I'm curious as to how you all would size the single foot ceramic insert fly guides for:

8 1/2' & 9' - 4 wt - 6 wt

Also, going up in weight to maybe a 8-10wt., do we just increase one more stripper but basically stay with the same sf sizes?

Thanks,

Todd

On 4 to 6 weight rods expected to be fished with the usual DT or WF lines, I normally do something like this:

High frame 12 and 10, then single foot low frame #6's on out.

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Tom,
Are you using single foot 12 & 10



Mike (Southgate, MI)
If I don't want to, I don't have to and nobody can make me (except my wife) cuz I'm RETIRED!!

No, but you easily could. The ring would be in the same place so the line wouldn't care either way. I normally use double foot guides in those positions only to make the rod a bit more durable as I pull it out from kayaks, cars, tubes, etc. It may be overkill for many people, however.

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On heavier weigth rods those 8 thru 10's you mentioned, I will use 3 three ceramic ringed guides if they all fall on the butt section, I do like three guides on the butt section to fight a fish. The thing is if there are three and you only use two ceramic ringed guides then one larger size 4-6 SF wire guide, or even a SF ceramic fly guide; (3rd butt section guide) this drags the line back down close to the rod right as it transitions up over the sleeve ferrule..then line slap becomes an issue. Loomis had occasion to do this. I picked a GL-3 9'-9" 8wt production rod on a pro-form (because they would let you proform blanks) and it had this blank, needless to say I stripped down the whole blank ,retied it, and added the 3rd butt section ceramic ringed stripper guide and a 3-1/2" fighting but to keep my reel out of ther dirt when grounded

I build a lot of 4 wts., and I generally just use all single-foot fly guides. I start my strippers with 10s or 8s, then go right to 6s all the way out. If it's a rod that's a larger weight (6-8 wt.), I'll use high frame spinning guides for the strippers in sizes 12 and 10, then a 8 or 7, then 6s the rest of the way out. As Tom said, the high frame strippers are nice, whether you use single foot spinning guides or the high-frame double foot guides. The high frame guides seem to help with shooting line.

Thanks Guys.
You all are a wealth of wisdom.
Todd