Do you guys think the single foot Recoil guides can handel 100lb PLUS braid? Thinking about under wrap, epoxy, locking over wrap, epoxy and another overwrap and epoxy. Does not need to be pretty... just tough.

I'm throwing around some ideas for a new alligator snatching rod for the up coming gator hunting season in Florida.

The rod will get tossed around a lot in the airboat and pick up bed. I have broke a bunch of Fuji BSVAG's last season.

I need to be able to cast a 4-6oz. snatch hook a country mile.

Would a 40 mm guide be good for the stripper? Penn 8500 with 150lb braid.

I'm a little reluctant to buy $100 worth of guides for this application... especially single footers. I should get one and wrap it to a scrap blank and give it @#$%& and see what happens.

I am having a hard time finding BIG double foot regular metal non fowling style guides.

THANKS
GARRETT

Why not just chrome braced boat guides? Would think they would be about bulletproof, cheap and no ring to foul. Just a thought, though I am more of a cold water guy and have only seen an aligator once outside of a zoo.

Eric is correct ... braced boat guides, glass blank, EVA grips, heavy-duty graphite seat. Inexpensive and tough.

I 3rd the comment.
Braced boat guides. Tough and inexpensive and work very well. I assume that you are talking about a solid fiberglass rod (no hollow rods please) and an eva grip for a good grip that is tough and inexpensive.
Roger



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/08/2011 03:39PM by roger wilson.

I use non-fouling on everything. if you step on em, get the pliers and fix them. I have never seen one break and they are cheap.

Eric,

That was what I started with a few years ago. They were pretty tough... just not tough enough. I ended up breaking a bunch of em where the ring was "welded / soldered" to the the frame. This particular build needs to be bullet proof. I have tried to baby every gator snatching blank, but the week point has always been the guides. If the Recoil guides will not work, I'm probably going back to those and i just need to be extra careful. I know a bunch of guys that will get along fine with any standard aluminum oxide guide you can buy. I really would like a rod that can be kicked, head butted, thrown, smashed etc. and still hold up.

150lb braid is only needed about 50% of the time. The other 50% you snatch them and finess them close enough to get a harpoon / hand lined snatch hook in them.

THANKS
GARRETT

I guess that took me to long to type.


The blank, grips and seat are under control. This is a re-build for my self and a new build for a friend. I just need some serious guides. The Recoil guides are very strong.... just not sure about 100lb plus braid and the single foot.



THANKS
GARRETT

I would like something like this... [www.mudhole.com]

I have used these [www.mudhole.com]

They were way better than the Fuji BSVAG's.... but we still broke a few. I have re-wraped some old school rods with huge (50MM) double foot non fowling guides in the past. If I could get my hands on some of those that would be money.

My fall back guide will be the XBSG.

So.... what do you guys think about the single foot Recoil guides for this application? (they seem to light to me) AND is a 40mm stripper good for a 8500 penn with 150lb braid?

THANKS
GARRETT





THANKS
GARRETT

Hi Garrett,
It sounds like the rod goes thru a lot of punishment.
I would not use single foot anything on it.
If the frames are a problem, look at either something like the Batson Alps XBXNLG 2 foot, stamped frame (no welds) with ring locked to frame.
here is a link;
[www.schneidersrods.com]

Or, maybe the "Foulproof" style of wire guides, no ring, no welds.
[www.schneidersrods.com]

The only issue is that any guide high enough to "cast a country mile" is going to be vulnerable to handling damage.
if the butt guide is far enough up from the face of the reel, you might get by with a 30 mm Alps or 1 1/8" Foulproof.
So casting distance and guide strength might need to be a compromise

Best wishes,
Ron Schneider
Schneider's Rod Shop
Mountain Home, Arkansas
[www.schneidersrods.com]
mtnron40@yahoo.com
870-424-3381

Get the boat guides Braced. Or go to Wal Mart and pick up an Ugly Stick.

Bill - willierods.com

Thanks Ron!

You are on the same page as I am with the 1-1/8" foul proof guides. That's the biggest of that style i have seen so far.

Foul proof is what i'm looking for.

Don't need / want a ugly stick Bill... thanks any hoo. I have the whole set up... just need to re-wrap with guides that I can stomp on.


I'm just going to get me a single foot recoil guide and wrap it as best I can and test it to the extreme and see what happens...

I will post a update of how it works

Wish me luck.... I'll need it!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/08/2011 08:22PM by Garrett Adams.

If you wanted to go with recoil I would use the casting double foot guides then, expensive but they are bullet proof. I use the 16 & 12 as spey stripper guides and you can bend them to the blank and they "pop" back up without issue.

You could also go with the flexlite casting guides. They will not flex like the recoil but with just a coil there is nothing to break, worst case you bend it back and forge on!

Let us know what you go with and I would love to see a pic as I cannot even imagine "gator fishing"

Thanks

I will post pictures and specs. for sure when it's done Eric. It's not going to be pretty... just functional for the task at hand.

I wish the double foot recoil guides came in a 40.

It sure is fun. The gator goes absolutley crazy right when you snatch it and calms down pretty quick. A all out tug-o-war of powerful dead weight.

Thanks for everyones help

GARRETT

Garrett, I don't know if Fuji makes them anymore......but hands down the most rugged guide has been a bronze frame double foot trolling rod style with a ceramic insert.

Standard trolling rod guides have welds that fail. Foulproofs get bent and aren't up to braid. The ones I'm talking about seem to be cast rather than soldered. They weigh a ton. I have only seen them on a couple of rods I bought long ago, I still have one and it is a Shimano Triton salt water series, model TS1654.

Not sure how far you are up the coast but I'd be willing to show you them. Heck I even think you could take my rod and cut down the foregrip a bit an add a couple of guides and have a fine rod for your purpose:)

If you can't get them anymore I'd consider a turbo guide. Chances are you could space the first guide quite a ways from the reel and you aren't looking to break any casting records. Plus you are using braid so you don't "have" to have as big a guide as you are considering. Amtak ringlocks are worth a look too.

Russ in Hollywood, FL.

Are you talking about these brass ones [www.mudhole.com]

Bill - willierods.com

COOL ! Bill, You just (partially) solved another guide mystery that I have.
I have some of those BLG type guides, which I didn't know the maker/(model).
You don't know where some of the "gold frame" of that design are do you?
Or, the model # of the gold ones?
Mudhole is only listing chrome or black chrome.
Thanks, Daryl
(edit) Oops, I forgot I was on such an old post.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 03/07/2011 11:01PM by Daryl Norvell.

EDIT. I made a rod with a 40mm recoil stripping guide down to a 10mm for a comercial gator hunter. A month of hard action and still fine. I actually hung 22lb of dead weight from a single 20mm recoil guide for 2 days in a few different angles... i bent them every way i could (many many many times), steped on them beat them etc. under wrap and double locking overwraps. GOOD TO GO!