I will be building my first light spinning rod and am completely unfamiliar with guide spacing and ring size. The rod will be a light action, six foot rod with line rating of 2-6 lbs. I am likely to be using Forecast VS series single foot guides, style LTCVSCG. Would someone be able to recommend the ring sizes and guide count from butt to tip?

Thanks in advance.

Jeff Shafer

By going that way in regards to guide sizes, I think that you would be doing away with the biggest advantage of building a rod, improving efficiency!! Even "identical blanks have some variances between them. The biggest advantage that you have over a manufacturer is that you can set up your guodes in the most efficient/effective manner, which the manufacture's can't. Let the reel that you will be using, dictate size/location for your guides. You will have a much better rod. Start by reading "New Guide Concept Primer" and "Static Guide Placement" in the LIBRARY above (wouldn't hurt to check out the other articles while you are there)

That being said, I would go NO larger than a 25, maybe even a 20, 12, 8 and 6's (fly type ceramics) the rest of the way (I'm sure that you will get more suggestions). Let your blank and reel tell you where to put them

Mike

Make sure you read the article on using the New Guide Concept System that's in the online library here.

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What Tom said

Also three are three types of guide heights. All purpose, ring sites low to the blank, Concept, better and easyer to set up Titan and Fuji and the " M " style which I feel are a little too high and will tend to break and get hit often if abused

I just did a St Croix 7 foot light action rod, that would probably be somewhat similar to what you are doing(at least the action) I started out with a 25, then a 16 a 10 an the rest 6s. I used 7 guides on the rod and it came out pretty darn good. I started out with the spacing guide on St Croix's site and went from there to a stress test to see exactly were the blank flexed and how the line followed it and adjusted accordingly.

Scott
A #20 in a concept guide might have worked better? Depending on the reel.
The all purpose guides are a little lower and a lot of times I have to use a #25.
Like the concepts better.

Hi Bill,
I have not looked at the concept system yet. I know I should, but it is summer and between home improvement projects, actually fishing :), and building a few rods I have not had time to do any reading and or research on that topic.

Check out the Library Page. There are articals on it there. It is pretty simple. You may need several extra guides. UL's usually start with a #20, but may need a #25 ? Depending on reel angle.
With handle and reel seat on put the reel you will use on.
I take the spool off and use the shaft that holds it as center line.
Lay the shaft " even " with a streight edge, long ruller, tape measure , even better a table top edge.
Where the table edge hits the blank, towards the tip, the chock guides goes. Usually the first of the tip section guides.
Then two three guides are placed before this trying to get the edge in the center of the guide ring. This is why I like the Concept guides. They are always just the right height. Fuji's. Titan's

I did find the article and read it. It is much simpler than I figured it would be. I was imagining 5 or 6 pages of very confusing stuff. The only drawbacks I can see are if you setup the guides using a reel that is much different than the end user is going to put on the rod, and the fact you are going to need a larger supply of guides on hand. I am a hobby builder and don't inventory a whole lot(never know when I might build another rod with that style and color of guides) of guides and other items. I am guessing that after a few rods you will be able to about guess what the sizes are going to be tho.

I am definetely going to try it here soon tho, it sure seems simple.

Try a search on this site and you will find different set ups
You could also go to ST Croix's site and addjust the set up for the rod guides they have.