I have a customer who sent me a 15' CTS fly blank. This is going to be a 2 handed fly rod for fishing steelhead in Canada. The guides he's requesting are Fuji LVSG. He wants 15 guides total and has them sized like this:

1-#16
1-#12
4-#10
4-#8
5-#7

Two questions... First, these guides seem a little cheap looking for a rod this nice. Are spinning guides like this standard on a fly rod of this type? Second, does this guide sizing seem right, or does it seem a little big? This will be my first big fly rod like this & I want to be able to make suggestions to him if there is a better way to go. Any thoughts?? Thanks!

Dump the 10's, and the 8's. You don't need all those different sizes. They do nothing for you and in fact, create a stair step line path. What you want is a funnel.

Go 16, 12 and then as many 7's as it takes to get out to the tiptop. This will reduce weight and provide for a straighter line path.

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That's what I figured, thanks Tom. What about the guides themselves? Is LVSG the right choice for this type of rod?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/27/2010 04:00PM by Kyle Jud.

I would use that or the SVSG for the first 2, then move to all low frame single foots for the 7's (running guides). But what you suggest would also work. I like to keep the line low to the blank for most of the rod's length to reduce any lever arm effect as much as possible.

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When I build a Spey rod, which is what this is I there are a few ways to go but traditinal spey rods will have 3 strippers, 16,12,10 they you can go to snakes in 6,5 and 4's up. You can skip the 6 and go from the stripper to the 5 then 4's. Larger guides are needed if he is using shooting heads where there is a sink tip, skagit head, running line and all this in sub freezing weather where ice on the guides is a common thing. Hope this helps you out.

Best of luck,

Eric