I have a St Croix Legend Surf in for a simple repair. Model LSS90MM2. The guy who owns it bought it second hand and the first guide has been knocked out of alignment with the rest of the guides, thread and wrap damage, but no damage to the guide.

My question, thread color to match factory wraps, does anybody know what St Croix used on this rod, it is very close but darker to Pro Wrap 407 Cool Mint. I also have some older Gudebrod Teal which is also close, but not quite it. I did a quick test wrap of both with epoxy over them and they are not matches. The Blank is a "deep blue" color. I figured I would ask here before placing a call to St Croix.

Another question about this, since I don't build Surf rods, I noticed that this first guide is reversed compared to the rest of the guides with regard to the frame/foot orientation. Guy who owns it asked the same question and well, I just don't know why it was built this way.

Thanks.

Bill,
A lot of folks build some of their rods with the first guide reversed. I have no idea as to the reason why.

You might check with pac bay for thread. It seems to me that St. Croix has used pac bay thread on some of their rods.

I am guessing that it is dark navy or cobalt blue:

[www.jannsnetcraft.com]

Bill,
The theory of reversing the stripper guide, and possibly all of the reduction guides, is simply to eliminate the possibility of the line slapping the guide brace legs when pointed to the rear. It obviously was designed more for the chaotic coils coming from a spinning reel rather than the more subdued line flow of a conventional reel. The theory, application and benefits are profound enough for Fuji to introduce their newest guide, the RV, which utilizes the reverse leg platform. However, in the larger ring sizes, the RV can be cost prohibitive. But, for years, surf anglers have utilized the benefit of reversing another of Fuji’s guide offerings, the LC or Low-rider guide. The LC is identifiable by its long, swoopy (sexy?) brace legs which I suspect your rod may be adorned with. I rebuilt a vintage 50s Conolon surf rod with the LCs and if casts exceptionally well and it just plain looks cool while doing so. And, yes, it does spark comments and questions from others.

Mark Talmo
FISHING IS NOT AN ESCAPE FROM LIFE BUT RATHER A DEEPER IMMERSION INTO IT!!! BUILDING YOUR OWN SIMPLY ENHANCES THE EXPERIENCE.