First, let me preface this post by saying that I realize this may not be ideal, or even a good idea, I just want to know if it will work well enough to try the idea out. OK. So, I have a relatively inexpensive 2 piece casting rod that I would like to try an acid wrap on. What I was thinking was to strip the second and third guides (away from the reel) off, reorient the tip-half of the rod 180*, then re-wrap the second and third guides to transition the line from the top of the rod to the bottom. How much of an effect will the rotation of the tip-half of the rod have on it's action (assuming the spine was correctly oriented)? It's a MH - medium action rod so it bends a good ways down the blank as it is. I don't know that I would be able to tell a difference in that respect (maybe if I would do more fishing and less tinkering...) Aside from being careful and not damaging the blank while I'm removing the guides, is there anything I should watch out for? I should be able to get the line onto the underside of the rod with just those two transition guides, right? Should I keep the two transition guides lined up so the point straight down the length of the rod or should I angle them to mimic the angle of the line as it crosses onto the underside of the rod? Spacing for those two guides should remain the same, correct? Thanks in advance and for having a little patience for my potentially foolish endeavor!

Forget anything about the spine, it doesn't come into play. Try the simple spiral, turn the second guide on the butt section 180 degrees and add a guide, #8, 1/2 way between the butt guide and the newly turned 2nd guide on the butt section at 90 degrees from the butt guide. Orient the top half so the guides are on the bottom and your done. You don't need any transitions guides, the guide after the butt guide is simple to keep the line from touching the blank.

Don't over think it!
Just add a guide at 90 degrees to the stripper/butt guide, at the point where the line crosses the blank.
This will be roughly halfway between the two guides you already have, but the line will show you where.
Turn the tip section 180 and you are good to go.
If you want to try it without adding an extra guide, just as a test, you can just turn the tip 180 and go fishing.
Yes, you will lose a little performance but not enough to spoil the test.
The guide you add will be on the same side as your reel handle and inline with the blank, not angled in any way.

Thanks for the input guys, I really appreciate it! I think there is only the stripper guide on the butt end so am I best to rotate the top end and see where the line crosses the blank then just add a #8 guide there...? Should I rough up the existing finish on the rod to ensure the resin sticks?

Adam,

First of all, forget about the spine, that's so 1980.

Turn your tip section 180 and compare the straightness looking down the blank. If it looks at least as straight as when the guides are up, then next compare the tip sag with the rod in, for example, a rod holder. if there isn't a big droop or sag to the tip section with the guides in this orientation, you are good to go.

I service mostly a large charter fleet. Most can't afford to deck out their boats with 20-30 custom rods, but some do understand the benefits of the spiral wraps, so I do some simple conversions of factory rods to spiral, just like you describe. I strip the second guide, and re-wrap it in its original location at 90 degrees with the tip section oriented at 180. On shorter rods the second guide is usually on the tip section, on longer rods it's on the butt; either way doesn't matter, both work better than factory rods when fighting large predator fish. The rod and reel are much more stable in the hand with this construction.

Since you are building this for yourself, you could take the extra time to finesse the the first 2-4 guide location(s), but it's something I don't bother with in this particular scenario. If I were to reposition 2-4 factory guide locations the time and cost vs rod value just doesn't make sense from a business standpoint for my captains. Depending on the factory rod wrap to be matched, I usually charge $10-12 for each rod conversion and each rod is finish ready in about 15 minutes time.

Adam Lancia Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Thanks for the input guys, I really appreciate it!
> I think there is only the stripper guide on the
> butt end so am I best to rotate the top end and
> see where the line crosses the blank then just add
> a #8 guide there...? Should I rough up the
> existing finish on the rod to ensure the resin
> sticks?


The simple answer is yes.
Add a #8 where the line crosses the blank. No need to rough-up.
If you like the spiral, and I think you will, next time you can get fancier...grin.

John, I'll check the straightness and sag once I get a chance. What would a sag or droop indicate?

Garry, sounds pretty easy to me. Would a single foot guide suffice or should I use a double foot guide?

Ray, I was hoping you'd say that ;)

Adam,

From the standpoint of fishing a rod in hand, if rotating the tip section caused a lot of droop or sag, you might be better off treating this as a full redo by stripping all the guides and re-wrapping them on the straightest axis that better supports the weight of the guides.

Ok, I understand John, thanks for the clarification. Fingers crossed that the top end is still stiff enough to support the guides. Any recommendation on wrap? I have a bass pro near by but haven't checked what kind of rod building supplies they have. Should I go with a single foot or double foot guide?

Adam,

It's likely that you wont have to do a total re-wrap, just putting it out there as an option to keep in mind.

That's what I'm anticipating as well, the top end is still pretty stout.

I did this exact same thing with my first spiral wrap. It was a 78 inch, med-heavy blank built from a Pac-Bay kit.
When the rod was wrapped, I didn't epoxy the bumper guide, so that if I didn't like it, I could just cut it off.
My bumpers have always been double foot guides, but a single foot with a lock wrap might do...

Since I'm not at home right now, I don't have the rod I own in front of me. I did, however, duck into a store that has my rod/reel in stock and took a few measurements. I rotated the top section 180* and there was no sign of sag or droop so the rod I have at home should be fine.

First off, the first guide is 23 1/4" from the face of the line guide on the reel. This is a little far away, no?

Second, the bottom of the first guide (inside diameter, where the line would touch) is 7mm above the blank. Looking at higher end rods with micro guides, would it be to my advantage to move that first guide closer to the reel and then add a smaller guide in the butt section before I add the bumper guide (which will just barely end up on the top section)...? There is currently 9" between the first and second guides. The inside diameter of the first guide is 9mm, the second is 7mm, the third is 5.5, the next 3 are 5mm, the last two are 4mm then there's the tip.

I'm also thinking that if I do end up moving the first guide closer to the reel, I might see how the line lays on the spool, just to be sure I don't get it loading up to one side. IfI do end up adding a second guide to the butt section, how important is the guide height? The butt isn't going to flex so the guide won't have to hold the line too far away from the blank (I'm assuming). Could I then use a guide with a lower frame height in order to get the line closer to the bank and, therefore, allow a smoother transition through the bumper guide...?

I would like to go out and get some guides and everything else I will need for this project. If it goes well, I'm going to do this to my other casting rod too. Thanks in advance guys!

One last question: I use braid on this rod but I'm not sure what kind of guides it has on it. It's by no means a high end rod so woud I be better off (cost-wise) going with a less expensive guide, or would I be better off going with something in the middle of the price range? I don't get out a ton so I don't think I would wear through the guide material anytime soon. Would BKWAG's in a size 6 be a good call? Or maybe the BLNAG's in a 6? Thanks again! :D