Hey guys. How many guides would you recommend on a 7' casting rod? I'll be using a #8 DF, #6 DF, and then running out in #5 single foot. Thanks in advance!

I recommend a 9 guide MicroWave casting system....


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Would ideal guide placement be any different if this were a two-piece rod blank instead of a one- piece rod blank?

If I understand the question correctly Phil I don't think it would be.

i can,t recall ever seeing a two piece casting rod, plenty of spinning though..must have been a sheltered life..lol.

on second thought, my telescopic flipping rods are all two piece..but they are getting much harder to find..

Hello Jason -- To help in answering your original question, it could take 9 to 11 guides, all according to the length of the butt grip area and where the reel seat is installed, along with the flex of the 7' rod blank.

Bob McKamey
Mud Hole Custom Tackle
bobm@mudhole.com

For my 7’ bass casting rods I mostly use 9 guides and on occasion will use 10. I like to use a size 10 stripper, which in my opinion is not too high nor too low, and is the size that Fuji recommends for both NGC and KR casting rods.
Norm

Thanks for the input guys and hello from Murfreesboro Bob!

Hello Jason -- Great to hear from you!! Miss Them Ole Rolling Hills!!

Bob McKamey
Mud Hole Custom Tackle
bobm@mudhole.com

Can anyone post a pic of a static deflection test with the line pulled through on a casting rod. Trying to get a good idea of spacing and the lay of the line. Driving myself nuts on whether the line should be touching the blank or not and should line to blank be equal between guides throughout the guide run. Does that make sense?

Place your stripper guide about 20-23” (51-58 cm) in front of your reel. Place the first running guide 3.5-4” (9-10 cm) from the tip top. Then progressive place the other guides between them. I like to increase the distance between guides by 1 cm for the first few guides and gradually increase this distance as you get closer to the stripper. Once the guides are taped in place, run your line from the reel through your guides and tie on a light weight and let it hang from the tip. Then tie a separate line to you tip top and tie it to an immovable or heavy object. This second line allows the blank to bend naturally unencumberd by the guides and line running through them, and this also prevents the guides from twisting when putting a bend in the rod. Now put a bend in the rod and observe how the line looks running through the guides. Basically what you are looking for is the line giving nice smooth curve that closely follows the rod bend. If the line touches or runs below the bent blank then adjust the spacing accordingly or add another guide. Most of the time following the above procedure very little adjustments are needed. For a 7’ casting rod I usually use 9 guides and on occasion will go as many as 10, and this is using size 4.5 runners. Do not get overly obsessive about the line slightly touching the blank. When you are happy with the guide layout, test cast the rod. I think you will be happy with it’s performance.
Norm

The only addition that I will make to the excellent post by Norman is the placement of the first running guide down from the tip.
For a "typical blank the 3.5 inches to 4 inches is right on.

But, if the blank is exceptionally slow or moderate action, it is quite likely that the first guide distance from the tip could be increased to 5-8 inches.

Or, if the blank is exceptionally extra extra fast, it is possible that the first guide might need to be as close as 2.5 inches to 3 inches.

Certainly the 3.5 inches is certainly a very good starting point for initial placement.

Be safe

Norman Miller Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Place your stripper guide about 20-23” (51-58
> cm) in front of your reel. Place the first running
> guide 3.5-4” (9-10 cm) from the tip top. Then
> progressive place the other guides between them. I
> like to increase the distance between guides by 1
> cm for the first few guides and gradually increase
> this distance as you get closer to the stripper.
> Once the guides are taped in place, run your line
> from the reel through your guides and tie on a
> light weight and let it hang from the tip. Then
> tie a separate line to you tip top and tie it to
> an immovable or heavy object. This second line
> allows the blank to bend naturally unencumberd by
> the guides and line running through them, and this
> also prevents the guides from twisting when
> putting a bend in the rod. Now put a bend in the
> rod and observe how the line looks running through
> the guides. Basically what you are looking for is
> the line giving nice smooth curve that closely
> follows the rod bend. If the line touches or runs
> below the bent blank then adjust the spacing
> accordingly or add another guide. Most of the time
> following the above procedure very little
> adjustments are needed. For a 7’ casting rod I
> usually use 9 guides and on occasion will go as
> many as 10, and this is using size 4.5 runners. Do
> not get overly obsessive about the line slightly
> touching the blank. When you are happy with the
> guide layout, test cast the rod. I think you will
> be happy with it’s performance.
> Norm


I do it very similar to this, but I like the way the uniformity of the incremental spacing from the acid rod layout. []. I have used as few as 8 and as many as 10. Tape one on at 20" from the reel face and 4" from the tip, plug the info into the spreadsheet, tape the guides on where they go, then load it up and make sure the line doesn't dip below the blank. If it does, add another guide. I usually do a KW10, KW 5.5, then all the same sized runners after that to the tip.