Can someone give me the proper way to establish guide placement for a fly rod.  I am currently building my first fly rod.  It is a 6wt mod-fast 9' rod that I will be using for bass, trout and very light saltwater.  I really want to do it right and not half-a## it!Thanks Soo Much!Todd Blanton

Do you want guide placement on the ferrels? How many pc is it?

It is a 2 pc. and I am not sure about guide placement on the ferrels. Is there a benefit one way or the other?
Thanks Todd

This is a good reference point for starters using SS316 stainless tich plated single foot wire guides and light XN alps with polished Zirconium ring guides for salt water corrosion resistance. Also the RA7 fly seat has two locking nuts and a trim ring for a permanent fighting butt and recesses in the cork. This is a saltwater set up that I built using the RX7+ and works very well.
Rod Blank Model # RX7+906-4
Butt cap: CEVAFB2
Front Cap:
Rear Grip:
Handle Arbor:
Reel Seat: RA7L2-SG
Reel Seat Shim
Foregrip: FW7.375CS-340/850
Winding Check:
Hookeeper: TCHKS
Tip Top XTCFTL4.5
1st guide from tip top XTCSFGP3
2nd guide from tip top XTCSFGP3
3rd guide from tip top XTCSFGP3
4th guide from tip top XTCSFGP3
5th guide from tip top: XTCSFGP4
6th guide from tip top: XTCSFGP4
7th guide from tip top: XTCSFGP4
8th guide from tip top: XTCSFGP4
9th guide from tip top: XTCLXNZG10
10th guide from tip top: XTCLXNZG12
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) 3.625-8-13.25-19.5-27.25-35.75-45-54.625-66-78

Karry Batson
Batson Enterprises Inc.
Ph: (877) 875-2381
Fax: (360) 683-3579
karry@batsonenterprises.com
www.batsonenterprises.com

Todd,
Try the static guide placement article in the library above. Karry's guide distances would be a good place to originally place the guides prior to moving them to the correct positions as you do the test. I personally used much smaller wire guides on my 6 wt rods and haven't had any problems.

Thanks for the help. Does it matter if I'm using single foot guides?

Todd,

No, single foots are what you should be using on any fly rod now.

Spacing can be different fom blank to blank. I highly recommend that you go to the library here and read about the static placement method. Works the best of any that I've tried.

If you don't already have your guides, try to go with the smallest size that you can and still pass all your connections. I only use single foot ceramic insert guides, and on a 6 weight a size 6 works well. For wire, a #2 or even a 1 or 1/0 should be fine (those sizes are not standardized, and can vary from maker to maker).

Use that size guide for all but the first two or three guides. No benefit from using a progression of guide sizes, you only need a stripper, then one or two to transition to your running guides.

Good Luck!

Buddy