Hi Gents,
I'm in the middle of building a new 10ft overhead beach rod. Seeing as the only knot to go through the guides is a bimini twist I decided to go with size 4 micros. The biggest guide will be an 8 single footer. Got the guides taped on for some testing and does it look odd with all those small guides. I've got a few others with 6's and I can handle the look of those. I know all about using the lightest and smallest guides and the thing will probably perform well but combined with a spiral wrap it's going to be hard to get used to the look . I'm probably going to get a few strange looks on the beach which doesn't bother me in the slightest. Must have spent too much time looking at factory rods which usually have far too big a guide train for overhead set ups. Probably will have a bit of explaining to do on the benefits of the set up and a lot of guys will think I'm talking hogwash. I know better but it's certainly going to look weird!!! Just as well I've got big bumble fingers or I might have been tempted to go with smaller guides.

ESFNEM Col
Port Kembla, NSW
Australia

Hi Col

Dont worry about the weird looks if it works just do it.Sounds like you have got the guides you were waiting on.I am still getting
my head around spiral wraps let alone on surf rods.Will have to come around and check it out.Be interested to see how it casts.

Ray Balmforth
Figtree
NSW
Australia

Hi Ray,
Still waiting on the Kigans to get released but using some other size 4's I've got so I can get a head start on guides positioning. I know looks have got nothing to do with performance and I'm going to do it, just will take some getting used to.

ESFNEM Col
Port Kembla, NSW
Australia

Hello Col

I never even thought of using such a small guide for an beach rod.
Will it be able to handle a medium sized shark should he decide to eat your bait and you have too crank down on him to keep from spooling you?

I usually don't go smaller than a size six on a beach rod although I do use three's (I got short stubs too.)on my medium salt boat rods.

Well Col let us know how they handle the larger type fish on your beach!

Tight Lines.

Bob,

New Bern, NC.

Hi Bob,
It's only going to be using 10lb braid and will target the smaller tasty beach species we have. However that doesn't stop a Jewie, or Mullaway, from eating a beach worm as they are partial to them and they can get to 80lb. That will certainly test everything out if I'm lucky enough to hook one. Never had a shark eat a beach worm to date but there's always a first time. Just using a fluoro trace so if one does get on it will probably bite me off. Even a large Aussie Salmon, 8lb+, will give it a good test and there's plenty of them about. No live baits for this rod!!

ESFNEM Col
Port Kembla, NSW
Australia

Col -
The guides will not be a problem if the knot will pass through. Yes, there will be more of them than you're used to seeing (guessing 14 or so but don't know what blank you're using / flex etc.) - although not as many as if you were wrapping this as a spinner. The only cautionary advice I'd leave you with about the rod is to put "stopping wraps" in front of any single foot guides and use a locking wrap (Forhan or other) when fastening them to the blank. Since you'll be doing a lot of casting you also might like to consider heavier lb test braid. After a month or so of use the braid I've used becomes very limp and tends to put wind knots in the line if it's allowed to go slack AND I've had it dig under line or become "sticky" on the spool when retrieved with weight (hopefully a nice fish) on the end. On subsequent casts the line is buried under line on the spool and seriously hinders distance. Even doubling up the line test will not hurt your casting distance,

If it wee mine, I would use the size 6 guides.
The weight of the rod is such that the % difference in weight by using the 6 compared to the 4 is negligible.
Then, if for any reason a different or larger knot or terminal tackle is used, and or if some particularly tough fish are encountered, the 6s will be more suitable for your use.

As Mr. Kirkman has said many times before - use the RIGHT guide for the particular application. The smallest guide is not necessarily the "Right" guide for a particular rod and or application.


But, it is your rod, so certainly build the rod in the way that suits you.

REW


Just out of curiosity.
Tape on a set of 4s on the rod in the places where you plan to tie them on. Check the balance point of the rod.
Tape on a set of 6s on the rod in the places where you plant to tie them on. Check the balance point of the rod.

The amount of balance change reflects the weight difference of the two different guide train sizes. I would be curious as to what you would find when you do this test.

G'Day Col I was just thinking that if a big Jewie cruising the gutter happens to be looking for a snack. I'll bet you will wish you had more thread wrapped around the guides, especially if it tries to drag you to New Zealand .

