I have two G.Loomis blanks that I recieved as replacements for some older Loomis IMX blanks ( the ones that broke in the butt section if you tried a Spey or roll-cast)

The blanks are : F903 - 7'6''- #3 & F1569/10 - 13' - #9/10
When contacting Loomis for the guide placement, I recieved the placement for F904 ? ( 9 guides) & for the F1569/10 (10 guides).

Having seen on this board that several people have built at least the 13' blank, I'm hoping for advice on guide placement/sizes.

On the 7,6' #3 weight I am planning on using REC recoil guides, on the 13' #9/10 weight I am also looking for advice on witch guides to use.

Erling Husa

The Loomis people use the same guides spacing for all their rods in a length family. Line weight, rod action, they don't care. I wouldn't use it. Read the article on static guide placement in the library, and you'll be fine. Anything you don't understand in the article, ask away. Never had any IMX blanks I've ever fished or built ever break in the butt section of anywhere else. I know some people that have been using theirs for over 20 years now. Have had a GLX since they first came out, it's still fine also.

I have read the article on static guide placement, but want advice on number of guides & sizes, as I need to buy the guides before I can try that aproach :-)
I also would like advice on type & size of guides to use for the 13' #9/10 blank, ( 1 or more stripping guides, tip top etc.- )

When it comes to the IMX rods, I have had a 9' #4 for 20 years without problems, but have also had a 11' #7/8 where I have broken the bottom section 3 times, two times speycasting & one time with a rollcast, and my understanding was that some of the early IMX rods had severe problems with waterbased casts.

Erling

Hi Erling!

I'm just making up a 7'6" #3 IMX Slate blank (3 Piece) for a client and was given the following guide placement from Loomis customer service:

Guide spacings for FR903-3 IMX
4 - 8 1/2 - 13 1/2 - 19 1/2 - 26 1/8 - 33 5/8 - 42 - 51 3/8 - 61 3/4

Guide sizes:
tip top: 4.0
6 pcs of the # 2 snake guides
1 pc of the # 3 and 1 pc of the #4
1 # 10 stripper guide
----------------------------------------------------

I'm using a Pac Bay SiC Model N stripper & light wire snakes for the rest (client doesn't like single foots!!!!!!!)

I recently finished 2 other 3 piece Loomis IMX blanks (9' #6 & 9'9" #8) for the same client using the Loomis recommended guide spacings and both rods fish really well - I'm sure they could be improved upon but, as the finished rods are so much better than anything the client has fished in the past he was perfectly happy!!!

Afraid I can't help with theFR1569/10 but if you e-mail Loomis I'm sure they'll give you all the relevant info. as they did for me.

Thanks for your help, I got the same guide placement from Loomis, but no advice on guide size, so this should help :-)

The thing I wonder about though is the guide placement for the 13' rod, as after reading a bit on this site, it looks like the normal thing is to use 1 guide for each foot +1, so it seems to me that to just have 1 more guide on a 13 foot rod than a 7,6 foot is to few ?

Erling

Hi Erling,

I don't know if it's of any help, but these are the guide spacing/sizes I used on a 9' #6 Loomis IMX (FR1086-3) and a 9'9" #8 Loomis IMX (FR1178-3):

Guide spacings for the F1086-3 IMX

4- 9 -15 - 22 - 30 - 38 1/2 - 47 1/2 - 56 3/4 - 66 1/7 - 77

Guide sizes:
tip top 4.5
#16 -1
#12 -1
# 5 snake guide -1
#4 snake guides -7

Total number of guides = 10 + tip top


F1178-3 IMX

4 - 9 - 15 - 22 - 29 1/2 - 37 1/2 - 46 - 55 - 64 7/8 - 75 1/8 - 86 1/2
Guide sizes:
tip top 4.5
#20- 1
#16 -1
#12 -1
#6-snake guides-1
#5 " " -7

Total number of guides = 11 + tip top


In my humble opinion, the guide sizes used on the F1178-3 should work on the 13" rod, simply add extra #5 guides. I used an oversize Hopkins & Holloway tip top which has about the same ID as a #5 snake and the rod shoots line brilliantly, including change-a-tip lines. I've had no reports of it ever tangling with the connecting loops.

Hope that helps.

Tight lines,

Tim.

Hi Erling,

I don't know if it's of any help, but these are the guide spacing/sizes I used on a 9' #6 Loomis IMX (FR1086-3) and a 9'9" #8 Loomis IMX (FR1178-3):

Guide spacings for the F1086-3 IMX

4- 9 -15 - 22 - 30 - 38 1/2 - 47 1/2 - 56 3/4 - 66 1/7 - 77

Guide sizes:
tip top 4.5
#16 -1
#12 -1
# 5 snake guide -1
#4 snake guides -7

Total number of guides = 10 + tip top


F1178-3 IMX

4 - 9 - 15 - 22 - 29 1/2 - 37 1/2 - 46 - 55 - 64 7/8 - 75 1/8 - 86 1/2
Guide sizes:
tip top 4.5
#20- 1
#16 -1
#12 -1
#6-snake guides-1
#5 " " -7

Total number of guides = 11 + tip top


In my humble opinion, the guide sizes used on the F1178-3 should work on the 13" rod, simply add extra #5 guides. I used an oversize Hopkins & Holloway tip top which has about the same ID as a #5 snake and the rod shoots line brilliantly, including change-a-tip lines. I've had no reports of it ever tangling with the connecting loops.

Hope that helps.

Tight lines,

Tim.

Hi Tim,

I am working on a 1085-3 IMX (#5, 9') and have been trying to figure out the spacing on it. All the recommended spacing I have found on other G. Loomis (2 or 4 pc.) rods overlap guides on the ferrules and have not been able to find the spacing for the three piece rods (haven't heard back from the company on that either). Oddly, other manufacturers measurements for 3 pc. rods, such as Sage, also place guides on the ferrules.

Anyway, I am just wondering where your spacing for the #6 came from. Did you figure it out yourself or is it G. Loomis recommendation? Any info you have would be much appreciated.

Thanks,
Greg

Hi Greg,

I got all of the spacings from Loomis and thay all seem to work really well. Its a shame that Loomis' customer 'service' doesn't seem to have changed since I last had contact with them.

I think my next batch of rods will be from Dan Craft - cheaper, great performance and outstanding customer service - having said that, the IMX Slate rods that I have built have given me great service (and have received many envious looks from my fishing buddies!!)

Incidentally, I used american patttern snakes and Pac Bay model N stripping guides - look great and work brilliantly (if you're a bit old school), with Bellinger reel seat and Struble cork..

The other option is to follow the static guide placement directions in the library on this site.

Hope that helps.

Happy building!

Tim.