expected.
The rod layout SS produces graphical plots of 'guide sizes' and 'guide-ring C/L heights' versus distance from the tip. It also tells me exactly which guides I'd want and where they should be placed.
The guide, measurement and reel data SS basically hold data about these parts which I made in my personal shop using my digital calipers. Hence their content is not necessarily the lastword.

Good luck,
Bob