I'm going to build two 8'6" med to MH (1024 and 1025) steelhead spinning rods that could also see duty as light saltwater shore rods. I plan to use mostly single foot guides. My question is...any advantage to starting off with one or two double foot guides nearest the handle (similar to double foot strippers on a fly rod with single foot guides)? Is this a good or bad idea or does it not make a difference? Thanks in advance.

No advantage. The quality guides you buy from our sponsors are stronger than any fish your experience on those blanks many times over.

No advantage. The quality guides you buy from our sponsors are stronger than any fish you'll experience on those blanks many times over.

If your rods tend to suffer rough treatment in boat lockers, etc. the largest two guides would hold up better with the stronger double foot design. They won't make any noticable difference in performance; but they could prevent a bad day on the water.
Dave

Right - the ring and the line aren't going to have any idea how many legs are there on the guide, but double foot/leg guides are going to withstand more abuse or hard treatment than most single foot models. I commonly use double foot models for anything higher than an inch or so and then switch to single foot types for the lower guides where the leverage that any abuse can exert on a guide is far less.

Do consider the New Guide Concept system for this rod - see the article in the online library.

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