Regards Baz

Bundeena
NSW Australia

Hi Ken,
Thanks for the response. I've got nine guides plus the tip at the moment and the line is following the blank so well I might try and get rid of one. The guides will definitely get Forhan locks. IMHO 10lb braid is overkill for the species I will normally run into but it doesn't hurt to have a bit up your sleeve if something bigger comes along. I've got a spinning rod set up on a similar blank and it casts extremely well and is a joy to use. Too bad they don't make them anymore. It doesn't have any problem with wind knots and I cut about a yard off and re-tie everything every trip. The overhead is suseptable to the line burying in the spool but it is put on extra tight and I try to make sure I don't get any slack when winding in to check the bait. Still happens occasionally. I've got an overhead that is setup for 20lb braid for the beach and don't particularly want to go to that with this blank as it would be struggling to handle it.

Hi Roger,
Thanks for your response and you also bring up a good point. Won't be using a long trace with this setup so the only knot going through the guides will be a Bimini twist. The fours are a lot smaller than the sixes and should have a little less wind resistance but I think you would be struggling to notice the difference.
Will try some sixes and check the difference as they should make it a bit better balanced than the fours but I'm just about certain I'm going with the four's.
Micros haven't taken off in this country and I'm the only one I've seen using a rod with them on, Who knows might become a trendsetter (Ha Ha) but I'm definitely going to get some strange looks.

Hi Baz,
The lighter you fish the more chance that will happen. The reel drag will look after the bindings and I only go with 3 or 4 lbs drag on 10lb braid, although that might have to change if a good Jew turns up, I'm confident it will handle one up to 20lbs but you can't select the size fish you want to catch. Jews don't usually head for "The Ditch" off the beach but tend to go back and forth so I'm half a chance with a big one.

ESFNEM Col
Port Kembla, NSW
Australia

Happy fishing mate!

Hi Ken,
Thanks, always happy when I'm fishing or rodbuilding.Tad cool for fishing off the beach this time of year but I still do a fair bit of it during the winter. Just need to get the long johns, warm clothes and waders out. Will definitely be having a crack as soon as I get this one finished and will post something if I'm lucky enough to catch something decent on it.

ESFNEM Col
Port Kembla, NSW
Australia

Hi Col,

I chase jew on spin sticks with 6lb braid its just a matter of angling the fish instead of skull draging it.

I find i get heaps more jew when using 6lb braid and leader with a nipper on a light jig head. If you ever get up this way i'll take you out on the yaks some of the big ones drag you around but its great fun in the dark.

They are usually around the 80-100 cms and taste great. Season is from november to now as they are starting to drop off with the cold water.

Heavier line shows up a lot worse when there is fire in the water. I have also dropped all my beach rods down to 12-20 lb.


Cheers
Mark
Old Bar NSW

Hi Col,

I chase jew on spin sticks with 6lb braid its just a matter of angling the fish instead of skull draging it.

I find i get heaps more jew when using 6lb braid and leader with a nipper on a light jig head. If you ever get up this way i'll take you out on the yaks some of the big ones drag you around but its great fun in the dark.

They are usually around the 80-100 cms and taste great. Season is from november to now as they are starting to drop off with the cold water.

Heavier line shows up a lot worse when there is fire in the water. I have also dropped all my beach rods down to 12-20 lb.


Cheers
Mark
Old Bar NSW

Hi Mark,
I hope we can have a little gathering in your neck of the woods in the future, save you a drive and hopefully Baz and Ray can go as well. Would love to have a crack with you when that happens. My heaviest beach rod runs 20lb braid and I use that for live baits for Jew. Unfortunately they attrack a lot of sharks also and have nabbed a lot more of them than Jew. Got sick of getting bitten off all the time, seven times in one trip, so I use a short piece of wire which isn't good for the Jew but some of the small whalers around 20lb are very tasty and the bigger ones put up a great fight. Hooked a couple that were unstoppable on 20lb braid and luckily didn't loose the lot. The light spin rod that I use has stopped some good Salmon but no Jews as yet. Used to fish 5lb braid off that and it was good except for the fact that it didn't like a lot of casting with a 2 oz sinker so I upped it to 10lb and it still casts great and can stop a good fish.

ESFNEM Col
Port Kembla, NSW
Australia