That would certainly do it, but not necessarily enough to really bother your spacing to any degree that is going to really foul anything up. However, it's a good point worth remembering.

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Jim how,if you have your rod at 45deg. do you know when your 90deg. to the butt with the tip?Do you just look at it and when its close and some bend in the lower third call it good or do you measure some way?If I have it horizontal,I can tell if its pointing straight down.Probably a dumb question but I dont know is why Im asking. Thanks

Bruce keep in mind that if it is horizontal it can never bend more than 90 degrees no matter how much you load it. When set at 45 degrees it makes it a little easier to judge when you are getting into the danger zone. I set my holder a little less but I'm in complete agreement with Jim. In a real situation, between gunnel and rail height, it is hard not to go past horizontal. For me it simulates actual fishing conditions better.

Russ in Hollywood, FL.

I have to admit it's an "eyeball" thing but it's very easy to visualize a right angle above the rod and then skooch the weight and adjust the slack until all looks right. I suppose that sounds a little unscientific for some builders, but as I mentioned, we look for a RANGE of performance. If we set up at 42-degrees or 49-degrees it's won't make a smidgen of difference in how the rod performs under load IMO. What we need to hang onto is the fact that even a bad static load set up is better than progressively spaced guides that pay absolutely no attention to rod characteristics.

Russ makes a very good point. In the "forever 90" horizontal set up you get 90-degrees no matter what. With a weight on the floor I can quickly check any bend I want by simply moving the weight.

I suppose it's a good thing they call this "custom" rod building!

JIm, could you be presauded to discuss some of the "signs" that you are reaching the upper limit of the blank? I suppose I should try and ask more but I feel weird emailing a company and asking how much weight I can hang off their blank. Sometimes I have things that cost a little too much to risk breaking:)

For me I start noticing where a little more weight starts to stop making any change in the bend. I also pay attention to what I hear. Hard to explain but a little like "creaking timbers" and knowing it's getting stressed.

Russ in Hollywood, FL.

Lot's of people here more qualified than me for such a discussion, Russ. You're concerned with an angler standing at a rail in hundreds of feet of water...the "Big Pull". I seldom take a rod to the brink of destruction. All my load testing is done for guide placement although bending into the lower third is a pretty hefty pull. I don't envy you having to consider that on the rods you build. Where I stop bending you need to keep going...scary. Thinking about it for the sake of discussion you might create a 1/4 rule for yourself. Where I would try to bend into the lower 1/3 (which would be around 28 inches from the butt of a 7 ft rod) you might want to get your bend into the lower 1/4 (which would be around 21 inches on a 7 foot rod). 6 more inches on a big rod might take a whopping amount of weight, I don't know, but somewhere in there you might be able to establish a formula without having to make your blanks "creak". Test my idea on some of your best blanks and let me know how it goes;)

So,if I start with my rod horizontal ,and tie to a movable weight on the floor,and flex to 90deg. to the butt,with a little bend in the lower 1/3,tie it off and place my guides where they need to be,I could then untie and move my rod up to 45deg. or whatever,scoot my weight out ,retie to my weight and put more or less 90 deg bend to the butt,with a little bend in the lower 1/3 and readjust my guides if needed and have a pretty well placed guidetrain that would take into account ,at least to more extent,more of the positions seen when actually fishing.Am I on the right track? Sorry to have hijacked this thread but I try not to let people that know get away easy.lol Thanks

Choose one Bruce. Either will work and both will give the same results. 45 might help your "fight position imagination" a little more and let you change bends easily if you want to test slightly different angles. Horizontal will guarantee true 90 degrees regardless of load (provided you keep the weight off the floor). As with all things in rod building, we've reached the personal preference point!