New to this forum; what I've read has been great so far.

I'm going to build a Winston BIIIx 9' 8wt for my brother. I want to use AmTack's high-profile ceramic guides for the stripper & next two guides. Is there anywhere I can get info on guide height (base to center of ring or top of ring) so that my guides don't suddenly go down at a big angle with the regular guides toward the tip? ANY help on this would be appreciated. I've never used the high profile guides, but I like the better angle coming off the reel down the rod & would like to try it.

Thanks... & glad to be part of the forum.


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Give a man a fish & he'll eat for a day. Teach a man to fish & he may never be home in time for supper again.

Give a man a fish and he'll eat for a day. Teach a man to fish and he may never be home in time for dinner again!

Hello Patrick,
Mudhole or any of the other sponsors that sell that guide can probably give you the specs. I will say that you probably don't need to be too concerned about the sudden angle change. In fact, it is desirable to get down to the smallest guide size as quickly as possible. As an example: sz 16 stripper, sz 12, sz 8, then sz 6 single foot ceramics for all the running guides. Personally, I would likely lose one of the intermediate guides, and maybe go with sz 16, sz 10, then my runners. The best way to know for sure what works best, is to order several different size guides, tape 'em on, and go test cast. Ceramic guides are not the lightest option available, if that matters to you.

George Forster
Fort Collins, CO



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/05/2011 11:02PM by George Forster.

Thanks for the input. I was thinking of 16-12-8, then 6's on out also; but 16-10-10 is good, too. I'll definately test both. As far as the weight... I've been reading the pertinent posts on this site about ceramic vs non-ceramic guides. If you look at the placement of the guides & the SMALL difference in weight on out to the tip, the difference in the moment of inertia at full load would be well less than 30 grams (one ounce) and would move the balance point, at most, a couple of millimeters. I don't have any experience casting a fly rod with all ceramic guides all day, but I can't imagine it could make a noticeable difference in either casting response or fatigue. I'm going with ceramics

And let's be honest, it's for my brother... If it makes him cast funny & gets him more fatigued by the end of the day, I can ride him about his poor technique & how out of shape he's gotten! And then I won't make one for ME like that!

Patrick
I have been using ceramics for years and really like them. The weight difference is so minute I don't think you can tell the difference even after a full day of casting.
My 8 wt I went 12-8 and 6's on out. If your wanting a 16 for the stripper I would just go 16-12 or 16-10 then 6's on out. You could actually go from the 16 to the 6's but it might look better with the 10 or 12for transition. Buy the extra guides and tape it up see which looks best to you. Remember this is a custom rod and the only person you have to please is yourself. Your brother will just be happy to have a new rod.