I am building a travel spinning rod for use only with braid. I have a Cascade 7' long 3 piece blank rated at 12 to 30 lbs which will be matched with a Shimano 5000 Twin Power reel spooled with 20lb PowerPro.

I want to try the new Low Rider Guides but I only have access to a limited range (I live in Scotland) and so I plan to use the #16 as my butt/choke guide - but this is only 25mm high.

As a result working back from the "intersection" point my butt/chokerguide is 35.5" from my reel seat center - that's a long way on a 7' rod!

I have no problem with the #16 diameter for butt/choke guide - from what I have read that will work really well with braid - its the "low" height and the resulting distance from the reel.

I have thought of mounting the reel seat off center to reduce the distance to the "intersection" point but that may look weird.

Should I bring the butt/choke guide closer to the reel?

Or is their no room for comprimise and I have to somehow get hold of the #16M which is 34.5 mm high?

Any ideas - please?

Hi m8 i`m from england and know the feeling of supplies.... try guidesnblanks.com if they haven`t gotthem they can probably get them (its run by the hopkins and holloway people{gregg is REALLY helpful}) i know i shouldnt advertise for other companys that arent sponsers but hey there arent any sponsers from the UK up there failing them try summerlands

Hope it helps
allen

Greetings George,
It seems that we are both seaching for the same things. I posted here a few days ago seaching for Fuji CLCSG 16m and 12m guides. Here is what I found. Fuji's sole North American disributor does not carry them and has no plans to do so. I just received word from a kind gentleman in Australia at The RodWorks (see sponsor list) that he does not carry them. I have concluded that they are not available anywhere in the English speaking world. Ross at RodWorks did however mention that he has heard of some folks obtaining items from Japanese suppliers and suggested that I do a search. Not my strong suit, I was lucky to find my way here. If I do find a source for these guides I will post here on this site and request that you kindly reciprocate.
Best of luck,
-Bob

Bob

I think I may have replace the #16 with #20 to get the extra height which will be a pity as I don't need the diam or weight of a bigger ring.

I do periodically order stuff direct from Japan but there are fixed custom fees etc which means that it is only worthwhile if its a big order.

I will let you know if I do find a source for those CLCSG "m" guides.

Have you ever heard of a builder aligning the reel seat so that the reel foot is angled into the rod rather than parallel to it?

I guess you need the height at the choke guide to prevent line slap between it and the reel.

One Japanese dealer that sells Fuji LC (Lowrider) guides is Matagi Tackle:

[www.matagi.co.jp]

They also carry these guides with titanium frames. I'm fairly sure that they don't even advertise those outside of Japan.

You can send email to Mamoru (first name, not surname) in English at:

questions@matagi.co.jp

I have obtained components from Mamoru at Matagi Tackle and can recommend him as a good dealer. I can't comment on customs duties to any particular country.

Eric

I forgot to mention that Matagi sells a size 20 Lowrider guide that is 45.5 mm high.

If you want to check the Matagi catalog page for Lowrider guides with specifications and prices (Japanese yen), look at:

[www.matagi.co.jp]

You'll need Adobe Acrobat with Japanese language support.

Eric

-Eric, thanks so much for the referral to Matagi. The 16M and 12M guides were listed on the site and I will contact Mamoru this week to arrange a purchase.
-George, sorry to hear about the tariff obstacles. I can only imagine the ones i will face.
As far as your question about adjusting the angle of the reel with respect to the blank I just recently, within the last month or so, read a thread here about that very subject. Sorry but I just glanced over it and I am unable to relate the deails. Maybe try a search.
Thanks again to all.
Bob