I'm getting ready to build a multi piece fly rod. 9' 5 wt.
I'm thinking of using the American Tackle halographic ring single foot guides. Two questions
1. are these guides worth the money and do they live up to the claims of reduced friction etc.
2. what sizes/set up should I go with. I'm thinking I'll need 9 guides a 1 stripper.

would this work
#10 stripper
1# 8
4 #6
4#5
#5 tip top

Or
#10 stripper
1#8
4#7
4#6
5 or 6 tip top

Thanks

I just finished a rod - it was originally a 9' 5 wt 4 pc rod. I dropped the butt section so its now 6'10" 3 pc

I used the amtak titans and went with A frame size 10 for the stipper and then 5s all the way to the tip top. I couldn't be happier.

i have used the holo guides on a spinning rod with braided line for a friend and he is very happy with it.

I have built several spinning rods with them in a concept layout using the single foots towards the top. The guy I built these two rods for fishes more than anyone else I personally know. I had several tip-tops welds break for him but they were quickly replaced by Am-Tack with the acknowledgment that they had an issue for a bit with them. That has been taken care of now. The new ones performed flawlessly for the past year or so of hard fishing by this fellow. I would say they are very good guides, are worth the money, the company stands behind their product, and that they are very nice to look at. Buy them!

Nice guides!
Why not go 10, 8 and # 6 fly type ceramics the rest of the way out. No need to gradually change sizes. Doesn't do anything but add weight

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!!

i'm suspecting from info and stuff i read here that the practice of changing the guide sizes incrementally (decrementally??? :-) is more for an aesthetic purpose than practical purpose. you can do it and it's up to you, but you may gain better performance if you go from a 10 stripper, to maybe 6 or 5s all the way out. basically the smaller (for your line needs) the lighter, the better performance of the bank's inherent unchanged attributes. correct me if i'm wrong anybody. personally, i'm torn (always wanting to do something which looks right to me), so if i did it, i might use a 10 stripper, then maybe one 8 or a 7, then the rest 6s or 5s out, kind of a happy medium. as for the tip top, your second list has two sizes. it would be one or the other, whichever is the right size for that blank's tip.

the prices for those guides from AT's price list appear to be in line with, or close to, other maker's offerings in the mid to high level ring guide prices (ex. pac bay zirconiums). are they worth the money? for the cool factor, i might say yes. for practical freshwater fly fishing with standard 5wt needs, maybe overkill a notch or two, but that never stopped many others from using similar material and guides. standard hialoy type rings would work just fine for most standard 5wt flyfishing in freshwater that i'm familiar with but you don't get the holo look. it's a subjective matter only you can answer for yourself. i suspect you wouldn't be branded COMPLETELY insane if that's a consideration :-)

one thing to think about... many mass production rods i see at the 9 foot, 5wt size often utilize two strippers. one size 12 and one 10.

eric
fresno, ca.

I have built rods ranging from 10ft surf rods to 7'6" spinning rods built on 3wt fly blanks using the AMTAK halo guides to include my own personnel rods and have never had a failure or complaint from my customers and if fact, the customers have received many compliments on how good they look and how well the rods cast. AMTAK' s customer service is second to none.

Ray Zarychta
Glastonbury, CT

I am going to recieve flak for this but, I build for a ton of tourney anglers. (Yes they pay my prices and come back for more and yes failure rates may be higher than many of you folks, but I do have a business model that is able to take advantage of that and it weeds out the mooches) I have noticed my highest failure rates are with AmTak guides at about 10% =/- 1% (app 1 in 10 rods recieve one guide or top replacement in a matter of 1 to 36 months). Fuji amazingly at 0% (probably pure luck or customer took business elsewhere). This is with supposed undue stress, and most times, anglers that had broken guides admitted it when it was their fault. This is not because of personal preferance this is a completely objective analysis. I'm tired of warranty work and yes the AmTak tip tops are the worst of the guides that I have had experience with. I have accidentally melted two tips now by having to replace AmTak tips more than once on two rods. Although one replacement was adimttedly the anglers fault. I personally like the look, but from a business aspect I am more likely to sway customers towards other products available. This is strictly a business decision, because on my personal stuff I like the look, and I myself have had some replacements also. AmTak does back their products as far as warranty but we all hate to hear the phone ring from a customer who is currently not interested in a new rod, but something else.