I just received the RodMaker issue with the concept guide setup (good article by the way...). and it stresses test casting for the optimum setup. combining the info from this article and Tom K's book, I would like to test cast the guide placement in relation to the spine. I've read about the benefits for each, but i'd like to see if I can experience it myself.

so here's my questions....

To test cast the guide placement on the spine, do people just tape on the reel seat and tip top? If I test cast for guide on or opposite spine.... should I just use the guide spacing from the manufacturer?

After deciding on spine/guide relationship, next comes the guide setup. I set up the choke guide, and the guides from choke to tip top (based on static deflection). then place the butt guide (arbitrarily?).... do I just assume a starting ring size (I bought each size from 30 to 8 in the alconite concept guides). Say I start with ring size 20 as the butt.... should I size the guides down to the choke based on the ring size of the butt so they step down nicely? Do people ever test cast without butt to choke guides?

Ok... now I have a rod to test cast, I move the butt guide an inch up, and inch down, recording the results. if I move the butt guide, what happens to the other guides to the choke guide? do people just leave them where they are no matter where they put the butt guide? If I try to resize the butt guide, do i resize the other guides to the choke guide to have a more appropriate gradual drop?

I'm just curious how other people go about finding their best guide placement/sizes from the butt guide to the choke guide. This is a SCIII 66MLF blank, and I've sort of settled on size 6 for choke to tiptop (mainly because that's what I was recommended to buy for this rod size... and I only bought 2 size 7's and only the size 6 tip top). I bought a 1/4 oz lure to do the test casting with (it's right in the middle of the 1/8-3/8 lure weight for the rod... thought it'll be a good weight to build around).

Any suggestions about how you perform your test casting? Thanks.

If you intend to cast on different rod axis's, then you'll just have to tape up your handle so you can shift it from one side to the other.

Guide placement and sizing for the New Guide Concept should be done so that it provides that straight line path mentioned in the article. Then, go out and cast the rod. Move the butt guide around a little and see if you can improve it. Come back in and try a larger, or smaller butt guide and then go back out and repeat your tests. Once you've arrived at the best set-up, swap everything to the other side and try your casting on the opposite axis and see what you think.

The one thing that I have noticed about the New Guide Concept system as I have presented it in the article, is that once you set it up correctly, you'll find that very little actually tweaking through test casting needs to be done. I usually find that my spacing is about as good as I could expect right off the set-up table. The one thing I will do, however, is play with different sizes of running guides and such, just to see if going smaller or larger will add or detract anything from the cast.

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