A friend just asked me to build him a boat rod for live baiting and power reeling stripers and asked me to use micro guides to improve sensitivity. Is sensitivity a big advantage on micro guides in an application like this. I was under the assumption that casting distance was the big plus of micro guides. I don't see the logic in using them on a boat rod just dropping a live bait over the side. Am I wrong here?

And less weight on the tip for better performance when casting all day.

Bill - willierods.com

Sorry, I don't see any advantage in using micros for this application. In fact there may be a related disadvantage in that they will drive up the cost of the end product (more guides needed, more bench time wrapping)

but is there an advantage to using them on a live bait boat rod, no casting involved?

Any weight reduction tends to increase sensitivity. While "feel" sensitivity isn't all that important on a live bait rod, I doubt anyone would complain that their rod is too sensitive.

Micro guides don't necessarily improve casting distance. Using the proper sized guides will increase distance, of course, but the proper size may be a micro or it be something larger.

The bottom line hasn't changed - use the smallest and lightest guides that will pass your required connections and hold up over the long haul doing what you need the rod to do. Why use larger guides than necessary?

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Thanks for the information. A local tackle shop is telling my friend that the ring being closer to the blank makes it more sensitive. Any merit there?

Just my opinion. Dropping a wiggling spot or menhaden over the side of a boat to stripers and most likely marauding bluefish is not a "sensitivity game". This is related to the way these fish feed / take bait. Bluefish slam the bait - usually taking only the tail leaving the head in place on the hook - hence tail hooks are a good idea. Stripers pick up the bait, swim rather leasurely a short distance, then turn the bait so it is head first to swallow. This is also one reason that fewer stripers are caught on white perch (those nasty spines pop up when they are threatened) If you pick up the rod too soon you will not hook the fish. Charter captains here advise putting the rod in a rod holder (not your hand) - watch the rod tip, watch the line tighten and don't set the hook until the second run.

IMO no

Bill - willierods.com

Of course there is "the customer asked" - so you should probably do as he wants or talk it over with him

On Lake Lanier for Striper, we often drop a bait below a school of fish and slowly reel the bait through the school. This method gets a lot of strikes from fish that don't touch a live bait swimming next to them. This method is what the guy wants with micro guides. You get a first tap and you need to stop power reeling at this point.

The bait shop owner is likely repeating something he's heard. He's mistaken but probably only trying to be helpful.

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But will they hold up. people have built them and I have not herd of any failures ??

Bill - willierods.com

Ok - Now I understand better the technique involved then go with the micros. Stopping at that first tap is letting stripers take that second hit & then hooking them. Here (Chesapeake Bay) the game "find a good hump'' rising up from deeper water and letting the bait swim free - no weight other than the fish (which you can actually see react when predators are in the area)

On a theoretical level, the ring being closer to the blank might translate to additional sensitivity, because there is less frame between the ring and the guide foot. On a practical level, I don't think you would ever notice a difference.

I think of it for casting. Ring close to the blank more guides needed, line tends to rub the blank causing friction and slows the line shorter casts.

I like the line a little away from the blank less guides less line rubbing the blank less friction better casts

6 of one 1/2 dozen another

Bill - willierods.com

The tackle shop guy has the effect right, micro guides = better sensitivity. He just has the cause wrong, the reason that the micro guide is better for sensitivity is the reduced weight, the lower ring is only very indirectly important since the lower guide is the lighter guide.

When I fished for stripers on Lanier almost everybody used fiberglass rods, if you are using fiberglass blanks you are already giving up the single biggest increase in sensitivity available which is a graphite blank. For what you are doing a high modulus graphite blank isn’t for everyone, I suspect they wouldn’t last long on a guides boat constantly being highsticked by customers who don’t know any better. For someone who knows how to use his equipment I suspect that they could use some graphite blanks quite successfully. I haven’t tried it but I would bet that some of the longer and stronger crank bait or popping blanks cold work very well, they have a quite moderate action to keep fish from coming loose during last second lunges, and most of them are small diameter thick wall designs for durability, while still having a huge stiffness to weight ratio advantage over fiberglass which is what gives you the sensitivity.

On a boat rod you may be better with a glass or even a blend blank A little more flex for the people that - high stick - there rods.

Bill - willierods.com

I see you have never cast a micro guided rod. So until you do I think that the idea that the cast will be shorter should be left in your mind and not posted here. There are a lot of people that build using micros and would be willing to argue that the cast is in no way affected by the micro guide.There is an advantage to the sensitivity by the use of the micro guides due to the weight reduction as you have mentioned.

Rolly Beenen
Rovic Custom Rods

Mr. Beenen, none of your comments have anything to do with my post. I find your reaction to my post, strange at best.