Hi

A question for those of you who have built on a dan craft FT905-4.

What guides have you used.? I have a set of fuji SICs and a set of rec SFs and I don't know which to fit.

I like the friction free SICs for shooting a long line, but also like a lightweight guide so as to not affect the action of the blank.

Can anyone give me any feedback so as to help me decide?

I am firmly of the opinion that heavier than 5 weight go for SICs, and below go for traditional wire guides for the weight, but what about this blank? I don't want to get it wrong.

All advice greatly accepted

Mark

Mark,
In my limited experience with the FT blanks I have found that they fish best (IMHO) with one to two line weights above their nameplate. My 8'6" three weight fishes best with a five weight double taper line, and my 9'0" four weight fishes very nicely (my favorite rod when I want to fish a DT5 line) with a five weight double taper on medium sized trout streams. This winter I plan to build an FT902-4 to fish with a DT four weight line.

So the blank you have may meet your own qualifications for using SIC's.

Jeff

round small ones
LOL

following my tests I personally would go for the SiC guides (unless you want to heat it to 270 degrees cent and hit it with a hammer in which case go with the sf`s and save the damage

Mark,
You will not get any "shooting" advantage with carbide guides. Will be quieter but no casting advantage. I would go with the REC to preserve the crisp action of the 5wt. I have that blank built. Love it with a #6 line. I only use the ceramics (Fuji Ti SiC) on his 9 and 10 wts.
Herb

I have Dan Craft FT's 2, 3, 5 and 6 and use ceramics on all of them. Alconite size 6 running guides in my case and they all perform well. Epoxy is a big weight factor with all guides so keep it to a minimum coating. You do in my experience find the ceramic guides are an advantage in feeding out line to increase a drift.

Stan Grace
Helena, MT
"Our best is none too good"

Guys

Many thanks, but I am none the wiser. As too line weight I currently use the FT907-4 and find that well matched to a 7 weight line - I carry quite a bit of line. So I expect to be throwing a 5 weight line with this rod. I am still confused.

Mark

It will handle a 5 or 6 weight line well due to the taper design of those blanks. The more you load them the more they flex without hitting a dead spot like many blank tapers do. Once upon a time I fished exclusively with GLoomis GLX rods sporting single foot wire guides. They were great but fragile. Since I started building on the DC FT blanks I no longer own a Loomis. I enjoy the more durable FT rods equipped with ceramic guides as much as I did the GLX's. I frankly think that considering all things the SIC's are superior to the REC's. Keep your epoxy coating to a minimum and the any difference in guide weights will be negligible as far as performance.

Stan Grace
Helena, MT
"Our best is none too good"