Gents, I searched, but couldn't find what I was lookin for. Would it be unheard of to use this size stripper for an RCJB84H? Should I drop to a 20? These are expensive guides, so don't want to spend another $13-14 including shipping "just to see." I already have the 25. They are Alps XN zirconias. Its a 30 to 60 lbs class rod targeting yellowtail (west coast cousin to the amberjack) yo yo jigging. I have seen a lot on spacing and spiralling (which this is), but less on size. I have Tom's special edition CD on guides, but mostly talks about spinning/casting, not so much conventional.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 05/13/2016 02:39AM by Randy Weakley.

BTW the spiral I am thinking of is 25-12-12-10 down to 10 tip top. Normal spiral, 0-60-120-180 ish.

"Casting" is "Conventional."

The 25 is likely far larger than you'll need, however you could use it if you want without hurting much of anything.

................

I guess when I think of casting I think of a bass or inshore rod. This will likely never cast a lure. I guess same principle though. I guess I'll order a 20 and see how it does keeping line off grip.

If I had to go to a 25 to get the height I needed I might look at the K series RV, maybe a 16. Compact and very strong but high enough without being a giant ring on a conventional rod. That's an "unconventional" suggestion, but apparently you have a lot of height in the reel or a very long foregrip or something that demands a lot or height. Otherwise, like Tom says, go smaller.

Its a 14 inch grip. I made a guess when purchasing guides, but I'm thinking it may be a tad large. The only downside to this as a hobby is the lack of local outlets from which to purchase parts. The online stores are great, but I can't run out and grab a new guide real quick when I need one. May not be a huge issue if you do it for a living and have a cache of parts...but for us little guys...

If you can figure if you may need some thing else along with that guide so the shipping goes easier
Lesson learned - Get extra if unsure You should be able to use them on another rod ?? And do better research The Search Function here works well for information
Also here is a good chart that shows the height of guides that you can measure to get the right height and ring sizes [anglersresource.net]

Bill - willierods.com



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/13/2016 10:38AM by bill boettcher.

Thanks Bill, I'll check that site out. I rarely make blind posts here without doing some research first. In fact it was that research that caused me to send back a size 20 in favor of a 25. I was going for extra height, because I will target large fish and expect a deep bend. But I think I over estimated how thick the handle grip would be. Plus taking into account the fast action and lots of backbone, I just think I over calculated the height requirement for the guide. Extras get pricey when you start talking about better guides.

I have a back ordered item from Get Bit, so they were nice enough to let me purchase a guide and just combine it in with that shipment. Good people.

That is why with all the guides out now and the new ones coming out with higher prices I just stay with the fuji aconite nice ring and good price and I don't have to look all over for a certain guide ( unless a customer wants some thing special )
There is also a nice chart on Static Testing on that same site in case you need it

Use the larger guide You can always change it later if you don't like it ( I take it this is your rod ? )

Bill - willierods.com



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/13/2016 11:40AM by bill boettcher.

Thanks bill. I will check that out. Someone advised me to get the zirconia because of the nature of the rod...can't remember who. Maybe one of the staff at get bit. These are my first over hundred dollar builds. More towards the 200 side, so I figured might as well get the better guides.

On that note, if I under wrap the guides, can I remove the guide without having to redo the underwraps?

Hi Randy,

Hobby builder here as well and just like you I find it tough to envision a guide layout as there are so many factors. Luckily for us we have many good folks on here with a wealth of knowledge to help. I think I am going to buy a really cheap set of closeout guides just to use as rod set up guides then order nice ones for future builds by matching heights.

Right now I am getting things ready to build a Rod Geeks XC733 17-30lb Rod setup with spiral guide wrap. Bought most of my Alps mxn guides from Utmost Interprises ,which are awesome to deal with as they find the cheapest way but still very fast shipping. Realized for my build the 20 looks a touch too big so I bought a size 16 in the XN frame which is a little taller than the mxn. Check out the Alps guide height on utmost's website you might want to use a HXN 20 for the first guide to get the height you want, I doubt an extra .1 oz in weight would be noticable so close to the handle.

But before ordering anything else I would tape or ziptie the 25 and transition guides on the blank just to see how the line flows. If it works I would use it but if not ideal I would rather do the right guide the first time instead of cutting it off to redo later.

Sorry for the long rambling.

David thanks for the info. I haven't looked at that one yet, although I did take some time a while back to start clicking through the sponsors...just never made it that far down in the alphabet. I'm pretty stoked about this build. It's gonna be great targeting the yellowtail, and if I make it back to the east or gulf coast it'll be good for amberjack and maybe even grouper. Never caught either of those.

One thing I was upset about was forgetting to scuff the blank prior to installing the aluminum reel seat. But one of Tom's older post set my mind at ease a bit. But I will def remember to do this in the future. I started typing up a list of lessons learned and things to remember when building. I'm gonna print it out and keep it at my workbench.

The more rods you build ----- and the more TIME you spend reading and learning from this site
The better you will become The simple things like prepping seats and blank will become a common thing you will do and not even think about it -- like riding a bike you never forget

Bill - willierods.com

Randy, I would use the #25 on a yo-yo, pretty standard for that application. The guides should be large to allow the spectra-mono connection to pass thru better and also cuts down on friction when casting heavy iron. Many times casting distance is the name of the game. 14" grip will allow you to use the rail if you find some mid grade tuna. If I'm building anything for 40lb line or larger for throwing iron I always start with a #25. I also like to triple wrap,one under wrap, two over the feet but I'm a little old school in that respect. As long as it you're at it build a 10 footer for surface iron too. Both are a lot of fun.

Well I'm in the process of wrapping. I decided on the 25, but can re wrap with a 20 if I decide to later. I ended up with 6 running guides + the 4 transition guides. I got a pretty good layout I think. My tip top is on back order so I just used a line running through all the guides and wrapped a guide on with tape to simulate the tip top. I used my hand to flex the blank at various points and think I got a good guide setup.

I went with a simple gold trim 5 band threw ad on each end with two 3 thread bands near the center. I want to fish with this next month so I went for speed over intricate beauty. I think it'll still look nice though.

I don't know how guys make some of those super detailed wraps. I could probably do it, but it would take me like 2 or 3 hours per guide I'm sure. You guys sure have some talent!

Randy, what size reel will you be using?
If it's an Avet SX or JX size (or similar), I would use a size 20 stripper.
If it's an MX or HX, (or similar) then I would go with a 25 due to the larger diameter of the reel.
What I look for is a nice transition from the reel to the stripper, no excessive angles, same as the spiral guides.
I also start my stripper at about 5 degrees off the 0 axis, then static place the remainder using 4 transition guides to the 180 axis.
This gives me the smoothest transition from top to bottom of the rod.
My .02 worth.

Iwent with the 25. It is a Fin Nor Sport Fisher ST30. It holds 460 yards of 30 lbs mono for size comparison. I don't know much about Avet reels.

It was a bit awkward guiding the line on. I think I may just have to get used to it. It was much easier on my 3/0 senator because the spool was so much lower.

Didn't get to use it really. I brought it on the trip, but we didn't go to where the yellows were on the bottom. I dropped it down a couple times just to get the feel for it, though. I'd like to go out again before the seasons over! Wanna get a passport so I can go on one of the trips that go further south toward Baja.