I'm looking for others thoughts and opinions on the pro's/con's of single foot fly guides vs. snake guides. I don't mean ceramic single footers, just hard chrome or other comparable finishes

Single foot pro's - 1 leg to wrap instead of 2,which in turn means less over all thread and epoxy on the rod(some people say that the leg on alot of SF guides are too long,and are actually about the same size as both legs of a snake guide together,but if the SF leg is that long,you can trim it shorter and reshape it with a Dremel tool or something).Less thread and epoxy means a lighter and more efficient rod,so a rod with SF guides often feels "slightly" crisper,and recovers "slightly" faster than the same rod with double foot snakes.Not alot,but on some rods it can make a noticable difference.SF wire guides are also inexpensive.With the lighter titanium frame ceramics,like the Fugi's,you not only get this benefit,but you also get the added benefits of a ceramic ring,like a quieter rod,longer fly line life,a smoother feel,and the possibility of a little added distance(not much,and not always).

Single foot con's - They don't look as nice as snakes on a fly rod to many people.

Snake guide pro's - They look nice on a fly rod and are inexpensive.In really cold weather they don't seem to ice up quite as easily as SF guides of the same size as the open area is a bit larger in a snake guide due to the shape.

Snake guide con's -2 wraps to do on each guide instead of 1(double the guide prepping,double the wrapping,double the finishing,etc).Heavier and less efficient overall rod.

there is a con towards single foot wire fly guides floating around, that they bend easily and/or pull out of the wraps. many people call this bunk and state a locking wrap can eliminate any chance of that happening.

pro... less prepping on single foot wire guides.

i like single foots....

eric
fresno, ca.

I personally think single foot guides, whether wire or ceramic, look cleaner than snake guides. I've fly fished for more than 35 years and have rods with snake guides, single foot wire guides and single foot ceramic guides and cannot tell any difference in castability among the guides. When it comes to fighting heavy fish, ceramics win hands down.

Look in the Library at the top of the page and read "the Forhan Locking Wrap" by Rich Forhan. All single foot guides NEED a locking wrap! I've replaced many single foot guides over several years and after learning this locking wrap the only ones to come back were broken off, not pulled out from under the wrap. I've had snake guides pinch and damage my flyline. Of your two choices, I choose Single foot guides. I do reccomend ceramic (alconite) instead of wire, though. My $.02 worth. Ralph

If at first you don't succeed, go fishing, then try, try again.

I finished wrapping a bamboo rod with 2 tips yesterday and am once again reminded of how much I hate DF guides. Twice the work. No more! Not even on bamboo! Go to ceramics as soon as you cross into the 4 weights and above.

I understand the reasoning behind the "Forhan" locking wrap, but I don't see a need for it on any of the rods I build (usually 7Wt and under).

Isn't the arrowhead type shape of the fuji single foot ceramics meant to "lock" the foot into the wraps and prevent it from pulling out?

The reason I don't use the Forhan locking wrap is it is difficult to reposition guides for alignment if they are more than slightly off. And, all my guides seem to fall into the category when I go to align them before epoxy. LOL!

My meaningless $0.02!

Domenic Federico
Infinity Rod Creations
Wickliffe, Ohio

I use the Forhan locking wrap on all my single foot guides. Easy to do and I don't have to worry about them.
Plus ya don't have to do three turns if ya don't want to.

I've never used it, either, Domenic. Near 25 years of wrapping single foot guides and I can't remember having to "put one back in" (knock on wood). Until I need it, I won't change what I'm doing now.

I'm afraid if someone really got Western yanking a rod out of a rod rack that with a locking wrap, it could possibly damage the rod. I think in that case, I'd rather re-wrap one guide??

Putter
Williston, ND

Funny about repositioning. Try taking off a little of the thread tension, especially on the last part of the wraps before the lockwrap. I find it pretty easy to move the guides myself. I also grind off the "arrows" to make wrapping easier, as the bumps they cause sometimes make packing a pain. On black guide feet I use sharpie and CP to keep colour. Chrome and TiCh finishes I just give a quicke onceover with a diamond file.