i want to start building a 13.5 ft float rod but am not sure on sizing of guides, wanted to use recoil guides oversized for winter steelheading, is there a general sizing guide some where i can use?...thxs alot

I'm actually about to do the same thing on a 9 foot blank myself with the same guides. Would love to know how to figure this out.

Use the smallest guides that wil do the required job. Best way to find that out is to try different sets.

The problem is, nobody else can tell you what size to use - you need to consider and try with the particular set up you plan to use with regard to reel, line, connections, etc.

For a rough idea, copy a factory rod and adjust or tweak as needed.

.........

The deep winter ICE STEELHEAD RODS usually only have oversize guides near the tip, as the guides near the butt are usually big enough not to have severe or impeding ICING problems (Stanley's ICE PASTE helps emensly) If building a Fly/Spin rod, I'd start with a Sz 25 guide if your starting with a standard shimano 4000 or even 2500/2000 size reel (a 2500/2000 might allow you to drop own to a Sz. 20. 1st guide given the std. sizing rules, I'd still run a 25) If building a a true fly rod I'd start with the std. Sz. 12 ceramic ringed stripper guide.

The problem with building a true ICE rod in its original configuration, is that it goes against the now popular Concept guide criteria which one of its major axioms; which is to use smallest, lightest guides possible near the tip, Furthermore, for the intended use conditions you describe, smaller guides would ice over quickly. I've seen and built plenty of old school ICE RODS before the introduction of single foot wire fly guides or whole logic driven self evident Concept guiding system, using big honkin' Sz. 6 snake guides right up to the over oversize fly tip.

I would get an LARGE FLY TOP which has a oversize ring. This ring is about the same size as a Sz.6 single foot wire fly guide, Then all the guides past the stripper (or choke guide<Spin set up) would have the same size/mm ring right out through the tip top. Now an oversize fly tip doesnot stand as tall off the blank as a similar size single foot wire fly guide, SO you mighy run an over size fly tip (Sz 6mm ring) and then drop down to a Sz. 5 single foot wire fly giude to maintain uniform guide height and then the fly top is not slightly preloaded due to its shorter height off the blank. What I have done to compensate for the comparitively shorter height large of the fly top is to bend it down a smidge (from its 60 degre angle) and delicatly with some pliers and protective cloth slightly elongate the fly top ring to add some height. Both are done in MODERATION but together will produce the desired height result without scarficing the goal, which is to have a larger ring for ice build up