This is really a follow to former post on rollers or LRSG's . I have a tendancy which is really personal choice to steer customers to a HD roller butt guide and large head roller top with the interim LRSG's on stand-ups. They have the option then to maintain a few rollers or just change them out with little cost. Somebody once told me that was California Style but works well here on the 1st coast too.
I have seen commercial rods advertised that way lately. Anybody else build that way? Good or bad idea. Thanks, Ron

Works fine. I've used that way on rods up to 50/60lb class and caught fish up to a couple hundred pounds on them. If its a fairly heavy blank I'll go Aftco rollers the whole way. From California myself, not sure that its a California thing myself, not sure.

I also Sailfished with a guide in the Middle East who had all his 30lb class trolling rods wrapped that way, roller stripper and tip and guides in between, he didn't feel the rollers were needed the whole way. I caught a 60lb cobia with him and didn't notice anything I didn't like about the rod.

Phil

I fish long range out of San Diego about 35 days per year and have never seen a rod wrapped that way. I use straight LRSG guides on my rods up to and including 80# rods using the 765 series Calstar rods. All roller guides on 100# on up. I heard stories of the big roller tips being susceptable to having the spectra hanging up in them also as compared to the small roller tips.

I've seen a lot of commercial rods built that way. But the guides in between the butt roller and roller top weren't ceramics. Mostly, I believe some factories built them this way to save a little on component cost. You got the look or idea of a roller guided rod, but only actually needed two rollers coupled with very cheap steel guides. Compared to rods with all steel guides, these just looked like a better deal. What you describe would obviously be quite a bit better than these rods were.

In for a penny, in for a pound. I'd be more inclined to go all one way or the other, although I have no doubt such a set up would work fine.


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Here's a pic of the cobia in the Middle East. If you look closely, you can see the rods are set up like you were describing, they were pretty expensive custom rods built in Florida.

I have a Daiwa VIP 50-100lb class rod that's set up exactly like Tom mentions, and it is a pretty cheaply built rod. I have a Penn Formula that actually uses the ceramic inserts, but still seems fairly cheaply built, so I'm sure Tom is hitting the nail on the head with regard to companies saving money. I feel the concept works quite nicely, having caught many fish on them, some that ran so hard and long my 6/0 Penn was hot, the roller stripper seemed to help.

Now, building my own rods I do try to go one way or the other. On the lighter stuff up to 30 pound I use the LWRG's if I want a lighter rod and rollers, and the heavier stuff I go all Aftco HD's. I don't care for the apperance of the regular Aftco rollers too much. I just can't think of any reason to not build a rod the way you described having used them quite a bit. I don't care for short stand up rods that don't have rollers at all though.

Phil

Very much appreciate the comments. I like the idea of "one way or the other". When I have fished the butt roller and roller top it just felt more "comfortable/smooth" and it was like I was sold. Needed to hear the other side. Thanks, Ron

I have some Cape Fear stand-ups (50-80#) that have Aftco wind-ons for the stripper & tip. Intermediate guides are Fuji SiC. Definately not cheap for factory rods. Work great by the way.

Jay