Has anyone tried tying on a single foot guide in the place of using a regular tip top guide. I have used some VS series guides and the transition from the last guide to the tip top is not a striaght line and I was wondering if I could use the same guide and just tie it on for a tip top. any opinions or suggestions

Thanks
Doug

First do a search and you'll find all kinds of info on the subject.
In a nut shell yes you can tie a single foot guide to the tip.

DOUG:

I do it 99% of the time for my float rod customers, mostly because I use Hi-Frame guides on a float rod and the frame height on tip-top is not that high. Also the ring size is a bit too small for cold weather fishing therefore the ring ices up earlier than larger ring sizes.

I have never had a problem with any strength issues or failures with them.

Tight Lines,
Paul Rotkis

Yes you can use single foot guides. I think they look a lot nicer than the tube over tip tops. I'm with Paul in that most a lot of the time the heights don't match up & a sigle foot looks much nicer. The only con is replacement is more difficult due to it being tied on. On my last trip to Alaska I broke a tip guide on my float rod and had to do streamside repairs. I stripped the guide off in the RV at lunch & replaced it temporarily with a tube over tip top. It wasn't pretty, but it sved the day.
Heres a pic of one I did last month. Please ignore the bit of TM between the wrap & guide ring.........The eyes (mine not the rods) are the first thing to go LOL
[www.rodbuilding.org]

Regards
Dave

Fishing is Life the rest is just Details

I've used single foot ceramics (Alconite) for a tip top on a number of fly rods and a few ultralight spinning rods. Except for some funny looks I've had no problems with them. One thing, always use a Forhan Locking Wrap on single foot guides, especially as a tip top. Ralph

If at first you don't succeed, go fishing, then try, try again.

I'm doing this on 2 of 4 saltwater fly rods I'm building as I wanted a titanium frame guide with a ceramic insert. Only Fuji makes them, with a size 7 (or is it 6?) ring max. I want something larger for 9 and 10 wt rods, so AmTak Titans for me. I like the look of a tube top better, but the single foot method isn't unattractive to me. I haven't cast the prototype yet.

I am thinking of doing this for a 9 wt. fly rod I'm building. Forhan locking wrap makes sense, but I was wondering if anyone ever used a bit of epoxy on the guide foot and then wrapping it for an extra bit of security. Thoughts?

I have never had a tip guide tied this way come loose. I have broken the legs on a couple though.
I also have not used a forhan wrap on the tip guides.

Regards
Dave

Fishing is Life the rest is just Details

I've never had any single foot guide pull out of the top, the epoxy may be an unneeded step...And I have seen Dave's old rod that he brought here to AK...And that ole leg on that Hardy float rod was sure broken; but then again most of the guides were falling out cause he's caught so many dang fish on that rod in the past 75 years!! LOL And I agree with him in that repairs in the field would be top-overs like he said.

Paul

Two years back I had a GT pull the tip off my 12wt, miles away from the mothership. Luckily me partner had in his back pack, wait for it, one double foot snake guide. Well, we bent the snake into a single foot with two pairs of pliers, whipped it on with 12lb fluoro, and finished with a coat of UV knot sense. Worked a charm, landed a few more GT's in size XXL that session!

BTW the original tube top came off the bit of blank with the addition of some heat, but wouldn't go over the new larger diameter rod tip!