Very shortly, I will be building my first baitcasting rod using a spiral wrap. I think I've done my research. I have a copy of Rod Maker Vol 8 Issue 2 (as well as others), and William "Bill" Colby's article seems straight forward, if not down right simple. I've read of other similar ideas, but his seems the most practical to me. Nonetheless, I also own a Bud Earhardt "Fishin' Stik" that I bought years ago. It has a spiral wrap. On this rod, the third guide from the butt (and immediately following the bumper guide) is offset a few degrees towards the bumper guide. Is there an advantage to be gained doing so? The logic of this is? Just curious.

In the interest of full disclosure, I am building this rod to fish buzzbaits for smallmouth bass. The blank is a 6'6" RainShadow RX7 medium action. A friend wants me to do something similar for him on an 6' RainShadow RX7 medium, also.

Thanks in advance for your comments.
Tight lines,
Hunter

From ghoulies and ghosties,
and long leggedy beasties,
and things that go bump in the night,
Good Lord deliver us!

here have been (and still are) a number of different variations of the spiral wrap over the years and while they all work and have their fans, the Simple "bumper" wrap is the quickest, easiest fool proof way of doing it, IMO

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!!

The simple spiral is the best way to go as all the others just add transition guides into the mix, whereas a simple spiral has one bumper guide. Heres the basic difference: the one bumper and the 1st 180 degree bottom guide on a simple spiral wrap DON"T CARRY A LOAD (are neutral) so in effect your blank carries the load between the 1st stripper guide on top of the rod and the 2nd 180 degree guide on the bottom, ADDING additional guides only serve to lengthen the distance that the bookending guides, which carry a load have to span. This longer neutral span must then be carried by the blank it self along with any moment amplified loads due to the increased transition length. I go as far as to add an additional guide on the static test to the lower portion of the guide run so make up for this missing/UNLOADED guide

You'll like that blank. The offset is not needed if you do the simple spiral, or bumper spiral, wrap. If the you use a three or more guide transition, you may want to offset your butt guide, depends on the reel. Mike's right, the simple spiral is foolproof.

it goes beyond foolproof once you consider your just lengthening the neutral area.

Thanks, everyone. I'd read Tom Kirkman's article on the various spiral wraps and didn't want to get terribly complicated. In as much as I've used the above mentioned rod, and like it, I had wondered about the logic of off-setting that third guide. As I wrote, it is only a very few degrees, and from a distance is hardly noticeable. That said, I'll stick with Mr. Colby's model.
Tight lines,
Hunter

From ghoulies and ghosties,
and long leggedy beasties,
and things that go bump in the night,
Good Lord deliver us!

offset or not, it carries no load if we are speaking about the same guide, which is normally refered to as the 1st 180 degree guide. From the butt assending to the tip on a SIMPLE SPIRAL the GUIDES are refered to as 1st stripper guide (on top of the rod) the next guide on the side of the rod is called the bumper guide. The next guide up-blank is on the bottom of the rod and called the 180 dgress guide which is neutral along with the bumper guide in that they carry no load. The next guides up is the 2nd 180 degree guide this carries a load between the stripper guide and itself , the guides inbetween are neutral so offseting them makes little difference other than the possibility that too much offset will make the next guide up towards the tip now become the 1st TRUE 180 drgree guide and THUS will also be neutral. You may just have extended your neutral area which happen on other spiral wrap methods that employ more than the one (bumper) guide to make the transition from top to bottom, The Spiral wrap does not transition the line, it moves in a straight line and thus the bumpers guide is a mere bump in that straight line road/path the line travels. The rest of the gudes that run out to the tip are the 3rd , 4th , and 5th... 180 degree guides on the bottom of the rod.