I'm building my first salt water rod. To now I've been building strictly bass, walleye, and musky rods.

I'm building a Batson Rainshadow IP903 (7'6"MMF popping blank). My client plans to use a 4000 or 5000 size reel on it. I have two questions as I prepare to build it.

1) Are Fuji Alconite guides going to be okay used day in and day out in saltwater? Any special care needed? Is an upgrade to REC's or Ti/Sic a better decision? (Money IS an issue with this one)

2) What size guide set should I use? I'm usually building for sizes 1500 - 2500 and use 25's and 30's on down to 6's. How big do I need to go for a 4000 or 5000 reel?

Thanks for the help. I love this board.

AC
FishinFreaks
Rogers, MN

Alconite guides will be most excellent, with rinsing you will have no issues. Black Chrome is more saltwater durable than Polished Chrome, either will be a solid choice though. RECoil guides are NOT the way to go with that rod, not if you want to have any distance casting ... plus they scare the fish. Fuji SiC Titanium frames would be better - lighter, stronger, corrosion proof - but they are definitely a luxury, not a necessity.

Give a try to the following sizes ... 30, 16, 10, 8L, 8 (Qty 5). Tip top of 8(5.0).

I agree with Jim, the alconites will do just fine and I don't care for the REC's; the noise they make when you cast will drive you crazy. But then that is just my opinion and some guys swear by them. If money is no object go with the titaniums. If you rinse your rod with fresh water after every use and dry them they will last a very long time.

I find the black chrome finish on the Alconites a lot less corrosion resistant than the finish on others (Batson). Mine started rusting pretty much after day 1 on the water. Chrome alconites look sooo much better too.

Size 30 for the butt guide? I figured I would need to go bigger.

Follow up question on a couple of the responses: did one of the responses say that Black frames are more corrosion resistant than chrome and another saying it was less?

Any other input on black vs. chrome.

Would also definitely consider Batson's TiCh/Zirconiums if those were good.

AC
FishinFreaks
Rogers, MN

Read the article in the online library here on the New Guide Concept. The reel and line path will tell you what guides sizes to use.

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

Don't worry about corrosion on your guides. I fish my rods hard, and almost all of them have el-cheapo Fuji aluminum oxide guides (BSVOG), and I've never had a problem with corrosion (the oldest ones are three years old). It is a good idea to rinse them after each trip, but there have been times when I've been less than diligent with rinsing, and I've still never had a problem.

The way I see it, there are two schools of thought on saltwater rods. One is that in the demanding saltwater environment, you should use the absolute best materials you can afford, so that your rig lasts the longest time possible. The second school says that a saltwater rod, whether used on a boat, in a kayak, or in the surf, is likely to see a good bit of abuse, and consquently it is not prudent to spend a lot of money on guides. The corrosive nature of the salt only reinforces this belief; if you know you're going to have to replace a guide, it's better that it's a $2 alconite guide than a $20 titanium / SiC guide.

The fact that I use aluminum oxide guides on my rods should give you an idea where I stand on this issue (though I do use Sic tips -- you only have to buy one top, and because the top tends to get knocked around the most, it's worth getting the most durable top you can find). But the important thing is not to think you're cheating yourself if you get "budget" guides like alconite instead of the most expensive thing out there. The entry level stuff (at least in my experiences) performs very, very well, and if you can't afford SiC / titanium (or can afford it, and just don't want to pay for it), you can still put together a rod with top-notch performance.

Oh, and the chrome/black thing: I have no idea how chrome wears in salt. I've never used a chrome guide. But my BSVOGs, which are black, have held up to the salt chuck very well.

If you are using ANY rod in Salt Water I would recommend the Batson Ent.- Forecast & ALPS SS316 guides ( X SERIES) We were the first company to utilize this material in guides. We have tested this substate material in an independant laboratory for over 1600 hours with NO coorosion. These guides come in either the Double Black Chrome (DBC) Polished or Titatium Carbide plated(Gunsmoke). Also our Double Black Chrome in SS304 has been a staple for many years and has been field tested by the biggest names in the industry with only great reviews. IMHO we have the finest guides on the market to date, try them and you will not be dissapointed, I garantee it.
If you ever have any questions in regards to our products please feel free to contact us.
Thank you for all of the support. "THE VISION CONTINUES"

Bill Batson
CEO
Batson Enterprises
batson@batsonenterprises.com
www.batsonenterprises.com
877-875-2381

Aaron,

If it is any help to you, we have been building saltwater rods for the last few years, exclusively using the Batson Double Black Chrome ss304 guides and have also been using the SS316 X series, and have had no complaints or issues. Either one of these series will fit you fine.

Al McColl
MidwestRodandReel
Prior Lake,Mn.

Line guides have lagged far behind the rest of fishing technology. Eventually, guide frames will no longer made from any type of metal (I'm very surprised that they still are, so many years after all other components on rods have moved to nylon/graphite type composites).

The way to eliminate rust on guides is to eliminate those materials that are subject to rust.

Expect something special at the 2008 ICRBE that could spell the end for all metal type line guides.

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

Rod Blank Model # IP903
Butt cap: EVABC20
Front Cap:
Rear Grip: RG10A-345
Handle Arbor:
Reel Seat: GS17C-GWG-TC
Reel Seat Shim SHIM/17/SPIN
Foregrip: FG25A-250
Winding Check: BWC10
Hookeeper: XHKS-S
Tip Top XTCPPZT06R05.0
1st guide from tip top XPTCFZG06
2nd guide from tip top XPTCFZG06
3rd guide from tip top XPTCFZG07
4th guide from tip top XPTCFZG07
5th guide from tip top: XPTCFZG08
6th guide from tip top: XPTCFZG10
7th guide from tip top: XTCVS3TZG16
8th guide from tip top: XTCVS3TZG30
9th guide from tip top:
10th guide from tip top:
11th guide from tip top:
12th guide from tip top:
13th guide from tip top:
14th guide from tip top:
15th guide from tip top:
16th guide from tip top:
Guide spacing Specs(inches from tip, center ring over mark) 4.5-9.25-14.25-20-26-33-42-54

Thanks for all the input, guys. This has been a tremendous help!

AC
FishinFreaks
Rogers, MN

Rust is not the only thing that contributes to the failure or structural degredation of a metallic part. This is specially true if the substrate of the part happens to be made of austenetic stainless steel or titanium.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/07/2007 07:38PM by Bill Stevens.