Hello all, I recently purchased the special edition of rodmaker's magazine on guides. I understood the articles in there and came up with the following guide layout for my particular rod: using PAC bay minimas, #8 casting butt guide, #6 casting second guide, #3 fly guides to the tip. The bumper is a #6 Casting guide like my second guide.

My remaining questions are these: (1) is it necessary to use two reduction guides about two sizes apart or could I go from a #8 or #6 butt to #3 fly guides to the tip? (2) is it ok for the bumper to be the same size as the second reduction guide? (3) since the concensus around here seems to suggests the use of a double footed casting guide as a bumper and #6 is the smallest casting guide in the minima lineup, could one of you please recommend a small, low frame, double footed "bumper"?

As always, thanks a million!

Once you are at the bottom of the rod, you can go right on down to whatever your smallest guide is. There is no reason to use a bunch of different sizes. In that, that first guide on the bottom of the rod shouldn't be larger than the remainder on out to the tip. Just size them all the same.

The bumper guide ring size isn't as important as the frame height. You want it to sit down low right on the blank. So sure, you can use a small one like you did, or use a larger one and bend the frame/feet to get it to sit low to the blank. This is just another part of "custom" rod building.

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Thank you, Tom. I will say, that "guides special edition" cd was great! It helped immensely in understanding one of the most important facets of rod building.

Just to make sure, what you are saying is that I should not have a problem with going something along the lines of, #6 butt guide, #3 fly guides to the tip? All this contingent on the guides passing all needed connections and the butt guide keeping the line off the blank, of course.

Thanks again,

Ps, I did bend the bumper per your recommendation on all the other previous posts I read. It's as if it wasn't even there, which I think is by and large the point of the guide, ha!

Yes. It should work fine. Always tape them up and try a few casts and retrieves, of course.

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