I ordered a set of the BLCAG small ring guides and nearly fell over when i saw the ring size. They are supposed to work better than larger diameter guides so i am after some oppinions on their performance before i commence building, Its a 7 guided 10' 2pc light steelhead blank form MHX.

I understand the concept of laying them out/spacing etc, have read up on them as well. If they were not the request of the buyer i would have probebly chosen diff guides. They do look tops on the blank though and are very minimalist.

Thanks



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/04/2011 07:21AM by Dean Rounsley.

The proper sized guides will work best, and the proper size for any rod depends on several factors.

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Thats a pretty broad statement Tom, ill include more info if that helps

They are marketed as light surf, does that mean they are not light surf? The blank casts 6-12lb and weights from 3/8-3/4. He is wanting to use 8lb and cast small metal slugs from it. The reading i did on the guide concept basically bamboozled me and i have come away thinking that the smaller diameter is ok if lined up properly on the blank. Am i right in assuming this? They are not the norm if i was to build a rod for myself. The stripper is about 5mm smaller than i would usually use this is why i am asking the question. It will be using a 20J 16J 12J 10J 8J 6J 5J TT

thanks

Dean, read the article again. The stripper guide is sized in accrodance with the reel spool diameter. That also dictates the location of the choker guide. Pick chocker guide size based on biggest knot you need to pass. If it only needs to pass 8# mono you can go as small as you want. I find the size 6 alconites a breeze to wrap but the size 4 is a pain for me.

I'd be looking to use 10 to 11 guides on a 10' fast action blank.

Russ in Hollywood, FL.

Right, just saying it's "light surf" doesn't really tell you much.

The guide type and sizes should be based on several factors, which include but are not limited to:

1. Reel spool diameter

2. Line diameter

3. Line Type (mono, braid, etc.)

Remember, the guides deal with the reel and the line, not the blank.

If you read the article ( [www.rodbuilding.org] ) then you know you don't need all those different sized guides. Just 3 or perhaps 4 different sizes (butt guide, 2 or 3 intermediate guides, and then the choker/running guides) will be all you need.

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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/04/2011 09:11AM by Tom Kirkman.

IMO the layout may improve with more attention to the HEIGHT of the reduction guides rather than the ring size. If nothing else, the micro gurus are establishing the fact that small ring strippers work at least as well as larger rings and sometimes even better. But, you can't get around the height issue.

Good catch Jim. Assuming a spinning reel the first few guides need to be Y frames.

Russ in Hollywood, FL.

Russell Brunt Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Dean, read the article again. The stripper guide
> is sized in accrodance with the reel spool
> diameter. That also dictates the location of the
> choker guide. Pick chocker guide size based on
> biggest knot you need to pass. If it only needs
> to pass 8# mono you can go as small as you want.
> I find the size 6 alconites a breeze to wrap but
> the size 4 is a pain for me.
>
> I'd be looking to use 10 to 11 guides on a 10'
> fast action blank.

It will never cast wind on leaders so no nots through the guides.
Took it down the park this morning and ran a few reels on it, mmmmm its diferant, cast bloody well with 8lb braid on a 3000 but nowhere near the same distance with 8lb nylon. It really liked 6lb nylon which would be my choice of line. There was some blank slapping so more guides will be needed

Ill keep reading before i attach any of the guides and thanks for all the imput guys. Maybe i should have stuck with a guide i know but how will i learn without experimentation.

I'm kinda interested in this method.. No; I haven't quit spiral wrapped rods.

I have one stoopid question:??? Has anyone done a rod which uses a conventional reel? Does the reel spool diameter work with a 27X to locate the choke guide? C2

There wouldn't be a choke guide with a conventional reel.

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Dean, post the diameter of the reel's spool and we can help. Ideally the rod should be built for a particular reel. If you plan to use a few reels state the spool diameter of the biggest one.

Above you stated, "It will be using a (BLCAG) 20J 16J 12J 10J 8J 6J 5J TT ". That isn't anything close to what most here would advise. A 3000 sized reel seems a little big to me for 6# mono but maybe you need the line capacity and don't like braid? Regardless I'd be looking at something more like BYAG-25J, BYAG-16J, BYAG-8JL, and then eight BLAG-4J.

