OK... maybe I've missed it all along. Darrien Heim made a post that sparked my interest -

"Something to keep in mind about all these micro guide systems are that these guides were never specifically designed for heavy line usage. They all exist for another market which has less demanding needs."

OK - what were micros originally designed for? What were the original intentions and applications?

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If I had to guess: Squid fishing in Japan. What people are calling Micro guides in size 4 is pretty funny because Fuji has a size 1 guide (MKG) which has been around for at least 10 years, but it has no ring insert. They have also had the MKSG guides with SIC ring for at least 5 years. All too often when it comes to fishing tackle (not just rod building) th eUSA is several years behind Japan, and when we finally catch onto something, we make it seem like we "discovered" something nobody else knew about.

One particular usage was for Match Rods used in Europe. These are very long rods, that have very small diameter tips.

Bob McKamey -- Custom Tackle Supply

Sweeeeet.....I want some size 1's.....can I fish for the squid on the ice at a Wings game???

Scott Sheets
www.smsrods.com

What's called "micros" are the guides that we're useing on "Feeder/Quiver Rod" tips for a very long time here in Europe....a way to catch small fish with very thin lines.This will be what Darrin was thinking of.

www.tri-castfishing.co.uk/spare_quiver_feeder_tips.html

Keil, thanks for the info...very cool.

Scott Sheets
www.smsrods.com

Loojking at the sites that show them and those types of fishing I see that they are not called micro guides in other place. Just guides. What is regular and normal for many other fishermen can seem different to USA fishermen.

I don't think it's a matter of us being behind anyone, just that we fish for different species in different ways than others do. Different techniques require different equipment.

I've taken a number of European fishing magazines over the years so I've long known about the use of very small guides on their Match rods. The degree of specialization they have reached is similar to the specialization seen in certain types of fishing here in the U.S. Maybe more so.

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mmm werè back to different people and the speech barrier thing again.
Over here in the UK so called "micro guides" as have already been pointed out are used predominently on freshwater match rods ( used for fish wieghing very light and sizewise about a thumb long) We dont tend to use them on surf rods as there seems to be a hardcore element of fishermen over here that hate change and see it as the enemy. try educating one and you just get sighed at laughed at and told "what do you know this is how I was taught and this is the only way". That is of course until they take charge of a british built "american styled" rod then the boots on a different footBy american styled I mean ideas and techniques developed and practised in america (IE thread art balancing component selection WEIGHT finish etc) over here a lot of builders just tend to go with big and heavy and slap them together in five minutes. We have very few true custom builders in the UK that could tick every box. NO I`m not slating ALL british custom builders those that are good know who they are and those that are bad know who they are

Any way back to the micro subject
PROBABLY a british mistake
some builder had a "rush rod" and found he only had size ones so used them
Thats how stupid some of us can be but thats called experimentation unless you try you will never know