A while back, I posted a report on using Fuji Silicon Nitride guides for wire line rods fishing for salmon. Well after two seasons aboard a Ludington Michigan charter boat, the two rods using these guides have held up surprisingly well. The boat has seen just over a hundred trips per season and the captain estimates that each rod caught between 70-90 fish per season. I suspect that the guides will have to be replaced after next season. There were visible "scratches" to "light gouges" observed in the stripper guide, and the first three guides closest to the tip. At first glance, they looked clean, but with a magnification lense and a fingernail test, you could see and feel the damage. I used twilly tips on each of these rods, so tip damage is not an issue here. Spiral placement was also used, no scratches on the transition guides. For comparison sake, he used two retail rods that had zirconia rings (labled as wire line rods on their decals) this season as well. Both of the rods guides failed mid season, the line cut all the way through the rings and even on two guides, sawed the frames as well. So for comparison sake, the Fuji SN guides are very tough as advertised, but not a permanenent setup like rollers. The Fuji guide rods were preferred by fishermen hands down to the heavier roller rods, and the first mates say that the wire reels in much easier than with roller rods. Now if Fuji can come up with a "quick replacement" type of setup for the rings, they would corner the market on wire line fishing. For now, about half of my charter guys still stick with the proven roller setups. But in my opinion, three seasons of hard useage on wire, these guides are serious tough! After the season winds down, I will try to get some good photos of the ring damage, I may have to email them to Tom to post.

Send them to me if you can't post them and I'll be happy to put them on the photo page for you.

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I wonder if they would do better with braid.

Bill - willierods.com

Tony -
If you wouldn't mind .. can you send me the name of the "retail rods with Zirconia rings"? Probably best off-line rather than on the board.

Many use braid including myself. The stainless will in all circumstances get down deeper than braid. They have similiar diameters, buy wire is much more dense so it sinks. The wire also gives off the electrostatic hum just like the downriggers which also helps fish home in on your spread. 175 feet of lead on wire will dive just as deep as 250 feet of braid. So when the fish are more than 100 feet down, like they have been this year on the East side of Lake Michigan, wire is the best producer. For most charter guys, the wire hits the water first, even before the riggers.