The guides you picked are a low frame and you need a higher frame for the first few guides. Plus on a spinning rod that light I see no need for a double foot guides. Save them for a surf rod that will fish 30# and heave a few ounces with a convential reel.

Russ in Hollywood, FL.

OK, after an exhaustive phone call to the fellow who wants this rod built i have found out several things.

Spool Diam: 47.4mm or 1.86" This is the reel that will be used on the rod he has interchangeable spools of 6-10lb mono and braid. Its for chasing fish to 6kg so yes line capacity is an issue as is casting distance.

I think i am flogging a dead hoarse as i have passed on the concernes raised in this thread and including using single foot guides for weight reduction but he is adament he wants those guides(a mate has them and they are cool??)

If i knew there was going to be such issues i would not have let him order all the components and done it myself.

cheers

Can you imagine if you went into a restaurant, carrying your own raw meat and vegetables, and told the chef you wanted him to cook it for you? I think we all know what his/her answer would be.

At some point you have to decide where you want to be in this business. As someone that built rods for sale for some 20 years, I never once allowed the customer to tell me what blank or components to use. I asked them what they wanted to do and I selected the blank and components that I knew would do the best job for them.

However, there are fishermen who wish to dictate what they want on their rods and there are more than a few rod builders who are happy to oblige. It just depends on the course you wish to take your business and what you feel is best.

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Sound advice Tom, thankyou. I think in future i will be taking your road and doing all the ground work myself. Atleast then i will have components i know how to use and less frig around. This rod should have been wraped already and back to the customer instead of wasting the forum members time on answers that are falling on deaf ears. Im sory for the mess around guys but i have filed all the responses away for future referance and i apreciate the time you all took to help. It looks like it will have to be built reguardless of the problems i have found and others that have been raised by forum members.

Thanks again

Dean

My choice of guides for that rod would be the Fuji K series however if the customers insists on Lowriders you might check out the Rovex Egi Wrangler rod to get some idea of how to proceed,it seems to have similar specs and guides'it sound like an interesting build,

You've hit the nail on the head with that one, we have a Daiwa over here that looks exactly the same which is what i will be using a referance on the build. I assume the Daiwa is where the idea came from concidering he baught all the same guides and components to match it. I only found the rod i will be cloning thisafternoon when i walked into the local tackle store.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/06/2011 01:42PM by Dean Rounsley.

Hey Dean, don't consider it wasting our time. Instead, why don't you take what you learned and build one for yourself? Once a customer can actually try it they might change their mind. It is a nice and easy way to lay out a spinning rod and it works. You save money on the guide train too by using smaller guides. The lighter the build the more pronuced the difference is.

From what I hear (from others in your area) I think a light steelhead hot shot rod would work great. The tip is light enough to cast for bream and have fun with them. By the same token the butt is strong enough to handle mackeral in open water (a wonderful light pelagic rod). Try something like the HS9000 or HS9001 (maybe in 2 piece?). Try a carbon tube handle, aero reel seat, and pac bay minima 4 guides. You would use their M (match) guides for the first 2 or 3 guides then their model F (fly rod) guides for the rest. Nothing wrong with alconites but the minima's weigh the least (but sing with braid). Pair it up with a 2500 reel (stradic's are on closeout here) with light braid. I can get almost 300 yards of 5# power pro which tests out near 8kg. I put a little mono on the end, anything from 4# to 12# depending. I can cast a uni to uni knot through a size 4 guide. If you want something more powerful look at HS1023, or HS1025 but be advised listed lure weight is for trolling, not casting.

I mentioned the difference is more noticable on a light build. There is one other place though. If you are willing to try a spiral wrap you can easily fish 30# (or more) with little fly rod guides on the bottom and the difference is huge. Again something other builders might not offer. People with think it looks weird, but once you try it you will be sold. I like the american tackle ring locks here. Between no underwraps and a single foot you save a lot of time on the build. Use a low frame double foot on top and single foot fly rod guides on the bottom. Size 10 will generally pass shock leader knots and 6's are fine otherwise.

Russ in Hollywood, FL.