I'm building myself a new live bait casting rod for stripers in the California Delta.
Up until now I have been using a store bought, honey yellow, Lamiglass SRC 705 (Skeet Reese Model) which is a 7ft., 8-20 lb. glass rod that is very soft.
I loved the action of this blank for live bait, but I hated the grip lengths. I've even caught a 25 lb female on it with 12 lb test (20 minute battle, a quick pic, and back she went into the water).

So, I ordered a couple of the 7 1/2 ft. version Lamiglass blanks which is a MB 901 F from Anglers Workshop. In doing the static testing, the first 6 guides are size 6 single foot guides relatively close (3" tip to first guide to start) together & in keeping my distances tighter than normal the line still rubs the blank under load in the first 3 or 4 sections. This blank is very soft in the upper section. The obvious answer is to wrap it in a spiral (which I may do) but I was wondering what the "normal" fix is for this sort of problem with a "conventional" guide setup. Just keep closing up the spacing until the line doesn't touch the blank? We are talking about ending up with the first 4 or 5 guides 2" to 2 3/4" apart? Isn't that a bit close? Don't get me wrong, at least 3/4 of the rods I build for myself are spiral wrapped, but mostly they are my heavier rods (25 lb. and up) for salmon, rockfish, albacore, yellow tail, yellow fin, and the like.

Thanks,
Jon Gold

After a bit of flex, the tip area will begin to straighten out and the flex will transfer down into the mid and eventually butt areas. If you still have the problem of the line getting down on the blank even then, you can use higher framed guides. Of course, with higher framed guides you increase the lever arm effect and increase the tendency for the rod to try and twist on you.

But remember that having the line just touch the blank isn't neccessarily going to create a problem - when the line runs down alongside and underneath the rod that you may begin to experience problems.


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What guide frames are you using? There are several ways to spread the distances and if you are using single foot guides. The Fuji Concept guides may be too low to start with. Amtak and Batson have single foot guides with a double bend that will give you the slight clearance needed for a good top set up. There are some builders out there that are working with the set up you are describing in a very effective manner. Look up Bobby Feazel on this site and contact him vial email.

Jon,
I've built a few rods on that blank and my guides weren't that close, with some of the Lamiglas blanks including the MT taper salmon/steelhead blanks you do have the guides pretty close at the tip though.
One of your problems is you may be going to fast on your guide testing and missing all the steps or have to great a line angle going on. I think you want a fishing angle more than a closer to 90 degree or high stick angle.
The test is done in three steps, first to set up the tip guides ( bend the first 1/4 of the blank) and than more tension is added ( 1/2) to space the guides further down the blank, etc.
Let me look in my stuff, I may still have the spacing I used on the 901s.