I picked up a Gloomis GL3 11'4" spinning blank to build a Steelhead rod with. On my longer fly rods, I have a chart made to simulate Don Morton's Equal Angle/Increasing Angle guide placement. This helps me to understand the action of the blank when flexed 90 degrees and an indication of spacing required .

But I haven't built a spinnging rod yet and I don't think they follow the fly rod spacings of "one guide per foot length plus one" (roughly). With this 11'4" blank's tip flexed 90 degrees, it's easy to notice this is a much slower action blank than I'm used to. I tried the Increasing Angle first at 9, 19, 30, 42 degrees etc., and the initial tip spacings started out at 5 7/8, 12 1/2, 19 3/4, 27 1/8 and stayed fairly consistant at about 6 1/2" -7" for each additional spacing due to the moderate bend I would assume.

Since I don't have an idea on how many guides I should be looking for to begin with, I assume the best way for this would be:

- tape the first 8-9 guides as indicated by the Increasing Angle method
- adjust the nearest candidate to be the intersection guide
- set the lower guides per the New Guide Concept
- go back and tweak the upper tip section guides per the static distribution test

Is there a better or easier way to do this for a spinning rod? Thanks.

It looks as if you have a handle on this. Just take your time and "Git-r-Done". Ralph

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

I would use the New Guide Concept type system as outlined in the online library page here on this site. The only addition you need make to a longer rod versus a shorter rod would be to add more running guides.

...................

"Is there a better or easier way to do this for a spinning rod? Thanks."
Tim - IMO - Not really. What you described above is the thinking man's "Guide" to guide placement. Once your line has been tamed by the 3 guides nearest the reel (by whatever guide placement religion, I mean method, works for you), then, chances are, you can size and place the rest of the running guides almost entirely on a LOAD- curvature basis. Especially for a long rod with a uniform taper in the upper half of the rod blank, like a moderate action- taper noodle / Steelhead rod. And an equal angle or close to an equal distance approach will serve you quite well. Tweaking is always allowed. Just watch your guide weight and try to keep from pre-loading the rod tip too much with your guide + epoxy mass. Enjoy! -Cliff Hall+++

You can start with the following guide spacing...(tried and tested many times) Then go from there. 4.5,10,16.5,24,33,43,54,68,84 ( in inches)

Tight lines,