Hello,

Rod is for the So Cal surf when it's too windy to throw a FLY...
I'm building a 9' ultra lite 4-6Lb spinning rod. The blank was made for steelhead and it is very parobolic. Question: What type of guides would you
use Fuji concept, K series, American, Batson, Pac bays, Mircos?? One concern is the bend does go into the split handle. Clearance from the
reel to the first guide may be compromised if I hang a large toad... Should I use a 30 guide that sits high or regular size Ok?

Thanks,
John

Thats one of my specialties!!!!!!!
Do yourself a favor and go with micros and tall framed guides.
I prefer one of two routes: titanium or alps 316 stainless.
Titanium, this route is expensive. You can go with AmTak A frames or the fuji concept ti frames, ICYSG i believe. You can go with the TATSG's, these are pretty light weight, but might not stand up to your use. Depends on how you are with your gear..... Then down to micros......I like the Ti fujis personally.

A more wallet friendly option that will perform extremely well is the 316 stainless. The alps thin ring XBYTLG is great, then you have a ton of options for micro choices.

You WILL want to use the micros. Don't let the sceptics dissuade you......... If you go with stainless, they are like 70 - 90 cents a pop!!!!! If you dont like it, you cut the 3/8" wrap off and throw the others on........

With a long rod, you want to keep every teeny tinny bit of sensitivity i that blank as possible, thus the micros. I'm sure you'll be after the usual suspects, the BSP YFC Bean etc. You have the perfect style blank. Follow the NGC (27 x spool diameter to choker) with the choker being your first micro.

Oh ya, go with 15-20lb spectra teamed up with that micro set up and you will not believe the sensitivity. You'll be able to tell if the sand is coarse or fine just by draggin a 3/8 oz slider on the bottom hahahahaha.
looks like you prob fish south OC, drop me an email: steven.loughery@yahoo.com. Maybe you can help me with my fly casting, I built my first fly rod for the surf a few months ago, but havent picked it up but once!!!!!!!!!!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/24/2010 05:39AM by Steven Loughery.

Steve,

Very informative! Now you got me leaning to and probably will go Mircos... I don't know the pro and cons to having this size guide setup. Being that my last 6 builds were Fly rods I havn't even looked into Spin stuff. What would you consider a good break down for such a mirco guide set?

Steve, my buddy and I have been whipping the surf from Redondo and up north for the pass ten years and it's been a blast... This season I got personal best last month, 24" bean on my 6 wt
using a sandcrab fly my buddy tied.

Nice bean on the fly!!!!!!!!!!!!!
As far as pros n cons, passing knots is one of the main concerns. I doubt you will have any knots past the tip. even if u do, at times I tie my 15 or 20lb spectra to either 8 or 15lb flouro via an albright knot and that goes through the guides no problem. Other than that, I cant really think of any serious concerns. Durability comes up as an issue from time to time, but that depends on how you look at it. They wont get hung up as easily and when they do, there is a shorter lever arm and thus less torque.

For a set up, other than the titaniums, the alps thin ring guides are great. A good start would be a 25 and then a 16 OR 12 then down to your choker (which is your first micro placed a distance of about 27xspool diameter from the spool face).
For your micros, you have plenty of choices. I now use the AmTak ringlock micros. I like them because they have a slightly longer foot (easier to wrap) with an arrowhead-like contour that seems like it would just about eliminate pull outs. I also like the ringlock feature. I had a couple insert issues with other styles that were caused when the frame bent and the insert hit the blank, causing it to kind of force the insert loose. I simply epoxied them back in place, not really a big deal.
The new AmTak braced micro tips are AWESOME. I am switching all mine out for these. If you going to use a full spool of flouro above 15lb, or mono above 20lb, I'd stick with the size 6 ring braced tips. Flouro or mono lighter than that, or any size spectra, I really recomend the braced amtak micros. IMO, ALWAYS stay with the braced tips even if you think the slightly larger tip looks wierd. Well, thats my rule anyway.

For a seat, I highly reccomend the Amtak aero seat. Perfect for a long rod. One thing that I think is a MUST, is a narrower style butt cap, NOT the mushroom kind. You can push the butt into the sand so you dont have to lay your rod down in the sand. this does not work too well with the mushroom style. My second to last build had a carbon fiber skinned rear grip that I tapered down at the butt. It works GREAT as a built in rod holder when rigging, photoing my catch, or just chillin on the beach with the kids, etc.

For my light surf rods, I like a slightly longer handle. Esp. when I fish the hardbaits (LC Flashminnow 110). Since I have that longer handle, I feel I have enough leverage that I don't need a foregrip. If you prefer a shorter handle, you might want one for those long fights with (hopefully) larger halibut or by-catch, like SNGF or Leos. As you know, they seem to know how to use the surf to their advantage and given that light line is used, a decent fish usually takes a while to land.

John,
Here's some new guides from ALPS if you are looking for the polished look. They are 316 stainless and WILL hold up in saltwater. One thing I like about the polished stainless by Batson/Alps is that they are NOT chromed. I really dont like the look of the chrome and feel that it does not stand up to the elements. The polished stainless looks awesome.

[www.batsonenterprises.com]