Hi everyone,
This is my first posting. Been looking around this site for a couple of weeks now. Amazed at the amount of information I've been able to pick up.

Have a couple of questions. Years ago I built a few rods using guides that looked very much like the Recoil casting guides except that they had one long leg that placed a foot out further from the eye of the guide. Think those guides were made of chromed brass. Are they still available? Have to do a little bragging here. My wife's biggest Northern. A 24 pounder caught on walleye rod I made for her from a Fenglass blank using those guides.

My second question. Read the FAQs piece about ' Are the high modulus graphite rods brittle'. When talking about graphite rods am I to understand that an IM6 rod would be the best compromise between performance and durability.

Don Hansen

Yes, those guides are still made. Pac Bay has some that they call Twister Guides. I believe the older ones are called Non-Fouling guides and I have seen them on another web site, just can't remember where. I guess it would depend who made the IM6 blanks and how they were constructed. I have a couple of IM6 rods that I made 20 years ago or so from GLoomis blanks. I have fished them hard and they are still as good as new. When I sold rods I had to replace several broken IM6 rods that I made using another company's blanks. I never had to replace a GLoomis rod. I also used IM6 blanks from Anglers Workshop that were just as good as the GLoomis and never had to replace one of them either.

Merrick tackle carries the "foul-proof" guides also.

We still have some of the original Made in USA "Foulproof: guides in stock, here is a link;
[www.schneidersrods.com]

We can also special order from Merrick or Pac Bay, since we are dealers for both.



Best wishes,
Ron Schneider
Schneider's Rod Shop
Mountain Home, Arkansas
[www.schneidersrods.com]
mtnron40@yahoo.com
870-424-3381

From the picture of the non-fouling spinning guides by Perfection on the Merrick site I would have to say those are the ones. Ron, the ones you have in stock appear to set too close to the rod. Although I started this search with the idea of building a new rod, while I was comparing the guides on my wifes rod to the pictures on the Merrick website, I noticed a number of the guides were grooved. Looks like a rebuild is in order.

I've a couple of graphite UL spinning rods I built just to see what graphite was like and I do have to admit they are very sensitive but I'm still not convinced that they are the best when fishing for Northern. I found a place called "Rick's Rods" and he has some of the old Fenwick glass blanks. Think I will email him my specs and see if he a blank that work before I decide what material to use.

Don Hansen

How durable a rod blank is has more to do with than just the material. The design of the blank plays a major role in this. There are IM6 blanks that are quite fragile, and much higher modulus blanks that are pretty robust, so you can't go by material alone.

Generally, however, you'd want to stay away from the very highest modulus blanks if you're a bit tougher blank. They tend to couple with designs that offer a higher stiffness to weight ratio and therefore have to be handled with a bit more care.

.....................