Hi guys
Looking to do a 8' catfish rod, The client wants it acid wrapped.
Just wondering what angles the eyes should be? and if the spine should be on the tip eye or the stripper guide?
Thanks for any input
Andi

Ignore the spine, the lever arm effect of the guides overwhelms the effect of the spine. Build it so the blank is straightest in the fishing position.

The stripper guide height is chosen taking into account the height of the line coming off the reel, and the size and placement of the front grip. The guide needs to keep the line off the hand. The next guides bring the line under the rod, this can be one to three more guides. They should be placed so that when the rod is fully loaded, the line is touching (and bending) the line. If it's not bending the line, it's not doing anything and is unnecessary.

The remaining guides are spaced to provide proper stress distribution. Depending on your application, you may be able to use one 16/20 stripper guide and the same size runner guides for all the rest of the guides.

If you will cast with this rod, as compared to a trolling rod, then try some test casting as part of the guide location and adjustment.

Consider proper line stacking on the reels with a level wind. Make sure the line will stack correctly when more than the maximum amount of line you expect to use is pulled out and retrieved. You may have to adjust stripper guide angle to correct a problem. I would check this first as an angle change of the stripper will effect the placement of the next guide(s).

Andi,

When I do a spiral wrap, I spiral around the blank in the opposite direction of the reel crank handle. I place the choker guide with the inside edge of the ring, in the direction of the spiral wrap, on the zero line of the blank. If that make sense to you. In other words: if I am spiraling the wrap to the right I place the stripper guide +/- 5 degrees to the left. This way the line will not stack on the reel spool, which is likely to happen with heavier sinker weights used when cat fishing. I then use two transition guides placing then at 60, 120, and then 180 degrees. The transition guides are place temporarily on the blank and a reel is placed on the rod and a line strung through the transition guides. I then "eye balled" the guides and line to see if there is smooth transition around to the bottom of the blank making sure the line does not touch the blank. If I don't like how the line looks I adjust the position of the transition guides along the blank, keeping then pretty much at 60 and 120 degrees. This method has worked great for me. Spiral wrap rods, according to my casting results, cast further than conventional wrapped rods, and you may get away with one less guide in the tip area making them more sensitive.

If you don't have one, you can download a degree wheel on the Acid Rods website with directions on building a pointer for the degree well. It works great. I personally prefer spiral wraps; but some of my clients can't "get their head around it"!

'Hope this is helpful.

Don Campbell
don@sensorfishingrods.com