Building a 9' 8wt fly rod, pretty fast action. Question: single-foot or double-foot guides? Uses mostly for large pike, tiger muskie, and large mouth. maybe big browns

thanks,
Cam

Everyone will have a different opinion on that...... I prefer the single foot wire guides on all my personal fly builds. I don't like the idea of the foot toward the tip digging into the blank when it is flexed.... It would be like putting casting guides on a spinning rod.....My humble two cents.

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Super Tight Lines......Don

Hm... I get your idea, what about a compromise? Doubles on the lower end, singles on the upper & tip? I don't know, just thinking. How's that sound? Unnecessary?

Thanks for your input,
Cam

Typically on a nine foot I run two double foot stripping guides and single foot wire guides to the tip... Also the weight savings on the single foot is half since the amount of thread and finish is half.

______________________________________
Super Tight Lines......Don



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/02/2013 09:17PM by Don Morse.

I like double foot on eight weight or more. If you're concerned about weight; Recoil heavy duty snakes guides. But I would use single foot if only an integrated line without sink tip loop to loops will be used. I just don't like the way the connections get hung up on the single foot guides.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/02/2013 09:20PM by Greg Foy.

Cam,
Up until I started building rods for a well know fly fishing celebrity - just about 9 months ago - all of my rods were built with REC s/f recoils to save weight.

This gentleman is convinced that snakes provide for better shooting. So does senior Sage designer - Jerry Siem,

I do know that snakes, size-for-size, have 15-18% more clearance due to the "side-door" effect.

So I have begun to install snakes on selective rods as an experiment.

I can't honestly that I can see any difference.

Flip a coin.
Regards,
Herb

minima guides. you should be able to use size 5 and maybe 4 depending on your knots. you can use double foots for the first two, but not necessary.

I recently stripped the size 8 single foot wire guides from my 8wt and replaced with double footed snakes because they significantly impacted performance using loop to loop connections. Works a lot better now even though both guides have the same diameter profile when looking down the rod.

On a rod throwing an 8 wt line, I would generally use Minima's with size 6 runners. I don't usually employ loop to loop connections in my terminal tackle, so there is usually no hanging up experienced. I've built rods on identical blanks with almost identical handles, and reel seats in which one rod has minimas, the other, snake brand snakes. The balance point on the rod with snakes is about 3/4" further towards the tip than the rod with minimas. I don't understand how these big box companies put so much effort into employing lighter weight blanks and lighter weight reel seats, only to use the same old performance robbing pieces of twisted wire that only add unnecessary weight in the tip of the rod. I have never found that rods with snakes guides "shoot" any better than rods with single foot guides. The only place where I've experienced a performance improvement of snakes over single foots is in extremely cold weather ice-up conditions, and even then it's only a marginal gain in performance.

Thanks to all for the input.

I'll probably use doubles on like the first two and singles as the rest of the runners. I really don't see the point of doubles, and I couldn't imagine it would really cause any significant performance change other than weight reduction, but whatever. Also, for those that asked or mentioned, I don't use loop/loop connections. I prefer blood knots or something else, so that's not an issue.

Cam

Either single foots or snakes, like Herb said, flip a coin. Really the most important thing here is to use the smallest size guide that your connections will pass thru and the least amount of changes in guide size. For example, Size 12 Stripper, followed by a size 10 of the same style as the stripper, then on to #3 Snakes all the way out. Very straight line path is the object.

I have done several 8wt's like this, using both single foots and snakes, I don't see a difference in the two.

Cam,
I generally use snakes for the lower and mid rod areas and switch to single foot for the tip.
For an 8 weight I use a #2 single foot light wire titanium at the tip.
The guides transition in size as I approach the butt end of the rod.
Stiffer section stronger and larger guide.
Some say you can't tell the difference, but my customers say otherwise and expect it on my builds.

Went with 16, 12 fuji feet for strippers then Snake Brand snake guides 6,5,5,4,4,3,3,3,3 + tip. I wanted to try snake brand. Heard a lot about them. Now to do cork or eva foam handle. The guides are black nickel and my thread will be trimmed lightly with gold so I think the eva would look better.

You don't need all those different sizes. The line doesn't need nor want them. The line path will actually be straighter and the rod lighter, if you kick out all those unnecessary sizes.

Throw out the 6's, 5's and 4's and just go right on to the 3's all the way out. You'll have a better rod.

[www.rodbuilding.org]

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I would go minamas single foot One foot one thread wrap less weight

Bill - willierods.com