I'm guide shopping for my XP and I don't think I want to use the light wire snakes they call for on the Sage spacing chart. How do the light wire sizes translate to standard snakes? Should I use the light wire like they call for? Thanks.

I built my 690 XP using the fuji titanium 12 high cast, 10 high cast, 10 fly, 8 fly, 6 ......... It does great (better than I do). On new TXL blank, I opted to go with the REC Single Foot, light wire. The only draw backs that I have found with the REC is that the guide foot is very long and requires careful grinding so that you do not break the spot welds, also the tip is not much to look at.

I definitely prefer the SIC inserts on my fly rods over 4 wt.

Hope that this helps. Have some good holidays.

zach

I just built a rod with single foot guides and I hated working with them. I want to try the recoil snake guides for this, but I need to know what sizes to get. The chart is for light wire.

Kevin,

The sizes of wire guides are pretty universal. A #2 in a light wire will be close to a #2 in standard wire.

Dan Craft
Dan Craft Enterprises

I have tried the Recoil single-foot guides and don't like 'em. The thing that disturbs me most is the noise that they make when shooting line: a very mild screech. I believe the noise is created by the light wire, flexible guides vibrating from the friction of the line moving past them, like a violin string vibrating from the bow's friction. Oh, did I mention that I'm hard of hearing? (Seriously, I am.)

I recommend single foot guides with a ceramic ring insert for almost every rod. My favorites are the Titan guides by American Tackle. They have a long, shaped foot which helps in wrapping and eliminates any chance of pullout, and aren't as slippery as plated guides, for example Fuji. I hate working with slippery guides!

Use what you think is best; you're the builder.

Jim