I am in the process of building a 8' 2wt. 2piece fly rod for a friend that has been using mine for the past year. Have heard a lot about the Fugi KWAG stripper guides and thought I would try them on this rod. They really do look nice and I do like ceramics for strippers but I can notice the difference in weight between them and the Minama 4's and that is without a scale! I also realize that they are located on the butt section where weight is not as important but still would like to keep it at a minimum. My question is how good are the Minama stripper guides because I have never seen anything posted about them? Thanks in advance.

Good in what regard? They do everything that needs to be done as far as I can tell.

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In my limited experience, two rods, they are great. Not sure about weight comparisons to other guides, but they are pretty light.

I have seen posts on the minama's as running guides but it seems that a lot of people here like to use other guides for strippers and tip-tops. That is my concern Tom?

I still don't know what advantage you'd get from a ceramic stripping guide in this application. By the same token, any weight advantage in that particular location would be negligible.

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Thanks Adam I also have them on one rod and like them also but don't know about the long run and as I stated to Tom I am curious why some people here are changing when it comes to strippers?

I would use a casting guide that has some color in the ring A ceramic ring Like Pac Bay
give the rod some class

And single foot wire

Bill - willierods.com



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 10/09/2012 08:52PM by bill boettcher.

Tom I guess I am just old school on ceramics as strippers. Took a long time to get to single foot guides and only one stripper on a rod over a 5wt.!!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/09/2012 08:56PM by Don Lukehart.

I agree Bill it gives it a little more class. Well put!

In reality, you can only have one stripping guide anyway - the butt guide on a fly rod is the one and only stripping guide. Remember, the line doesn't care one way or the other how many feet a guide has. I know it takes some getting used to, but once you view the guide system the way the line does, you open up a lot more possibilities as to what can be done.

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That as one of the many things that I have learned from this site but I think the most important is to obtain a rifle effect in the guides as soon as possible.

You are talking about a 2 wt. rod. I would go Minima 4 guides for the whole build. I am building a 5 wt. rod and using the Minima 4 guides. I am planning a 7 wt. build, and once again, it will be Minima 4 guides. I am a new convert to the Minima 4 guides, but I really think that you would have to be over fishing a rod to cause a problem with these guides. When I say over fishing, I mean trying to land a large fish on a small rod. I know it can be done (I have done it), but I was young and dumb, and didn't think about the abuse I was putting the rod through, not to mention the abuse of the fish. I don't think you will have any concern with using these guides on your 2 wt. build.

Mike Bradfrod
R.M.B. Fishing Rods
Nampa, Idaho

The stripper is up to you
I like a little color in the ring Even a Agate

If the Minima's weigh less then single foots fine
It is a 2 wt and should have the lest weight as possible on it

Bill - willierods.com

Thanks Mike. Like I said this rod is rated as a 2wt. but really throws a 3wt. line better for the streams here in Pa. I agree also about the minama's all the way but my buddy likes recoils. And you can't go wrong with them either.

He may here some singing from the recoils

Bill - willierods.com

Bill IMHO I have only run into that in heavier weight rods.

Mike what size (style) Minima 4 you use on your build ?

I found T style for stripper in size 8 is fine, but for running style F in size 5 seems big and size 4 seems a little on thé down side.

Eric:

I went Minima T strippers in size 12 and 8. Since I was using the black frame with chrome insert, I used the Minima F in size 6, and a Minima P size 6 tip top. I am with you in that I thought that the size 4 F guides looked a little small. I would have gone with the size 5 guides if they had a size 5 tip top in black and chrome Minima 4. I have since talked to Pac Bay, and was told that the Minima F guide in size 4 would pass a 10 wt. line with nail knot without any problems. I was also told that they had given the go ahead to production Minima tip tops in size 5. Since this was my rod, I didn't have a problem using the larger guides. I think that if I was doing the rod now, I would have done it with the size 5 F guides, and used a black loop style tip top. I would leave the tip top unwrapped and then replaced the tip top with the Minima 4 size 5 tip top when it became available. I am seriousely thinking about redoing the running guides on this rod.

Mike Bradfrod
R.M.B. Fishing Rods
Nampa, Idaho

Thanks Mike.

I've used size 4 Minima's on 5/6 wt flyrods. A size 4 Minima would be at home on a rod throwing a 3 wt line. I like to "one up" the tip top - in order to get a little more easy of a knot pass through this initial (often) steep angled transition. I'd go with a size 5 Minima F guide. Just wind on the tip top rather than using a tubed, metal sleeve as a tip top - particularly since a blank that delicate doesn't mind. I'd bet that "2 wt" blank has a thinner diameter than a 4/64th sleeve anyway. Wrapping a guide on for a tip top is becomming more common for custom fly rods for many a good reason. Also, I don't understand the so called "logic" in "old school" that uses Ceramic ring stripping guides, and then transitioning to a piece of twisted wire? Makes no sense. I'd use the same guide material throughout.