Its been mentioned a few times in recent posts that a single foot guide can be used as a tip top, and I'm wondering how many have tried this, how does it look, and is it a difficult wrap to do? Intuitively, seems like it would be hard to wrap in the thinnest part of the blank with nothing to hold onto on one side of the guide. BUT, this would solve the problem of matching guide sizes to tip tops, not to mention worrying about tip size when ordering parts. I'm about to build a fleet of saltwater fly rods with Titans, and it would be a lot cheaper to just use single foot guides as tip tops rather than the FUJI titanium/SICS, the only titanium tip top available.

I did a search and didn't find what I was looking for.

I've done it, and it is no more difficult than putting a trim wrap at the end of a tube tip. I don't much care for the look though, myself.

I have done this quite a bit on ice fishing rods since the tip is so small. It is not so much for looks but more of necessity. The ice rod tips are extremly small and tops are hard to find with a big enough ring size and small enough tube. A larger ring size single foot wire guide works fine in this application,

Just my 0.02

I'm with Emory. Upsizing the top on lighter rods may affect rod performance. And not the way you like. IMHO

Pavel,
Moscow, RU

Yes, you can do it and it isn't that difficult, but it does look a bit odd compared to a standard tip top.

Make sure to use the security wrap if you use a SF guide on the tip.

Terry

Any problem with the line wrapping around a SF guide as a tip top? not fly line, but braided line seems to get fouled around any SF guides I use, and that's not een on the tip. Atch a fish put the rod down, pick it back up, untangle the line, cast.

ALL of the float rods I build for folks have them...I think it is more durable, and me personnally like the looks of it in comparison to standard tip-tops.

Paul

Patrick, I let Paul Rotkis talk me into using a #8 Recoil sf spinning guide as my tip top along with the same #8 Recoils as running guides on my 13' Talon float rod - and I'm glad I did. When I placed my order, I ordered Recoil's ultralight fly tip top just in case and but didn't really like it. Although the Recoil looks different on the top, with all #8 sf on the top 6-7 feet of this rod, the line is dead straight and level. I hope I can just learn to cast a centerpin!

Patrick,

I do that on all of my rods and love the results. One think I would mention is that I find tape difficult to work with when wrapping small single-foots like recoils near the tip. Instead of tape I quickly tie the guide in place with 10 or so turns of thread and a knot before wrapping it for real. It works for me...

Best,

Erik